Site

The site currently under discussion is positioned at the edge of Leith Links adjoining John’s Place & Links Place. Also bordering the site is Leith Community Croft & Leith Links tennis courts.

The site is entirely surrounded by a large hedge (which is not trimmed as regularly as it should be), which effectively separates this area off somewhat from the main Leith Links park. The centre of the site consists of three former bowling greens, which  have not been maintained to a level required for such use, and the grass is now in poor condition. 

There is also small pavilion type building which was most recently used as the Dry Dock community facility but has lain empty & secured for some time. The building has suffered fire damage and its overall condition is poor.  The owners of the building are City of Edinburgh Council who have some funds available to repair the building, this funding has come from their insurance company. Until recently the building was covered in extensive graffiti, but in May 2021 the City Council repainted the exterior walls. The building has attracted various anti social behaviour & crime, including vandalism and attempted break ins.

There is a small petanque court, near the tennis courts. This also is in rather poor condition but members of the community cleaned it up a bit recently, and it was used very successfully on 17th July at our Community Picnic, to try and raise interest in the game locally.

Despite the lack of maintenance at the site many members of the community continue to utilise the area for a variety of uses such as fitness sessions, playing sports, sunbathing, dog walking, relaxing & socialising. There are no trees on the site except around the edges, so most of the area is quite exposed.  There are, unfortunately, no benches on the site at all, so people tend to perch on the ‘step’ round the edge of the bowling greens. There are also no easily accessible litter bins, only two large communal bins which are quite some distance apart at opposite ends of the site.

 

 

This is the building ‘before’ – showing what a bad state it had fallen into.

 

The Council has recently (May 2021) cleaned and repainted the outside of building, so it now looks much better! Unfortunately the inside of the building has not been touched.

 

 

There has also recently been a temporary public toilets block installed on the site, which has been VERY welcome! We are told that this is only to be there until September, unfortunately.

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