Author: Sally Millar

Survey ends soon…last chance to add your views!

Please will you take a few minutes to fill in this wee survey, about possible futures for the bowling green area on the Links? The survey will close on Friday 10th September.

At the Community Picnic in July, we asked people to put coloured stickers on a board to indicate their views and preferences. Now we need to ask the same questions of the wider community, to try to get the largest and most representative number of responses, which we will feed back to the council.

Please fill in this wee survey – it’s really not long or difficult.

(Unfortunately, we obviously can’t guarantee that you will actually get what you tick, in the end – it’s not a ‘vote’ as such. All the Community Council can do is to consult people for views, and share ideas and information. But we do think the Council is at least listening to what the people of Leith Links have to say about this neglected area, and about the park in general. We have heard there may be a Master Plan for the whole of the Links, coming up.)

Former bowling greens area – quickie wee survey please!

Please will you take a few minutes to fill in this wee survey?

The conversation about possible futures for the bowling green area on the Links continues, and we need to feed back to the Council soon.

At the Community Picnic on 17th July, we asked all the people attending to put coloured stickers on a board to indicate their views and preferences. Now we need to ask the same questions of the wider community, to try to get the largest and most representative number of responses.

Please fill in this wee survey – it’s really not long or difficult.

(Unfortunately, we obviously can’t guarantee that you will actually get what you tick, in the end – it’s not a ‘vote’ as such. All the Community Council can do is to consult people for views, and share ideas and information. But we do think the Council is at least listening to what the people of Leith Links have to say about this neglected area, and about the park in general. We have heard there may be a Master Plan for the whole of the Links, coming up.)

Next meeting Leith Links Community Council, Monday 30 August 2021, 6:30pm online via Teams.

The next meeting of the Leith Links Community Council will be held on Monday 30 August 2021 at 6:30pm, online via Microsoft Teams.

Papers for the meeting can be found here:

1. Agenda for the meeting

2.LLCC MINUTES 28 June 2021 (draft until adopted at next week’s meeting).

(These are also stored for access at any time in our online Library.)

We have two speakers coming to this meeting.

Mr.Murray McAdam to talk about the Enterprise Car Club

Mr. Ross Woodside of Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspaces Trust, to talk about the results of the consultation about a proposed arboretum on Leith Links.

As always, our meetings are open to interested members of the public. If you wish to attend, please email contact@leithlinkscc.org.uk and you will be sent an invitation / link for the meeting.

Phase 2 Parking Controls put ‘on hold’ for now

At Thursday’s meeting of the City of Edinburgh Council’s Transport and Environment Committee, after much discussion, a vote was taken to defer action on parking controls for the areas included in Phase 2 (which includes our area, still confusingly called ‘West Leith’ i.e. Lochend and Ryehill) until autumn 2022. There will be further consultation with local communities in the meanwhile.

The main reasons for deferring were  (1) the very high level of objections from local residents – roughly 75%, even higher in West Leith, and (2) waiting to see the effects of the Phase 1 parking controls – which WILL be coming in on Leith Walk and across Leith – in terms of parking migration, and (3) whether working patterns and parking demands may change, post pandemic..

The main argument for pressing ahead with the legal enablement of Phase 2 parking controls (TROs) had been that there will inevitably be ‘migration’ of parking into Easter Road and the Leith Links area as the Phase 1 parking controls in Leith  / Leith Walk start to bite. Residents may change their minds then, but getting the TROs in place is a lengthy process, so Council officers thought it would be better to get it done early.

You can watch the Committee discussions here (Item 7b on the agenda, starts at 3:42:29

Parking Controls on the Way – whether we like it or not…?

Although 75 per cent of residents say they have no problems with parking, the  City Council looks set to press on with plans for pay to park controls across the City, including in this area. Sorry for the short notice, but you need to read this as there is an important vote tomorrow!

Earlier this year local residents were consulted about plans to introduce controlled parking along the length of Easter Road and an area being called ‘West Leith’ which is bounded by Hermitage and East Hermitage Place, Restalrig Rd, Lochend Avenue and Lochend Rd, including the bottom end of Easter Rd and Academy Park. The consultation results are in, and are  considered by the Council’s Transport and Environment Committee on 19 August this week, alongside similar proposals for other areas of the City.

More than 16,000 leaflets were delivered to homes in 8 areas across the city where parking controls are proposed. Thousands of responses, emails and online comments were received. 75% of people said they did not experience parking problems (77% in ‘West Leith’). The problem people most often wanted action on was inconsiderate or dangerously parked cars, and there were reports of abandoned vehicles – which take up space. The 350 page report going to the Transport and Environment Committee says ‘It is clear from the consultation responses that there is a majority of respondents who do not believe that the introduction of parking controls is warranted at this time’.  

Nevertheless, tomorrow Thursday 19 August the City of Edinburgh Council Transport and Environment Committee could agree  to introduce parking controls in 8 areas of the City including ‘West Leith’. If agreed, a statutory ‘Traffic Regulation Order’ process would start, which could possibly lead to parking controls introduced from Autumn 2022. Residents would need to purchase permits for their vehicles – the Council paper estimates 799 people would need permits in ‘West Leith’, and non-residents would need to pay to park – a fee of £2.50 per hour Monday to Friday 8.30am  to 5.30pm is being proposed – with cashless ticket machines introduced.

Other matters in the report include a further delay to proposals around parking controls linked to events at stadiums, including Easter Road, and a proposal to monitor the effect of the controlled parking on adjacent areas like the so-called ‘East Leith’ area at the east (Seafield) end of Leith Links.  It is difficult to see why any visitor coming by car to Leith Links for, eg dog walking, football or just a picnic would prefer to park for £2.50 per hour at the west end of the Links instead of for free at the east end, so migration of parking is inevitable.

If you have views on this issue you need to contact your local Councillors and have your say QUICKLY!!! Tonight’s the night!

Your local Councillors are:

Cllr Adam McVey adam.mcvey@edinburgh.gov.uk
Cllr Gordon Munro gordon.munro@edinburgh.gov.uk
Cllr Chas Booth chas.booth@edinburgh.gov.uk – Chas Booth is a member of the Transport and Environment Committee, so it makes most sense to make sure he knows what your views are before tomorrow’s meeting.

Here is a link to the full Council paper for this week’s Committee meeting.

Faeces in the Forth….?

Did you see the shocking recent report by The Ferret about Scottish beaches polluted by sewage? Portobello was one of them.

LLCC was concerned about the statistics as there have been issues in the past with beach pollution at Portobello connected to untreated sewage being released into the Forth from the Seafield plant. We felt it could be significant that the pollution was noticeably worse on Portobello West beach (ie. nearer to Seafield) than on the central beach. You can read our letter here, along with an extract from the original report.

Scottish Water have said that there is no link to Seafield Waste Water Treatment Plant. The official line is that sewage overflow is caused by heavy rain overwhelming the drainage system (they say overflow should be drained a mile out in the Forth, from a drainage pipe / tunnel, not near any beach). SEPA states that heavy rain washes animal faeces off the land into rivers / sea. LLCC has asked for further investigation.

MP for Edinburgh East Tommy Sheppard wrote to the Minister for the Environment at Holyrood about it, and you can read his letter here. Tommy Sheppard also said: “I’ve sent the attached letter to Mairi McAllan, the new Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform which I trust relates your concerns appropriately. My office has also sent a copy to SEPA for their information. I’ll of course update you on the response I receive”.

 

 

 

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Links Gardens to re-open on 9th August

The Community Council has just received official notification from the Council (Spaces for People team) that Links Gardens is due to be re-opened to traffic on Monday 9th August.

Below is a copy of the email received. It seems obvious that the re-opening is not permanent but conditional on matters relating to the tramworks and to the proposed Low Traffic Neighbourhood. So monitoring of traffic flow, safety issues, collection of evidence, and feedback of local views will continue to be very important.

In the meanwhile it is not entirely clear from the Council’s email exactly what conditions are to be placed on the reopening. A key sentence seems to be: “Measures are going to be considered by the Tram team to mitigate the impact of traffic using local diversion routes near the school.”    We will try to find out asap what this means in practice,and will keep you informed.

So all local residents will want to keep an eye on how the re-opening goes, and please keep taking photos, when relevant, and feeding back on what effect (positive and /or negative) you feel the re-opening has on pedestrians, cyclists, school children, buses, cars, deliveries, traffic congestion on nearby roads, etc.  Comments are open below – do tell us how you think it’s going.

Opinions are mixed on this issue, overall, but the one thing none of us want, probably, is the return of the densely parked (dumped?) camper vans, trailers and caravans etc., along Links Gardens. We will be asking (again) whether signs can be obtained, to discourage this.

COPY

From: spacesforpeople <spacesforpeople@edinburgh.gov.uk>
Sent: Monday, August 2, 2021 4:43:21 PM

Dear Councillors and Stakeholders,

I refer to the ongoing closure of Links Gardens which was implemented as part of the Spaces for People programme of works in response to the Covid pandemic. The Links Gardens scheme is an initial Spaces for People project, originally implemented during the early stages of lockdown when restrictions limited the duration/method of exercise people could undertake. The original objectives of the project were to provide increased safe space for socially distanced exercise and to link together both sections of Leith Links.  

It was agreed at the Transport and Environment Committee on 17 June that the closure of Links Gardens will be removed during tram construction in the area, but the reinstatement of the closure will be considered again in the future, subject to consultation with local people as part of proposals for a Leith Low Traffic Neighbourhood.

Accordingly I am writing to notify you of Links Gardens being reopened on Monday the 9 August in advance of the Tram works commencing at the Foot of the Walk. Measures are going to be considered by the Tram team to mitigate the impact of traffic using local diversion routes near the school.

I trust that this updates you on the current position however if you require any further information or clarification please do not hesitate to contact Barry Clarke, Senior Project Manager at barry.clarke@edinburgh.gov.uk

Regards

Andy Edwards

Dr Andy Edwards | South West Locality | Place | The City of Edinburgh Council | 10 Westside Plaza, Edinburgh EH14 2ST | email: andy.edwards@edinburgh.gov.uk |

 

 

 

 

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Public toilets empower our community

Seems everybody enjoyed our community picnic on Leith Links on Saturday (hurrah!). Yes, we were very lucky with the weather (phew!), but what actually made it possible was the public toilets.

You simply couldn’t organise any public event without toilets –  but only big commercial events can afford to buy in ‘portaloos’, not small community groups. So public toilets are not just vital for individuals, they are enabling and empowering for the community. A local community is a life force, not just a ‘place’. Feeling part of our community can help our mental health and well-being.

Thanks for our toilets, City of Edinburgh Council! (And thanks to Steven for manning them nobly on Saturday.) Please can we keep them?

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Leith Links Community Council responds to City of Edinburgh Councils Leith Connections consultation on a Leith Low Traffic Neighbourhood

Leith Links Community Council has now submitted its response to the City of Edinburgh Councils Leith Connections consultation on their planned changes to how we move around Leith.Leith Connections

Our full response can be viewed by clicking here.

Previous website articles by us can be viewed by clicking here.

 

 

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Annual Report 2020 / 2021

Once again we present to our community our Annual Report

With last year’s Annual General Meeting being delayed due to the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic, our Annual Report this year covers the slightly shorter than usual period from Autumn 2020 to Summer 2021.

Throughout the last year we have kept you all updated with our work by posting information on our website & social media channels, as well as through our monthly public meetings but this Annual Report is an opportunity bring together some of those updates into one easy to access space.

Our Community Council continues to work hard for our local community and we welcome the opportunity to meet with and hear from as many people as possible. Please do come along to one of our meetings, virtual or in person, over the next year as we are here to represent the views of everyone in our community, not just the those who shout the loudest or come to the most meetings.

In this years annual report we have included reports on…

  • Chair & Secretary’s report
  • Travel & Mobility
  • Collaboration with other Community Councils
  • Our changing membership
  • Leith Chooses
  • Planning
  • Licensing
  • Leith Links Plus
  • Engagement Officer’s report

We’re sharing our annual report on our website, social media channels and in our quarterly e-newsletter but please do feel share our annual report with your friends, colleague and neighbours if you feel they would be interested.

2021, Annual Report, Community Council Annual, July, Leith Links Community Council

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