If you want to have your say on the proposed Tram extension you will be able to view the plans at Ocean Terminal next Saturday,13th October between 12 and 5pm.
This is your opportunity to comment on the latest plans.
Love it or hate it the final decision will be made later this year so make your voice heard.
I’ve attached plans for the section from Constitution Street to Ocean Terminal to get your vocal chords warmed up!
Leith Links Community Council and Leith Links Residents Association received the following excellent news yesterday from local MSP Ben MacPherson that Scottish Government now realise that something has to be done at the Seafield plant. You just have to travel round the city to see the number of new housing developments and villages like Wallyford doubling in size. All these new houses feed into the same sewage network which ends at Seafield. Leaving out politics this is good news for Leith residents who for years have had to put up with the great stink from the sewage treatment plant
Although we welcome this news Leith Links Community Council will continue to monitor the situation and we ask that you play your part by reporting odour incidents through our website.
The next meeting of the Seafield Stakeholder group takes place on 28th September when we will hear directly from Scottish Water on their plans for the future.
Ben said in his email
I’m writing to make you aware, if you aren’t already, that Seafield has been referenced in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2018-2019.
https://news.gov.scot/news/delivering-for-today-investing-for-tomorrow-1
On page 58 it states:
We have identified that the sewerage systems serving Edinburgh and the surrounding area are facing particular challenges which will be exacerbated by the prospective population growth in the area and climate change. A recent study has shown how the performance of the main treatment works at Seafield is impacted by events elsewhere on the network. It is vital that a sound strategy is developed to meet these challenges and ensure that in future the networks operate efficiently and support the continuing economic growth of the area. We have therefore asked Scottish Water to work with local authorities in the area and SEPA to review future waste water treatment needs in the area in order to guide future investment planning.
This is testament to all the work that you and the community have put in to press the issues with Seafield.
While together we will keep pressing for short-term action too, this commitment from government will develop medium-to-long term strategies and solutions.
I also believe it is an opportunity for Edinburgh to consider Seafield within the wider Waterfront vision and opportunities.
We can discuss more on the 28th but I wanted to write to congratulate you both as soon as possible.
We are currently considering proposals submitted to City Of Edinburgh Council to allow The Lady Boys Of Bangkok to use Leith Links as a venue during August 2019.
As we are a statutory consultee we will be submitting a response in due course, as we consider our response we are particularly keen hear & consider the views of others on the proposals.
We have created a brief easy to use web form to help people submit their views to us.
We will publish our response to the proposals on our website as well as our Facebook & Twitter channels.
The Lady Boys Of Bangkok propose to use area 9.
Although there was no community council meeting in July we were still involved in meetings regarding trams, planning and Seafield. The next meeting of the community council will take place on Monday, 27th August at 7pm in Leith Community Centre.
Agenda27.8.18, LLCC Draft Ordinary Minutes May 2018, LLCC MINUTES Draft Jun 2018 (1)
Scottish Water finally put out an apology today after receiving several emails from me on behalf of the community council and those who live in the community.Scottish Water should we aware that there is an ongoing issue with odour emissions from Seafield due to the high number of complaints forwarded to them, local elected members, SEPA and City Of Edinburgh Council by you, the public.
The apology reads
Scottish Water is aware of an elevated level of odour related issues in the Leith Links area and would like to sincerely apologise to customers for the inconvenience this is causing.
During the unprecedented long spell of hot and dry weather the site operator Veolia has been taking all steps to ensure the operating conditions at Seafield WWTW are optimised including management of sludge levels. Veolia has progressed and implemented the agreed network related actions contained within the Strategic Odour Review. In addition, Scottish Water is checking operations within its wider network which connects to Seafield WwTW.
We are continuing to review what other measures may be implemented to address the situation during this period of dry weather and again we apologise for the inconvenience caused to customers.
The apology could have been copy and pasted from previous similar emails. Leith Links Community Council and Leith Links Residents Association are well aware of what causes the problem. City of Edinburgh Council sending out highly trained noses to agree or disagree with local residents over how strong and unpleasant a smell of sewage is no longer acceptable. If you as a local resident are effectively trapped in your house because of disgusting smells then that to me is totally unacceptable.
Last Tuesday there was a programme on BBC2 called Inside the Factory which showed the process of making toilet paper. During the programme they also visited the sewage works that services Brighton. What was the difference between Seafield and Brighton? All the areas that could cause odour emissions are covered.
Veolia who operate Seafield under a PFI contract from Scottish Water seem powerless to stop the stink. They are well aware of the problem because it’s not new and happens year after year.
How do we solve it? Money, lots of money to cover the settlement tanks at Seafield and reducing odour emissions by covering the areas where the sludge gathers and becomes septic. In these weather conditions sewage can become septic in the network because there’s not the usual rainfall to flush it through so it’s probably arriving at Seafield already septic and producing the honk.
I have been in contact with Ben MacPherson MSP to arrange a meeting with the community council and residents association. We will be lobbying for a move to demand that Scottish Government provide the necessary funding for work to be done on the plant.
15000 people were at Easter Road last night to watch the football and they could smell the sewage. What a wonderful advert for our capital city when visitors from Greece are greeted by the smell of excrement.
Please continue to report the Great Stink and tell your friends to do it. You can be sure that politicians do pay attention when they receive lots of emails reporting the stench especially when election time isn’t too far away.
Thanks
Jim
The next meeting of Leith Neighbourhood Partnership will take place on Thursday, 14th June in Nelson Hall, McDonald Road Library at 6.30. Meetings are open to the public. Agenda and Minutes attached.
All welcome
Over the past few weeks there has been an increase in odour emissions from Seafield. It’s disgusting and ruins local residents’ enjoyment of this good spell of weather. I’m disappointed to report that Veolia have been slow to react to public concerns and if SEPA and City of Edinburgh Council have taken any action they haven’t communicated that to the community council or local residents association who have been working hard on your behalf for many years. Rob Kirkwood from Leith Links Residents Association and I will be meeting with Ben MacPherson MSP on Monday evening to raise our concerns. I will then give you a full update on where we go from here.
The AGM and next meeting of Leith Links Community Council will take place on Monday, 28th May at 7pm in Shore Room, Leith Community Centre.
All welcome, interesting visiting speakers
Please come along this Sunday 20th May to help with a joint cleanup with the WoL Conservation Trust..
Come along and help us for a couple of hours. As well as making a difference you can enjoy the sunshine and meet new people who also care about cleaning up the litter, plastic and general rubbish that spoil were we live and work
The weather looks good with warm sunshine so hope to see you there.
We are meeting at Coalie Park at 10.30am. See the link below if you are not sure of were that is – it’s off Coburg St opposite the Ostara cafe
http://streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=326616&Y=676474&A=Y&Z=106
Hope to see you there.
