Since we last reported on the basement area outside 31 Broughton Street two years ago (Issue 198), problems there have got worse.
The Iona Pub Partnership’s application to erect a security fence was soon withdrawn and came to nothing (Ref. 11/02616/FUL).
Drawn by comparative seclusion and warm-air vents, more individuals now sleep here in unsightly, unhygienic and (especially in summer) malodorous conditions. There are very occasional small fires and not infrequent medical and police call-outs. Around 10 individuals currently frequent Broughton Street Lane and, if temporarily unable to climb over the railings into the basement, often end up blocking steps to nearby homes instead.
Here is a log for this month alone. It is not necessarily a comprehensive list of all episodes at this address, but to avoid the possibility of double-counting Spurtle will stick to one correspondent's account of reported incidents:
- 1–7 June: Group blocking steps.
- 8–9 June: Drunks refusing to move.
- 10 June: Drunks refusing to move. Ambulance and police called.
- 10–16 June: Unauthorised removal of gate padlock and chain.
- 16 June: Ambulance called for unconscious man. Later cancelled.
- 17 June: Incident involving 2 men in basement. Police called.
Neighbours have approached the individuals involved, the Police, City of Edinburgh Council, community council, and the relevant commercial owners of this A-listed property in an attempt to resolve the situation. They are exasperated, to say the least, by slow progress.
Rough sleepers are common in Edinburgh’s city centre, and most people here have an unactualised sense of pity and protectiveness towards them. When such unfortunates doss literally on one's doorstep, though, finding the right balance between compassion and firmness comes into focus. That is the unenviable position in which some locals now find themselves.
The fact is that this is an issue affecting everyone. Short-term fixes merely displace the problem – sort it out on Broughton Street today and it may well end up transferring to your doorstep tomorrow. (Ask Hopetoun Crescent residents what happened once the tourist-sensitive Mound was cleared.)
Effective solutions require time, attention and resources. Are we, the voting public, prepared to put our money where our conscience is?
What do you think should be done? How would you solve the problem?
Tell us by email spurtle@hotmail.co.uk on Facebook Broughton Spurtle or Twitter @theSpurtle
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