New murals on Constitution Street? What do you think of the designs?
The Trams to Newhaven team is proposing to fund and install a series of 4 new mural panels along the recently rebuilt outer wall of South Leith Parish Church cemetary, at the top of Constitution Street. (The 5 old ones were removed when the original wall came down, and are not in a good enough condition to be replaced.)
So far so good. But the actual designs that are being proposed have not impressed (indeed rather horrified) some local people, for example –
The Tram Team says it consulted on new designs with some members of the church congregation, although we have so far been unable to find anyone that was consulted – were you? There is certainly no evidence of any wider community engagement – which would have been appropriate since the wall is public-facing to the roadway, not inward facing to the church. Perhaps people more widely should have a say in what replaces the former mural boards which included historical information about Leith, the layout of the area in 1770s, and a reference to the shipping/port/trading heritage of Leith.
The murals designer has now submitted an application for Listed Building Consent. Would you like to have a look, and submit your views? Please note that the deadline for lodging any comments – in support, or objecting – is Friday 24th May 2024.
How to view and comment on the application
The reference number for the application is 24/01951/LBC and the planning address used is 1 Kirkgate (so a search for Constitution Street won’t find it). Here is a direct link to the application page. 24/01951/LBC | Aim to replace four of the five previously removal wooden artwork / interpretation panels that had deteriorated beyond repair
The key document which shows images of the proposed murals is Document 4 ‘Planning Statement’ which you can reach through the ‘Documents’ tab via the link above, or download directly by copying and pasting the URL below into your browser. (Don’t just click on this link and expect a web page to appear, it may say, misleadingly, that it’s unavailable).
The application is made by a company called ‘Tactical Media’ based in Glasgow who are submitting it as part of Trams to Newhaven Project Support for Businesses Package.
Please take this last minute chance to have your say!
Despite the assurances of the sewage plant operator Veolia, that the weather and the smells are not connected, we have all noticed that the Stench seems to descend on sunny days, just to try us. 
