Edinburgh parking: Portobello campaigners celebrate victory as residents elsewhere ask how to stop CPZs in their areas
Campaigners in Portobello are celebrating victory after a surprise decision by councillors to scrap plans for a controlled parking zone in the area.
And residents in other parts of Edinburgh and further afield have been contacting them for tips on how to stop new parking schemes.
The city council's Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO) sub-committee voted 5-4 against approving the order to bring in the CPZ after hearing there had been more than 2,000 objections to the proposals.
A post on the campaign website Portobello and Joppa Residents and Businesses Against CPZ says: "This community has made history. This may be the first time and Edinburgh City Council committee has rejected a CPZ TRO in its entirety.
"Our community spoke and the restrictive parking charges, which would have acted as a tax on residents and visitors, have been stopped."
A group of campaigners were at the City Chambers to hear the debate and witness the unexpected outcome.
Ania Lewandowska-Craig, one of the organisers, said: "It was amazing - I could not believe it. We went there thinking it was a done deal but we might as well just take it all the way, so it was incredible.
“We never denied there are some issues here, but CPZ was not the answer and I'm glad they listened.
"I'm looking closely at Haddington and East Lothian and whether the decision taken here might influence the decisions over there - I hope it does. We'll see how this pans out for other communities."
She said the group had been contacted, both before and after the decision, by people in Ravelston, Blackford, Abbeyhill and even from Glasgow, wanting to know how they had run the campaign.
She said: "We've had emails from many communities looking at what we've done and what they can do to stop or reverse CPZs in their areas. It was the community coming together: don't complain, campaign - and we did."
Portobello Conservative councillor Tim Jones, a consistent opponent of the CPZ plans, welcomed the decision.
He said: "I am delighted that the CPZ has been thrown out. The response I received from residents was overwhelming. I stood with residents throughout this process when they felt ignored. This shows that when communities stand firm, they can make themselves heard."
Transport convener Stephen Jenkinson admitted he was disappointed at the decision, but said it would not affect the plans for CPZs elsewhere in the city.
"The CPZ policy is sound and we are still rolling out the various phases of CPZs across the city. That doesn't change.
“Officers did listen to the community and I believe reasonable adjustments to the CPZ were made.
"We do run the risk that continuing to have unrestricted parking across Portobello, in an area which attracts a lot of visitors, might be problematic for the community further down the line.
"But a democratic decision was taken and that's the will of the council. There will be no restrictions to parking in Portobello."