Tag: March

Suggestions sought on possible new locations for Just Eat Cycles hire points

In 2018 the Edinburgh Cycle Hire Scheme (operated by Serco under contract to Transport for Edinburgh) introduced a hire point in Leith Links, sadly this had to be removed following serious damage.

Leith Links Community Council will be considering other suitable locations at our next meeting on Monday 25 March 2019 (18:30 in Leith Community Centre), with a view to submitting a request or requests, and is keen to hear your suggestions.

Below is a map of our area (the area within the red boundary line), if you can think of a suitable location please let us know and tell us why you think it would be suitable.

We’ll circulate a list of the suggestions in due course.

  • If you find an abandoned bike you can report to Serco by email, telephoning 0131 278 3000 or Twitter so that they can consider collecting it.

 

update 30/3/19: We have removed the suggestion form and considered the suggestions at our meeting on 25 March 2019, please view our minutes of this meeting when they are published on this website for further updates

 

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Leith Community Centre celebrates fiftieth anniversary

On Sunday 10 March 2019 Leith Community Centre (which can be found at the Newkirkgate Shopping Centre) celebrates fifty years since it was officially opened on Monday 10 March 1969.

Leith Links Community Council holds its regular monthly meetings, and many of its occasional meetings in the Centre as does Leith Harbour & Newhaven Community Council and many other local groups.

A day of celebration is being held to mark the occasion and members of the Leith community are encouraged to attend.

The afternoon begins with a number of free taster sessions, followed by two parties (tickets are free but should be booked).

For more information, or to book a ticket you can pop into the Community Centre office or visit their website.

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Clean up planned for Restalrig Railway Path

A spring clean of Restalrig Railway Path is being held on Saturday 2 March 2019 from 12:30 until 14:30. Those interested in taking part should meet at the opening of the walkway at the Restalrig Road bridge, with litter pickers & gloves being provided.

The group plan on focusing on the area between the meeting point and Leith Academy.

Local Facebook group ‘Restalrig Road + Railway Path’ often promote such clean ups, with a Facebook event created for this specific clean up.

A number of Leith Links Community Councillors have participated in previous clean up events on the railway path and are likely to be at this one too. This is a really easy way for people to help improve their community and we would encourage as many people as possible to take part.

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Seafield Burning Smell

After the Community Council was contacted by local residents about a burning smell coming from Seafield I contacted Scottish Water and received the following response.

“Veolia have confirmed that at around 18:00 on Sunday, a blockage was detected within part of the sludge treatment process.  This unexpected issue meant that one stream within the process had to be taken offline so that the problem could be quickly resolved.  A short controlled release of air from the thermal hydrolysis plant was required so that personnel could safely gain access to carry out the repair.  This release of air lasted for around 30 minutes.  This early intervention to fix the issue minimised the impact on operations and any longer term potential impact on the community.

This short release of air briefly caused an odour that was detected in localised areas within the community.  Veolia apologise for the impact this had on the local community but would like to reassure you that this is not a routine event, and that there were no other equipment problems at the time, including the siloxane filter. 

In assessing and responding to the query, Veolia have been undertaking spot checks out in the community at various times today and feel that the issue described above has been addressed.”

Veolia and Scottish Water want to be good neighbours so I’ve asked them to review their communication system with the public. As Scottish Water have said the incident was unexpected and dealt with quickly but  they have to keep the public informed.

Both Scottish Water and Veolia who operate the plant have websites to make the public aware and I have also suggested they contact me so that the CC can post on this site to make the locals who suffer the most aware of what’s going on.

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DUNCAN PLACE GREAT NEWS

PRESS RELEASE

Historic community space to reopen in Leith
Crucial step forward for Leith community as Duncan Place is awarded £1.2m for refurbishment.

Plans to re-open Duncan Place in Leith as a community resource under local management
are set to go ahead after receiving an award of £1.2m from the Scottish Governments Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF). This funding will allow the building to be refurbished prior to it being transferred to the newly registered charity, Duncan Place. This community led organisation aims to have the much needed space re-opened by 2020, which will be in time to celebrate Duncan Places centenary!

The vision for Duncan Place is to create a thriving community hub providing affordable studios and offices for charitable organisations, support services and social enterprises alongside community space for events, classes and workshops with a focus on arts, health, education, well-being and reducing inequality in Leith.

Carol Leslie, Chairperson of Duncan Place, said “This is a such a boost for the folks in Leith. It was a busy, lively centre and a great resource for everyone who used it before its closure. When it re-opens the centre will be a fitted out with up-to-date facilities, have disabled and lift access and be an energy efficient building. Duncan Place will be a fantastic space for groups, clubs and classes to meet and come together. It will be community owned, community-led with office and studio space to help sustain the community activities and resources”.

Carol added, “We would like to thank the council along with our members and Leithers who have helped to get us to this stage. We invite everyone to get in touch and to follow the progress on Facebook at Duncan Place Leith, on twitter using @duncan_place or via the website duncanplace.org”

The community saved the historic building from demolition in 2014, and since then the dedicated trustees of Duncan Place have worked tirelessly to secure the building and return it to the Community of Leith. The trustees have had great support from the residents of Leith, working closely with them and with the City of Edinburgh Council to get to this point. Together they have raised close to £1.5m of funding to refurbish and re-open the much loved and used community space.

Leader of City of Edinburgh Council, Adam McVey, said: “This is brilliant news for Leith and the city! Another community hub is to be brought back to life due to regeneration funding from the Scottish Government. This project is an excellent example of what collaboration and partnership working between the public and voluntary sectors can achieve.
“We’ve worked well with the group taking forward this project and knowing those involved from the community, I’m chuffed they’ve done such a fantastic job in bringing back Duncan Place back into use.
“The funding will help to reduce inequality through the provision of much needed affordable space for events, classes and workshops on health, education and well-being and I’m excited to see the next phase of the project develop.”

Press Contact – info@duncanplace.org

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Trams to Newhaven: Notification of First Round of Public Consultation

Beginning 19 March, the City of Edinburgh Council will undertake six weeks of public consultation and engagement on taking Edinburgh Trams to Newhaven. This will provide the public, local business and stakeholders with general information on the project, specific details around traffic management during construction and the proposed permanent design. We will also outline our current proposals on how we aim to support local business during the construction period. 

During consultation your views will be sought on traffic management and phasing. This includes proposals for the closure of Leith Walk to all northbound traffic, with a single city-bound lane remaining open and the phased closure and reopening of Constitution Street. Work in these areas is expected to last for up to 18 months.

These and wider plans for traffic management during construction have been drawn up following in-depth traffic modelling and discussions with key partners and stakeholders.

We also intend to communicate our plans to help support local businesses who will be most affected by the works. This includes provision for parking and loading between work sites, an open for business campaign, on-street customer service staff, logistics hubs and financial support. 
Your opinions will also be sought on the plans for the permanent design of the street along the route. This includes a dedicated public transport-only lane on Leith Walk for tram and bus during the morning and evening rush hour. During off peak time the outside lanes will close to traffic and provide essential parking and loading areas for local business.
This is the first stage in a consultation process that is scheduled to continue through to the end of 2018.

Consultation 1 Begins: 19 March 2018 

  • 28,000 letters delivered to residential addresses in the area surrounding the planned tram route
  • 4 public information events:
    • Thursday 22 March: Leith Theatre, 11am – 6pm
    • Tuesday 3 April: McDonald Road Library, 10am – 4pm
    • Thursday 12 April: Leith Community Education Centre, 3pm – 9pm
    • Saturday 21 April: Ocean Terminal, 12 noon – 5pm
      • 4 local business forums
      • 4 community council briefings 
      • Online feedback via Consultation Hub from 19 March
      • A dedicated Trams to Newhaven website to keep you up-to-date

      Consultation 1 Ends: 29 April 2018
      As part of our consultation the project team commissioned an independent survey to understand local behaviours and attitudes towards Trams to Newhaven. The research was carried out by Progressive Partnership – an Edinburgh-based market research company. This involved a ten-minute on-street interview carried out with representative sample of 368 individuals at three locations along the proposed route.

      Below are some of the key findings:

      • 59% agreed that the line would benefit Leith with 58% saying it would be easier to get around and 42% saying it would be good for local business
      • 91% were satisfied with current transport provision on Leith Walk 
      • When asked what would improve public transport provision in Leith Walk, the most popular response at 38% was ‘introduce a tram service’ NB most respondents currently used buses or walking to get to and around Leith
      • 56% said they were likely to use the new line
      • Among those who did not think Leith would benefit, concerns focused chiefly on disruption, delays and congestion resulting from construction works 

      If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

      Trams to Newhaven Project Team

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£EITH CHOOSES voting!

Applications are now closed for £eith Chooses. Thank you to all applicants for choosing to participate and for making the effort to meet the somewhat tight deadline.

The next bit is the really fun bit!  Come along to the Leith Community Centre (Kirkgate) on Saturday 3rd March, meet the applicants, hear/chat informally about all the great projects on offer, and cast your votes for your favourites!  We also have free food and refreshments, face-painting, glitter tattoos and balloon modelling to tempt all the family to come and join in. (Leithers over 8 can vote)

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City of Edinburgh Council elections | Who are the candidates

Elections to the City of Edinburgh Council are taking place this May. The Returning Officer has released the list of candidates standing in our area.

Following the election, all seven elected Councillors will automatically become ex-officio members of Leith Links Community Council.

The Leith Links Community Council area is encompassed by two electoral wards, please find information relating to the candidates and wards below:

 

Leith Ward 13

Map of ward below.
This election is to return three Councillors, the candidates are as follows;

  • BOOTH, Chas (Scottish Green Party)
  • DIJKSTRA-DOWNIE, Sanne (Scottish Liberal Democrats)
  • MCVEY, Adam (Scottish National Party (SNP))
  • MUNRO, Gordon John (Labour and Co-operative Party)
  • PENMAN, Paul (Scottish Conservative and Unionist)

 

Craigentinny/Duddingston Ward 14

Map of ward below.
This election is to return four Councillors, the candidates are as follow;

  • CAMPBELL, Ian (Scottish National Party (SNP))
  • GRIFFITHS, Joan (Labour and Co-operative Party)
  • HADFIELD, Patrick (Scottish Liberal Democrats)
  • LUNN, Alex (Scottish National Party (SNP))
  • MARTIN, Lyndsay (Labour and Co-operative Party)
  • MCLELLAN, John (Scottish Conservative and Unionist)
  • STANIFORTH, Alex (Scottish Green Party)
  • WADHWA, Mridul (Scottish National Party (SNP)

 

Where to vote?  Follow this link to find details of polling places within both wards.

Register to vote? Follow this link to find out how to register to vote.

How to vote?  Follow this link to find details on how to vote.

 

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Aged 11 – 25? Join in the big vote party

Young people in Edinburgh are being asked to vote on projects to deliver youth work across the city. During February 2017, the the City of Edinburgh Council invited groups to apply for up to £10,000 to spend on youth work activity that will benefit young people between 11-25, either locally based or citywide.

The applications were screened at the beginning of March by a group of young people and City of Edinburgh Council officers, based on priorities that were decided by young people following a consultation in 2016.

This is the first year of a three year programme, with 60k to allocate this year, rising to over 100k in year 2, and over 500k in year 3.

A total of 16 projects will now face a public vote. It is now up to you to decide which of these projects you would like to see being delivered. If you are aged between 11-21, and live in Edinburgh, you can vote for your three preferred projects.

Voting opens at 12noon on Friday 10 March and closes at 5pm on Monday 27 March 2017.

You can vote:

Results will be announced in April and projects will begin from May 2017. This is your chance to decide how money is spent that benefits you.

If you have a Young Scot card, when you vote online you will also receive reward points and these can be redeemed against a range of awards. You can find out more about Young Scot here.

If you would like to find out more, please contact CF.Commissioning@edinburgh.gov.uk

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