Tag: 2021

A New Years message

A New Year message from Gail Clapton, Vice Chairperson of Leith Links Community Council;

 

Sadly 2021 has been a difficult year for many people in Leith and beyond, and our thoughts go out to all those who have faced hardship and the loss of loved ones throughout the pandemic.

Unfortunately, moving into the New Year of 2022 sees us under similar restrictions as this time last year so perhaps not ‘the times they are a changing’ just yet.

Many have faced having to adapt to working from home with little or no direct interaction with their work colleagues other than online.  Not ideal but perhaps a safe approach. Similarly, Leith Links Community Council has continued with Zoom calls and it has been encouraging to see more people joining in and it would be good to see that participation continue whether online or in person, when that option returns to us.

It is to be hoped that as more medical advances are made we can meet the current setback as we have other challenges in the past.

So Leithers, lets Persevere, and head into 2022 with high hopes for a light at the end of this long tunnel.

With sincere good wishes to all for a happier and healthier New Year.

 

 

 

 

 

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A festive message

A festive message from Jim Scanlon MBE, Chairperson of Leith Links Community Council;

 

Last Christmas we ended our message hoping that Christmas 2021 would be better.

You may not believe it but things have got better. Since last year the vaccine programme has been successful with most of the population double jabbed and have had or waiting to get the booster.

Unfortunately with this new wave of the virus we have to be careful when going out but if we’re sensible you can still enjoy Christmas with your family. Test test test before you meet up to protect yourself and others.

We are all having to learn to live with this virus to survive and have a reasonable life in this “new” normal.

Remember all those people who you all plan to phone and never do? Why not take the time to call one or two. I can guarantee they’ll appreciate it and you could feel better.

On behalf of the Community Council I hope you all have a peaceful and safe festive period.

 

 

 

 

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University of Edinburgh seek volunteers to observe users of Leith Links

The University of Edinburgh is seeking volunteers to observe users of Leith Links, and to record such observations so that the information collated on park users can be used by them (and others such as City of Edinburgh Council) to improve the park and strengthen any funding bids.

Volunteers are asked to record information such as how many people are using a certain area of the Links, what activities are happening and other characteristics such as age & gender).

If you would like more information please click here.

If you would like to volunteer please click here.

if you would like to ask any questions or submit any comments please contact l.deniz@sms.ed.ac.uk.

 

 

 

This Behaviour Observation Studies area of work is being undertaken as part Thriving Greenspacesof the Thriving Greenspaces Project, which is a partnership of six bodies including City of Edinburgh Council, University of Edinburgh, Greenspace Scotland, Edinburgh Greenspaces Forum, Scottish Wildlife Trust and Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspaces Trust.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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WARNING Seafield Update for plant maintenance

The Community Counci received the following message from Scottish Water regarding work starting tomorrow, Monday 13th December. If you experience any odour issues please report them through the community council webpage and to Scottish Water.

Dear Stakeholder,

We wanted to let you know that Veolia, the operator at Seafield WwTW, will be commencing significant planned maintenance to one of the Primary Settlement Tanks on Monday 13th December. This will involve draining and cleaning the tank over the next week.The current weather forecast suggests favourable conditions during this period.Both SEPA and the City of Edinburgh Council have been informed.We will issue a further update once Veolia has completed the work.

 

 

 

 

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Street Traders Licence Application: Leith Links Police Box

We have been informed this week by City of Edinburgh Council that an application has been made for a Street Traders Licence at the Leith Links Police Box.

We understand the applicant intends to use the Police Box as a ‘coffee shop’ type business selling hot & cold drinks, and snacks. Potentially with some outdoor seating. The applicants business can be viewed online by clicking here.

Any person can make a representation with regards to the application but they must present that to City of Edinburgh Council by 4 January 2022. Leith Links Community Council will be submitting a representation, and should you have any comments which you feel should be considered as part of that representation please let us know in the comments are below. Please avoid only writing that you support or object to the application, please tell us why you object or support etc.

Below is a map of the location, and the formal notice of the application being considered;

 

 

 

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Scottish Water’s Seafield Shenanigans

At the last Seafield Stakeholders’ meeting we complained yet again about the fact that our small voluntary Community Council has been doing all the work of effectively gathering complaints about Seafield smells, while big powerful and well-funded organisations like SEPA, Veolia and Scottish Water just sit back.

This imbalance of power:effort led our MSP to charge Scottish Water with the duty to meet with us to explore ways of working together to create a more effective complaints system for all.

However, when we met, we found that Scottish Water had already used our template to create a new reporting system which is in their control exclusively. We in the community are to have no access to complaints (which they call ‘observations!) This, we were told, was because of privacy issues.

We felt that this action was a betrayal of trust and goodwill, and that we were left with the difficult choice of either dropping our own complaints system in favour of one we will have no access to, or keeping ours and having two systems running at once, causing confusion for local residents.

The Community Council felt overwhelmingly that it was vital that we keep our independent complaints system, so that we and others have evidence and data  around which to campaign.  You will see it is still there on our website, to use.

Although winter does not tend to be a ‘smelly season’, that can start as early as February, and we ask you to please continue to use our complaints facility whenever you notice a Seafield stench, whether it be of sewage, burning rubber or other chemical smells. Don’t hesitate, it only takes a few minutes!

 

 

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Next meeting of Leith Links Community Council, 29 November 2021, 6:30pm

The next meeting of the Leith Links Community Council will be held on Monday 29 November 2021 at 6:30pm, online (Microsoft Teams)

Papers for the meeting can be found here:

  1. Agenda for the Meeting
  2. Minutes of Meeting on Monday 25 October 2021 (draft until adopted)

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

We have an interesting Guest Speaker coming, from Living Rent Edinburgh / Leith, and we will also have updates and discussion on ongoing topics of local importance including: Controlled Parking Zone for Leith, Seafield sewage plant and sewage outflows into Water of Leith, City Plan 2030 and more.

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.

We tend to alternate between using Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Both platforms have their pluses and minuses. Officers and elected representatives of Edinburgh City Council are not ‘allowed’ to use Zoom with/on Council IT, so if we hope to have input from those people, we need to use Teams.

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CONTROLLED PARKING ZONES ABBEYHILL, LEITH WALK, PILRIG, LEITH AND NORTH LEITH NORTH

Important! The City Council have reached the next step (Traffic Regulation Order, consultation stage) in the introduction of Controlled Parking Zones for Abbeyhill, Leith Walk, Pilrig, Leith and North Leith, which were first proposed and discussed back in 2019.  This covers some (but not all) of the Leith Links area (which apparently counts as ‘Leith’ in this scheme) see map below, and will definitely also affect other parts of our area that are just on/beyond the boundary, as parking will ‘migrate’ from the controlled zone to the nearest free parking. The boundary is along the edge of the Links, so there will be increased demand for parking on Vanburgh, Hermitage & East Hermitage Place, Gladstone Place and Claremont Park, and other streets nearest these.

NB. This is different from and not to be confused with the proposed CPZ for our area earlier this year (for the area inaccurately referred to as ‘West Leith’) which has been paused / postponed until later in 2022. Final plans and consultation of that are still to come, next year.

Comments on this first TRO/21/03ADY have to be made in writing by 12th November so there is not much time.

INTRODUCTION OF NEW CONTROLLED PARKING ZONES (CPZ)

AREA 1 ABBEYHILL, LEITH WALK, PILRIG, LEITH AND NORTH LEITH

AREA 2 GORGIE, SHANDON, MOAT, CHESSER AND HUTCHISON

To view detailed plans and further information regarding the proposals, please visit the consultation website:

http://pclengagement-hub.co.uk/en-GB/folders/parkingreviewph1

With comments on the proposals or any details of them, please email by 12th November the team at Edinburgh.Consultation@projectcentre.co.uk 

Click on the project link and then scroll down and click on EDINBURGH AREA N8

This takes you to the ’tile’ maps which shows existing and proposed changes

It’s not easy to drill down to the important pages, and then you have to look at each numbered tile, then look at existing and proposed for each section

For example tiles 930,989,871 and 830 are closest to my house on the LEITH map tile grid for Links Gardens. (There’s also a North Leith tile map)

Having looked at each section you have to print off the legend map at the top of the page so you know what each colour indicates. For example pink is resident parking, brown is pay and display/resident parking, shared  – and on and on it goes.

Finding the pages to make comments is not easy and may put people off commenting. (I’m sure the City Council will deny that it has deliberately made it complicated to put people off commenting. However, I feel that  it could have been much better designed IF the council really wanted local people to engage…).

But please do try to have a look and make comments, it’s our only chance to affect the final decisions.

 

 

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National Care Service for Scotland – Consultation

The Scottish Government are holding a consultation on “National Care Service for Scotland” running until 18th October 2021 which may be of interest to you. Community Councils, if they wish, can provide feedback/submissions to the consultation using the following means:

Please respond to this consultation using the Scottish Government’s consultation hub, Citizen Space (http://consult.gov.scot). Access and respond to this consultation online at https://consult.gov.scot/health-and-social-care/a-national-care-service-for-scotland. You can save and return to your responses while the consultation is still open. Please ensure that consultation responses are submitted before the closing date of 18 October 2021.

If you are unable to respond using our consultation hub, please send your response, including the completed Respondent Information Form to NCSconsultation@gov.scot or by post to:

National Care Service Team

Scottish Government

Area GE-15

St Andrew’s House

Regent Road

EDINBURGH,

EH1 3DG

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Duncan Place £300 Community Enterprise Fund

Leith Links Community Council is happy to share this great news from our friends at Duncan Place:

Duncan Place is excited to announce that we have 6 pots of £300 available to make good things happen in Leith! 

Community Ownership is awesome! Profits made at Duncan Place Community & Enterprise Hub in Leith stay in Leith! It’s not about landlords getting richer. It’s about bringing people together.

If you have an idea for a community event tell us about it and maybe we can help make it happen.We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Pots of £300 will be awarded as follows:

  • for an event for those aged 12yrs and under.
  • for an event for those aged 13-18yrs.
  • for an event for senior members of our community.
  • for a multi-generational event.
  • others.

Criteria

  1. Your community event must take place in Duncan Place and be open to the Leith community.
  2. If your event will cost more than £300 you must be able to evidence that the remaining budget is in place.
  3. All health and safety and covid guidance in place at the time of the event must be followed.
  4. Any required insurance must be in place by the time of the event.
  5. Any re-usable equipment purchased for the events will remain the property of Duncan Place for use at future community events.

Download and Complete the application form and return it by Mon 1st November 2021.

More information is available here, on the Duncan Place website.

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