Category: Leith Links Community Council
Next Meeting of Leith Links Community Council is 26 August, online, 6:30pm
The next meeting of the Leith Links Community Council will be held on Monday 26th August at 6:30pm. The meeting will be online (Microsoft Teams).
As well as a short ‘ordinary’ agenda, we will have guest speakers, from Forth Ports and Holder Planning, who will present Forth Ports’ current planning applications for business developments, and for Vesta manufacturing (wind turbines) in the docks. They will also discuss in more detail the local implications of the Forth Green Freeport.
This meeting is open to the public and is a chance for local residents to tune in and catch up with local issues, also usually to ‘meet’ elected councillors and a representative from Police Scotland. If you would lke to attend, please email contact@leithlinkscc.org.uk and you will be sent a link nearer the time.
Previous Minutes (June 2024) are here
More parking restrictions?
It seems that ‘Phase 2’ – the move to introduce further controlled parking zones in our area that had been paused – because the first consultation showed that local residents were against it and did not agree that there were parking problems in their streets – is now set to be relaunched.
The areas in question are the Bonnington Road and Easter Road areas and – closest to Leith Links – the area inexplicably called ‘West Leith’ which incorporates the area between Lochend Road and Restalrig Road.
The argument is that the recently established controlled parking zones on Leith Walk and in North Leith – plus the ban on pavement parking? – have pushed parking problems into the neighbouring areas and are now causing pressure on nearby streets.
The Council is about to instigate monitoring and consultation with residents. Do keep your eyes open for this and be sure to make your views known.
Meanwhile, read more details here:
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/edinburgh-parking-areas-where-controlled-parking-zone-plans-paused-now-moving-forward-again/ar-AA1owUw4
More big developments in the docks – have your say 6th August, Ocean Terminal
There is another new application going in to Planning, to develop land within Leith docks. This proposal is to build a manufacuring facility for offshore wind turbine blades, a laydown area, and all associated and ancillary development on land to the east of of Imperial Dock.
Click here to download flier
The developers are obliged to consult with the local community, and are holding a drop-in public event on Tuesday 6th August between 3pm and 7pm, at the Ocean Terminal (ground floor, beside Costa Coffee).
Do please go along to find out what is planned, and make your views known!
Big new developments in the Docks – find out more, Tuesday 30 July 2024
There is an application going in to Planning, to develop the land east of Edinburgh Dock (otherwise sometimes known as ‘the Dry Dock), at Bath Road, Port of Leith.
Developers plan to build a “Business, General Industrial, Storage and Distribution , Training/Education facililty, with ancillary retail, food and drink including bar” and associated development including parking.”
This seems a very wide brief, potentially covering almost every possible option (except student flats, and homes), and it’s not clear from that description really what scale of development is envisaged, so you might want to go along to ask questions directly, and to find out more.
Further details of the proposal can be found at www.harbour31.com
This shows that the full Harbour 31 plan is VERY extensive!
The proposed development “forms part of Forth Ports’ plans to contribute towards the ongoing regeneration of Edinburgh’s waterfront.” It is alleged that it will “support both creative and green jobs, as the Port of Leith transitions to become Scotland’s premier renewables hub.”
The developers are obliged to consult with the local community, and are holding a public event on Tuesday 30th July, between 3pm and 7pm, at the Ocean Termina (ground floor, beside Costa Coffee
Click here to view more details on this
Do please go along to find out what is planned, and make your views known!
Annual Report 2023 -2024
If you would like to read a summary of what the Leith Links Community Council has been up to in the past year, please download and have a read of the Annual Report 2024.
AGM and next Meeting, Leith Links Community Council, tonight 24 June 6:30, Duncan Place
The next meeting of the Leith Links Community Council will be held tonight, Monday 24 June at 6:30pm in-person at Duncan Place centre (4 Duncan Place).
This will be the AGM, followed by a short ‘ordinary’ meeting.
Minutes of 2023 AGM (draft until adopted), and 2024 AGM Agenda are here.
The Annual Report 2024 from Chair, Secretary & Treasurer is also available, here.
The Minutes of the recent May 2024 meeting, are here, and the Agenda for the 24 June 2024 ‘ordinary’ meeting, is here.
There is an online link for those attending remotely but Teams has changed its terms yet again and we do not have funds for a paid version, so we cannot be certain that this will be working,unfortunately.
Leith Links Community Council AGM and June Meeting
Leith Links Community Council AGM and June Meeting
General Election Hustings – your candidates, your vote
The General Election, to elect MPs to Westminster, will take place on July 4 2024.
Voting
Are you sure you are registered to vote at your current address? (You MUST register by midnight on 18th June.) Do you know that you now need to produce photo ID, in order to vote? Do you need a postal vote, if you may be away from home on the election date? Check out this page of vital info and links to make sure you are election-ready! https://www.gov.uk/how-to-vote
What constituency am I in?
If you are not sure, you can find out by putting your postcode in, on this website: https://members.parliament.uk/constituencies
Hustings
A hustings is “a meeting where election candidates or parties debate policies and answer questions from the audience.” It provides voters with an opportunity to hear the views of candidates or parties. Hustings are generally open to anyone who wishes to attend. Some like to have questions written in advance, others allow questions from the floor, many have both.
Edinburgh North and Leith
If you are in Edinburgh North and Leith constituency, you can go to hear what your candidates have to say on Monday 24rth June, at Broughton St Mary’s Church, 12 Bellevue Cres, Edinburgh EH3 6NE, 7:30 – 9:30pm
Organised by the Broughton Spurtle. Read more and send advance questions to: https://broughtonspurtle.org.uk/news/general-election-send-us-your-questions
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh
If you are at the eastern end of the Leith Links area, you may be ‘over the border’ and in the Edinburgh East and Musselburgh constituency. If so, we have so far heard about two possible hustings:
25th June – 2pm at Southside Community Centre, 117 Nicolson Street,EH8 9ER
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And another one on Monday 24 June, 7:30pm
Portobello Community Council and Northfield & Willowbrae Community Council are pleased to run a hustings for this year’s General Election.
The hustings will take place on Monday 24th June at 7.30pm at Portobello Town Hall. Please submit advance questions to secretary@portobellocc.org before Midnight 22nd June. There will also be opportunity to ask questions on the night.
The candidates for 2024 (in alphabetical surname order) are:
Charles DUNDAS (Liberal Democrats)
Jane MacKenzie GOULD (Independent)
Amanda GRIMM (Scottish Green Party)
Marie-Clair MUNRO (Conservative and Unionist Party)
Chris MURRAY (Scottish Labour Party)
Tommy SHEPPARD (Scottish National Party)
Derek WINTON (Reform UK)
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More hustings may be announced, in due course. There are some ‘special interest’ hustings as well as constituency based ones. See for example:
Surfers Against Sewage 18th June
https://www.sas.org.uk/water-quality/election-hub/election-road-trip/
Human Rights Hustings (Health & Social Care Alliance) online
https://www.alliance-scotland.org.uk/blog/events/general-election-2024-human-rights-hustings/
AGM and Next Meeting, Leith Links Community Council, 24 June 2024
The next meeting of the Leith Links Community Council will be held on Monday 24 June at 6:30pm. This meeting will be ‘live’, in-person, and will take place at Duncan Place centre (4 Duncan Place).
The first part of the meeting will consist of the AGM, followed by a short ‘ordinary’ meeting.
Minutes of 2023 AGM (draft until adopted), and 2024 AGM Agenda are here.
The Annual Report 2024 from Chair, Secretary & Treasurer is also available, here.
The Minutes of the recent May 2024 meeting, are here, and the Agenda for the 24 June 2024 ‘ordinary’ meeting, is here.
Members of the local community are welcome but, sadly, space is very limited in this venue, so please be sure to contact us in advance if you would like to come along. Please email contact@leithlinkscc.org.uk if possible, well BEFORE 24 June.
We will also set up an online link so that people can attend the meeting remotely. Email contact@leithlinkscc.org.uk and you will be sent the link nearer the time. Warning – the quality for listeners will not be particularly good, as we only have a standard laptop and no special broadcasting equipment, but you should be able to ask a questions/make a point via the zoom host.
Does Leith Links really need more hotel rooms, and why are local hotels doubling in size?
Planning matters
Below is a brief summary of an issue that is of serious concern in our area. You can click through to read the article in full, and please feed back any views and comments that you may have, either via the Comments facility below, or via contact@leithlinkscc.org.uk
Does Leith Links really need more hotel rooms, and why are local hotels doubling in size?
A particular issue is arising repeatedly these days – that is, hotels around Leith Links are applying for – and usually getting – permission to double their capacity.
The Council has announced a ‘Housing Emergency’. But no recent planning applications in our area have been for actual homes. Most of the recent planning proposals concern changes to existing buildings especially those used as hotels/guest houses/HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation).
This is significantly changing the ‘mix’ of population in the area. A series of applications have come forward for hotel/guest house premises around Leith Links to greatly expand their capacity – potentially doubling in capacity – through extensions to the premises. The References section in the full article highlights Street, Links Gardens and Johns Place
So – is it just being ‘NIMBY’ for locals to object? After all, Edinburgh is a tourist city, and Leith is a great place, so Leith should welcome more visitors to spend money in the local bars and restaurants, right?
But looking closer, these are not proposals driven by tourist demand/money. The local hotels and guest houses seeking expansion in recent years are operating in the City of Edinburgh Council’s created market of supplying so-called ‘bed and breakfast’ or temporary accommodation for homeless people.
We need homes, not ‘hotel’ rooms
Edinburgh does indeed face serious challenges of supply and affordability of housing. But as demand increases, the only things that seem to be increasing in supply are purpose-built student accommodation and hotels of various kinds. Our city needs homes, not hotel rooms. In February, the Council said that of the c.5,000 homeless households, 1,203 households were being put up in bed and breakfast accommodation (usually unsatisfactory, especially for families) across the city. But at the same time, it also had more than1,500 Council-owned properties sitting empty – so-called ‘voids’ – needing repairs to bring them back into use. So, properties owned by the Council are empty, whilst the Council is paying literally millions of pounds to owners of bed and breakfasts/hotels. Is this good housing management – to own empty properties but pay for hotel rooms?
The average cost of providing temporary accommodation was £12,416 per annum per household which if multiplied by 4920 households is £61m per annum. Proprieters who specialise in providing accommodation to the Council can earn at least £12k per annum per room in one of their guest houses for someone who might, on average, stay 2 years. Mostly the accommodation has not even been vetted nor evaluated for value for money, as Councillors regularly approve ‘waivers’ from the obligation to put out to competitive tender. The ‘hotel’ proprietors are laughing all the way to the bank.
A bad situation
This situation is bad for the people being housed by the Council in unsatisfactory temporary accommodation for far too long. It’s bad for everyone who needs help with housing, especially social housing, as too many properties in this city lie empty and too much money is being spent on hotels and unsatisfactory accommodation. It’s bad for council tax payers who would prefer to see £61m per annum spent much more effectively. And it’s bad for the Leith Links area, where we are seeing a slow but steady creep of expanding hotels and guest houses – including some that take formerly residential premises that are entirely aimed at providing accommodation for homeless people, that may be poor quality for unfortunate resident, but highly profitable for the proprietor….
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Click here to see the full article
Click here to download the full article (pdf)