Author: Jim Scanlon

Clean up along the Water of Leith Tuesday 17th April 10.30am

The weather forecast for next week is for us to have some sun. If you have some time to help us then please come along on  Tuesday 17th April 10.30am – 1pm.  We are having a clean up along the paths along the Water of Leith. We want will clean-up both sides of the river and walkway between Coburg Street car park – and West Bowling Green Street. We will be joining the WOL Conservation Trust Volunteer Team and staff from Change Works.  The event will also be advertised as part of Changes Work’s Earth Day,

If you are coming please wear weather appropriate clothes you do not mind getting mucky. The WOL Conservation Trust will provide all equipment for the clean-up (gloves, black bags, litter pickers etc).  We are meeting in Coalie Park and work with the team during the morning.  Here is a link to a map where an arrow points to the start location.

http://streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=326616&Y=676473&A=Y&Z=106

Hot drinks will also be provided halfway through the clean-up.
City of Edinburgh Council will take away the litter at the end of the clean-up.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need any clarification.

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ONECITY TRUST OPEN FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS

ONECITY TRUST OPEN FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS

GRANTS OF BETWEEN £5,000 AND £10,000 AVAILABLE

The OneCity Trust is pleased to announce that its main grant programme is now open for applications. Registered charities and constituted groups based in Edinburgh and focussing their work in the city. Ideally with an annual income of less than £200,000, are invited to apply for funding for equality and social inclusion projects meeting one or more of the following priorities;

  • COMMUNITY CONNECTEDNESS
  • CULTURAL BRIDGING
  • CIVIC INCLUSION

For the third year, we are also in a partnership with Travis Perkins Managed Services and the City of Edinburgh Council. This is a Community Benefit Legacy fund offered to the Council by Travis Perkins as part of a major contract and is managed through the OneCity Trust.

Applications for this funding will be considered from organisations that involve City of Edinburgh Council tenants or from other organisations aiming to benefit geographical areas with a high proportion of Council homes. 

Overall, the Trust intends to make up to 15 grants, of between £5,000 and £10,000.

For further information and to request an application form, please seewww.onecity.org.uk, or alternatively, please telephone Elaine McCafferty on 0131 469 3856 or e-mail 1819applications@onecity.org.uk.

Please note that the Trust is supported by the council on a part-time basis.

The deadline for applications is 20 April 2018, and projects should commence on 2 July 2018 and run for up to one year.  Please note one off projects will also be considered.   A condition of this funding agreement will be the promotion, media and photographic opportunities organised with the OneCity Trust, at any time throughout the period of the fund.  You must also acknowledge the source of your funding at every opportunity, e.g. logos on websites, promotional materials, etc.

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Seafield Burning Smell

After the Community Council was contacted by local residents about a burning smell coming from Seafield I contacted Scottish Water and received the following response.

“Veolia have confirmed that at around 18:00 on Sunday, a blockage was detected within part of the sludge treatment process.  This unexpected issue meant that one stream within the process had to be taken offline so that the problem could be quickly resolved.  A short controlled release of air from the thermal hydrolysis plant was required so that personnel could safely gain access to carry out the repair.  This release of air lasted for around 30 minutes.  This early intervention to fix the issue minimised the impact on operations and any longer term potential impact on the community.

This short release of air briefly caused an odour that was detected in localised areas within the community.  Veolia apologise for the impact this had on the local community but would like to reassure you that this is not a routine event, and that there were no other equipment problems at the time, including the siloxane filter. 

In assessing and responding to the query, Veolia have been undertaking spot checks out in the community at various times today and feel that the issue described above has been addressed.”

Veolia and Scottish Water want to be good neighbours so I’ve asked them to review their communication system with the public. As Scottish Water have said the incident was unexpected and dealt with quickly but  they have to keep the public informed.

Both Scottish Water and Veolia who operate the plant have websites to make the public aware and I have also suggested they contact me so that the CC can post on this site to make the locals who suffer the most aware of what’s going on.

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DUNCAN PLACE GREAT NEWS

PRESS RELEASE

Historic community space to reopen in Leith
Crucial step forward for Leith community as Duncan Place is awarded £1.2m for refurbishment.

Plans to re-open Duncan Place in Leith as a community resource under local management
are set to go ahead after receiving an award of £1.2m from the Scottish Governments Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF). This funding will allow the building to be refurbished prior to it being transferred to the newly registered charity, Duncan Place. This community led organisation aims to have the much needed space re-opened by 2020, which will be in time to celebrate Duncan Places centenary!

The vision for Duncan Place is to create a thriving community hub providing affordable studios and offices for charitable organisations, support services and social enterprises alongside community space for events, classes and workshops with a focus on arts, health, education, well-being and reducing inequality in Leith.

Carol Leslie, Chairperson of Duncan Place, said “This is a such a boost for the folks in Leith. It was a busy, lively centre and a great resource for everyone who used it before its closure. When it re-opens the centre will be a fitted out with up-to-date facilities, have disabled and lift access and be an energy efficient building. Duncan Place will be a fantastic space for groups, clubs and classes to meet and come together. It will be community owned, community-led with office and studio space to help sustain the community activities and resources”.

Carol added, “We would like to thank the council along with our members and Leithers who have helped to get us to this stage. We invite everyone to get in touch and to follow the progress on Facebook at Duncan Place Leith, on twitter using @duncan_place or via the website duncanplace.org”

The community saved the historic building from demolition in 2014, and since then the dedicated trustees of Duncan Place have worked tirelessly to secure the building and return it to the Community of Leith. The trustees have had great support from the residents of Leith, working closely with them and with the City of Edinburgh Council to get to this point. Together they have raised close to £1.5m of funding to refurbish and re-open the much loved and used community space.

Leader of City of Edinburgh Council, Adam McVey, said: “This is brilliant news for Leith and the city! Another community hub is to be brought back to life due to regeneration funding from the Scottish Government. This project is an excellent example of what collaboration and partnership working between the public and voluntary sectors can achieve.
“We’ve worked well with the group taking forward this project and knowing those involved from the community, I’m chuffed they’ve done such a fantastic job in bringing back Duncan Place back into use.
“The funding will help to reduce inequality through the provision of much needed affordable space for events, classes and workshops on health, education and well-being and I’m excited to see the next phase of the project develop.”

Press Contact – info@duncanplace.org

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Trams to Newhaven: Notification of First Round of Public Consultation

Beginning 19 March, the City of Edinburgh Council will undertake six weeks of public consultation and engagement on taking Edinburgh Trams to Newhaven. This will provide the public, local business and stakeholders with general information on the project, specific details around traffic management during construction and the proposed permanent design. We will also outline our current proposals on how we aim to support local business during the construction period. 

During consultation your views will be sought on traffic management and phasing. This includes proposals for the closure of Leith Walk to all northbound traffic, with a single city-bound lane remaining open and the phased closure and reopening of Constitution Street. Work in these areas is expected to last for up to 18 months.

These and wider plans for traffic management during construction have been drawn up following in-depth traffic modelling and discussions with key partners and stakeholders.

We also intend to communicate our plans to help support local businesses who will be most affected by the works. This includes provision for parking and loading between work sites, an open for business campaign, on-street customer service staff, logistics hubs and financial support. 
Your opinions will also be sought on the plans for the permanent design of the street along the route. This includes a dedicated public transport-only lane on Leith Walk for tram and bus during the morning and evening rush hour. During off peak time the outside lanes will close to traffic and provide essential parking and loading areas for local business.
This is the first stage in a consultation process that is scheduled to continue through to the end of 2018.

Consultation 1 Begins: 19 March 2018 

  • 28,000 letters delivered to residential addresses in the area surrounding the planned tram route
  • 4 public information events:
    • Thursday 22 March: Leith Theatre, 11am – 6pm
    • Tuesday 3 April: McDonald Road Library, 10am – 4pm
    • Thursday 12 April: Leith Community Education Centre, 3pm – 9pm
    • Saturday 21 April: Ocean Terminal, 12 noon – 5pm
      • 4 local business forums
      • 4 community council briefings 
      • Online feedback via Consultation Hub from 19 March
      • A dedicated Trams to Newhaven website to keep you up-to-date

      Consultation 1 Ends: 29 April 2018
      As part of our consultation the project team commissioned an independent survey to understand local behaviours and attitudes towards Trams to Newhaven. The research was carried out by Progressive Partnership – an Edinburgh-based market research company. This involved a ten-minute on-street interview carried out with representative sample of 368 individuals at three locations along the proposed route.

      Below are some of the key findings:

      • 59% agreed that the line would benefit Leith with 58% saying it would be easier to get around and 42% saying it would be good for local business
      • 91% were satisfied with current transport provision on Leith Walk 
      • When asked what would improve public transport provision in Leith Walk, the most popular response at 38% was ‘introduce a tram service’ NB most respondents currently used buses or walking to get to and around Leith
      • 56% said they were likely to use the new line
      • Among those who did not think Leith would benefit, concerns focused chiefly on disruption, delays and congestion resulting from construction works 

      If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

      Trams to Newhaven Project Team

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Cleanup along the Water of Leith

Please come along this Sunday 25th February to help with a joint cleanup with the WoL Conservation Trust..
I hope you will be able to spare a couple of hours to come along and enjoy yourself and at the same time pick up some of the plastic and litter that has collected since our last cleanup..
Very sorry for the short notice this time, however the weather looks good with some sunshine so hope to see you there.

We are meeting at Coalie Park at 10.30am. See the link below if you are not sure were we are meeting.

http://streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=326616&Y=676474&A=Y&Z=106

If you do manage to join us please come and say hello

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Next Meeting Leith Links Community Council; Monday 26th February 2018

The next meeting of the Leith Links Community Council will be held on Monday 26 February

at 7pm, in the Shore Room, Leith Community Education Centre, New Kirkgate

Our guest speaker is from Port of Leith HA to give an overview of their proposals for the Porthaven House site.

All welcome

Agenda26.2.18   LLCC Minutes Jan 2018 Draft3

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SALAMANDER STREET NEW HOUSING PROPOSAL LINK GROUP

Link Group Ltd are holding a drop in event to view proposals for a new housing development on Salamander Street consisting of 199 homes for mid market rent.

The drop in will take place on:

Wednesday, 31st January from 4pm-6.30pm

St.Mary Star of the Sea Church Hall, 106 Constitution Street

You will have the opportunity to view the proposals and question staff from Link Housing

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Children’s Orchard Pruning Day SUNDAY 4 February

Children’s Orchard
Pruning & Clean-up Day
Sunday 4 February 2019
10.30am to 12.30pm
on Leith Links Eastern End

We’re holding a pruning day for adults interested in learning how to carry out pruning on young fruit trees. Demonstration will be provided by Ben Dell from the Royal Botanic Garden

All volunteers are welcome as there will be plenty to do with tree planting and general orchard clean-up. However, places available for pruning instruction are limited to 16, so please book in advance if that is your main interest.

Please bring secateurs and gloves if you have them, and wear suitable outdoor clothing and sturdy footwear.

All equipment for the clean-up is provided. Children must be supervised by a responsible adult. Wear warm outdoor clothing and suitable footwear. Lunch is provided

For more information please contact: chair.lccc@leithcentralcc.co.uk

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