Category: Parks and Greenspaces

You are viewing all articles on our website relating to Parks and Greenspaces.

You may also be interested in viewing our Parks and Greenspaces Sub Committee page, which can be accessed by clicking here.

Hold the date! Next public meeting about the former bowling green area is 17th May 7pm

The next online public meeting to discuss the possible future of the ‘former bowling green area and building’ on Leith Links will be held on Zoom at 7p.m. on Monday 17th May.
We had a very well-attended meeting on 19th April – thank you to the many members of the local community who participated! – to discuss the possible future of this part of Leith Links that has fallen into disrepair and is underused. Many great ideas for the area were put forward and discussed, but we were also made aware of the restrictions affecting potential changes of use and building on what is ‘common good land’.
The next public meeting will be held  at 7p.m. on Monday 17th May, when we will discuss in more detail some short, medium and long term aims. Hold the date!!!
Participation will be via the Eventbrite ticketing system and we will post a link here very soon that you can use to sign up for this meeting.
We are also working on getting some specialised pages up on this web site that can be used for members of the public to share and comment on ideas under discussion.

Watch this space!

 

Leith Links Bowling Green Area – Community Consultation

As you will probably be aware if you use the Leith Links Park, the bowling green area and the building itself, most recently referred to as the ‘Dry Dock’, are in a sorry state of disrepair. The community council has been monitoring the situation and we are keen to see the building being renovated and used as an asset for the community along with its surroundings. A report from the Parks and Recreation Dept is being submitted to a meeting of the City of Edinburgh Council in May.
We feel that time is of the essence and that community engagement and consultation is paramount. With this in mind, we have scheduled a meeting via Zoom at 7p.m. on Monday 19th April to give all interested groups and individuals the opportunity to put forward their views on how this space should be best used.
Invitation will be via the Eventbrite ticketing system, please click here to register to receive the Zoom link. We hope to see as many residents of Leith Links taking part as possible.
David Igoe
Convener
Parks and Green Spaces Sub-Committee

 

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John Rattray Statue Landscaping, Leith Links

For over two years fencing surrounded the statue of John Rattray and the landscaped mounds on the Links so that the planting of wild flowers selected by Royal Botanic Gardens staff could become established.

We could see the wonderful display of flowers developing each summer and the public, quite rightly asked when would the fencing come down and last September it was removed.

The ecosystem of the coastal planting is developing but is now in danger of being destroyed due to adults and children walking and cycling over the mounds.

The statue and mounds were created to celebrate Leith’s connection with the history of golf when the first recorded rules of the game were written for a competition on the Links in 1744.

The mounds represent the original landscape of the Links when it would have had a similar appearance to Longniddry, St Andrews or Carnoustie.

As we come out of the covid pandemic we hope that the statue will attract many visitors interested in the origins and history of golf.  Hopefully they will also spend more time in Leith discovering the areas historic past and supporting local businesses by spending their money in shops, cafes and restaurants.

The statue and landscaping are a great asset to the Links and Leith but we need you the public to help by respecting and caring for them.

I’ve attached a list of the range of seeds planted on the mounds below which we would hope to see each year.

PDFWildflowers planted on Leith LInks 2019

Best wishes

Jim Scanlon MBE

Chair Leith Links Community Council and member of Leith Rules Golf Society

 

 

 

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City of Edinburgh Council considers demolition of disused Leith Links building

City of Edinburgh Council have this week announced that they are considering demolishing a disused building on Leith Links. The building which is located next to the tennis courts and bowling greens has been unused for some time.Image

Members of Leith Links Community Council were informed at our meeting of Monday 30 November 2020 that the demolition is being considered due to anti social behaviour at the site and the building being in a poor condition.

We are not aware of the Councils full intentions for the site at this time.

If any citizens have any views as to whether the building should be demolished or not please do share your views (as well as any questions etc) with the three Leith Ward Councillors;

And please do share your views in the comments box below so that we know your views.

 

 

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Rattray statue uncaged at last

After 10 years of fund-raising by Leith Rules Golf Society, amounting to an amazing £120,000 followed by motions to Parliament, Royal Consent and planning applications, the statue of John Rattray was cast by Powderhall Bronze and erected on its current position on the Links last September surrounded by a fence.

Finally, after a further year of negotiations with City of Edinburgh Council, the fencing came down yesterday.

Leith Links and Rattray have an important part in the history of golf. The original 13 rules of  the game were written down by Rattray for a competition on Leith Links in 1744. Those 13 rules were the foundation of the rules of golf up to the present day.

The statue belongs to the people of Leith and we should all be proud of this additional part of our rich history.

I hope we can all respect the statue and protect it from vandalism and I encourage you all, like me, to keep an eye on it to protect it.

Since yesterday there’s been lots of interest in Rattray and we hope it will attract visitors from all over the world who, fingers crossed, will also spend their money in Leith.

Jim Scanlon

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Gung Ho! event planned for Leith Links in 2020

City of Edinburgh Council are considering an application to hold the 2020 ‘Gung Ho!’ event on Leith Links.

Leith Links Community Council will, as always, include a copy of our policy on events held on Leith Links.

Unfortunately, the Council provides a very short window to consider & respond to applications, with the Community Council response to be submitted by 11 November 2019.

Leith Links Community Council would ask our community to submit their views, concerns and / or suggestions in relation to this current application to us by midnight on Wednesday 6 November 2019, this will allow us to take them into account & include them in our formal response to the application. To submit your views, concerns and / or suggestions please use the form at the end of this post.

To keep up to date with progress of the application subscribe to our website as we will post updates as & when we receive them.

*Please note that we have published all the information that has been made available to us.

*Please note that your responses will be sent to City of Edinburgh Council Parks & Greenspaces Service, and Councillors Adam McVey, Chas Booth & Gordon Munro, as well as being published on this website (with the exception of your post code & email address).

Suggested 5k route.

 

Update as of 7/11/19: Web form deactivated as deadline for submitting responses to us has expired.

 

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Leith Links event application: Lady Boys of Bangkok / La Clique Cabaret (August & September 2020)

City of Edinburgh Council have made us known that they are considering an application by The Lady Boys of Bangkok / La Clique Cabaret to occupy an area of Leith Links for the purposes of performances (including setting up & taking down time) from 2 August – 2 September 2020.

This follows on from an application submitted in 2018 for The Lady Boys of Bangkok to occupy part of Leith Links during 2019.  View an earlier posting on our website here about the application at that time, and our response at that time.

As this is a large scale event, both in terms of attendees (estimated at 500 per day) and in terms of length of occupation of Leith Links, we are encouraging all members of our community to take part in the application consideration process.

Our community is encouraged to express their views, ask any questions and provide any suggestions by 11 October 2019, in order that the City of Edinburgh Council can take them into consideration when deciding whether to grant the application or not.

The City of Edinburgh Councils local Parks Officer has already made know their comment/s & fed them into the application consideration process – “this site could accommodate the event and still have areas for the locals”.

At Leith Links Community Council we have a policy on requests relating to events on Leith Links, which can be viewed here.

The web form at the bottom of this post will be automatically sent to:

  • Councillor Gordon Munro (Leith Ward)
  • Councillor Chas Booth (Leith Ward)
  • Councillor Adam McVey (Leith Ward)
  • Councillor Lesley MacInnes (Convener, Transport & Environment Committee)
  • Councillor Karen Doran (Vice Convener, Transport & Environment Committee)
  • Councillor Donald Wilson (Convener, Culture & Communities Committee)
  • Councillor Amy McNeese-Mechan (Vice Convener, Culture & Communities Committee)
  • Leith Links Community Council
  • City of Edinburgh Council (Parks, Greenspaces and Cemeteries service)

 

Update (08:15 on 29/9/19)

As of 08:15 on 29/9/19, a total of fifty responses to the consultation have been submitted:

  • Strongly support – 21 (8 responses with comments, questions, suggestions etc)
  • Support – 3 (3 responses with comments, questions, suggestions etc)
  • Neutral – 2 (2 responses with comments, questions, suggestions etc)
  • Object – 2 (2 responses with comments, questions, suggestions etc)
  • Strongly object – 21 (21 responses with comments, questions, suggestions etc)
  • Undecided 1 (0 responses with comments, questions, suggestions etc)

Update (21:45 on 1/10/19)

At our meeting on 30/9/19, we have decided to remove the function whereby the completed web forms automatically send to City of Edinburgh Council officers & Councillors, instead, from this point we will collate all responses into a spreadsheet which we will forward to them at the end of the consultation.  This is to avoid their email inboxes being flooded.

 

 

Consultation response form

Please note that this is a consultation, not a petition or a vote.  You may wish to provide comments, questions & suggestions that those deciding on the application can consider, rather than simply stating whether you object or support the application.

Please select a valid form.

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TV chef cooking up plans for Leith Links event

City of Edinburgh Council, who have oversight of Leith Links, are considering a proposal to host an event at Leith Links, and you are invited to submit your views and questions.

The event – ‘Tom Kerridge Presents Pub In The Park’, is proposed to take place at Leith Links from 22 June 2020 to 1 July 2020. We have also been informed that a Council officer has suggested the event be held in the same area of the Links used by the Mela.

You can view the proposal below (there is very little information provided to us by City of Edinburgh Council) then submit your views or questions.

Your views should be submitted to parks@edinburgh.gov.uk by 4th September 2019.

You may wish to copy in one or more of the City of Edinburgh Councillors who represent Leith Ward 13;

You may also wish to copy in Councillor Lesley McInnes (lesley.macinnes@edinburgh.gov.uk), who is the Convenor of the City of Edinburgh Councils Transport & Environment Committee.

Click on the picture for more information.

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Leith Links Community Council Meeting, 29 April, 6:30pm, Leith Community Centre

The next meeting of the Leith Links Community Council will be on Monday 29th April , at 6:30pm in the Leith Community Education Centre, New Kirkgate.

If you live in the area, you are warmly welcomed to attend.

Please find the Agenda for the next meeting here Agenda29.4.19

and minutes of our March meeting  Monday 25 March 2019

 

 

 

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Leith Links Play Park

City of Edinburgh Parks Department confirmed yesterday that after discussion with the contractors work on the new Leith Links Play Park will start during w/c 21st April.

This is great news for the area as we come into summer .

The contractors haven’t confirmed how long work will take but I would hope that it will be in use by June? Watch this space for further updates.

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