Education, Culture and Sport Committee, 26 Feb 2002

Meeting date: Tuesday, February 26, 2002

Official Report 289KB pdf

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Roman Remains (Cramond)

Item 6 is about the Roman remains at Cramond. Members have the letter from Mr Ronald Guild. Today I have circulated an agenda for a meeting of the Cramond management group on Friday 1 March. Have you had that?

Yes, I have seen that.

The group is meeting on Friday 1 March. I suggest that we write to the council today to ask it to brief us on what happens at that meeting. At our meeting in the week after that or in the following week, we could get an update on what is happening.

I warmly supported Mr Brian Monteith's selection as the rapporteur on Cramond; in fact, I seem to remember that I proposed him for that role.

There was no skulduggery involved.

None whatever. I am pleased that Ronnie Guild is here, because I walked part of the Cramond ruins with him some time ago. I fully endorse his letter. The prevarication has been astounding. I do not understand how City of Edinburgh Council can do what it has done.

Anybody who goes to Cramond—which I would recommend—to walk round the ruins of Cramond kirk, for example, will find that they are the worst interpreted and worst displayed ruins in Scotland, at least that I have ever seen. No matter how necessary it is, the sewage pumping works is an abomination on the landscape. The potential destruction by the redevelopment of Dunfermline College of Physical Education is a worry. It seems that neither the council nor any of the other bodies involved is taking the matter seriously.

At the very least, we should say to the council that we want to know from the meeting on 1 March what it proposes to do as a matter of urgency. If it proposes simply to issue minutes, as has been the case until now, and hold 10-minute meetings, the Education, Culture and Sport Committee should inquire into the matter in more depth. The first stage would be to walk the Roman ruins with Mr Guild, to see how appalling the situation is.

This is the first time that I have been introduced to the Cramond ruins issue as a member of the committee. I recognise the sense of frustration at the lack of activity, which shouts through every line of the letter. I am not clear whether the petition has prompted the management group meeting. The meeting is welcome. Writing to City of Edinburgh Council to find out exactly what its plans are might be a useful way forward.

We must do so prior to Friday.

Yes, today.

Then the council will be in no doubt about the situation.

It would be useful for us to put Cramond on our agenda for a meeting soon after the council's management liaison committee has met. We could ask Herbert Coutts to give us a report—not minutes—of that committee meeting, so that we can tell what progress has been made and discuss the issue. It is only right that we do that so that we can report back to Mr Guild. There is a danger associated with where we tread and what our locus is. We are not the local authority or a landowner and we cannot instruct people to do things. However, we can take a keen interest as a committee that wants to consider issues of natural and built heritage. If we consider that not enough is being done, we can ask people to come before the committee to explain what they have not done and what they intend to do. At the very least, we need to let the council committee meet and find out what actions it proposes to take.

I suggest that we put that on the agenda for 12 March. That would allow appropriate time for a response and a report. Is that agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

If someone was asked to speak to us, that would make them think. I am sure that they would not want to appear obstructive.

We would want to hear not just from the council, but from Historic Scotland.

Let us get the report of the meeting and decide where to go from there.

The report that I produced and the comments that the committee made at the time made it perfectly clear that we did not see Historic Scotland as having a locus to do things. It was because there was inaction by all the other parties that we felt that Historic Scotland could take a lead. Therefore, it was surprising that Historic Scotland declined to do that. The matter then fell to City of Edinburgh Council. I thank the council for stepping in, but there seems to have been a long delay since then. If you write to Herbert Coutts, convener, perhaps you should include an extract of the Official Report of today's meeting.

I am afraid that the Official Report will not be ready to send before Friday. However, I am sure that we can send it for information after Friday.

We should note Ronnie Guild's work on the issue. He is tireless and persistent and, if it were not for him, nothing would be happening. At least now there is potential for action. He has expended much energy on the matter.

Absolutely. I am sure that the committee agrees with those sentiments.