What’s happening this January / February?
Monday 29th January – Leith Links Community Council meeting, 6:30 in person at Duncan Place. Email contact@leithlinkscc.org.uk if you wish to attend.
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£EITH CHOOSES until 5th February
Even if you missed the in-person voting day event, if you haven’t done so already you can still vote once online, until 5th February, at https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/cf/leith-chooses-2024/
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January / February – Leith Links Community Council survey about traffic and parking changes. Have you filled in this survey yet? Be sure to do so, to have your voice heard, regarding how your life as a local resident, is affected – positively and/or negatively – by the new changes to traffic and parking in our area.
The recent closure of Lindsay Road due to possible building subsidence – and subsequent traffic mega congestion – shows how important it is to have alternatives to the main routes through Leith, or else everything comes to a halt. We have roads permanently blocked off because of the Low Traffic Neighbourhood, and other roads temporarily closed due to roadworks (Henderson Street, MacDonald Road, Great Junction Street next week and so it goes on…) which is ending up with even more traffic being pushed on to Commercial Street, Duke Street, Great Junction Street, Ferry Road
Give your views via the survey here
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Student Accommodation
There are several planning applications in the pipeline for new purpose built student accommodation (PBSA) in our area (Baltic Street / Constitution Street; Salamander Place / Street; Johns Lane; Manderston Street). This Community Council is objecting to all of these, mainly – broadly speaking – on the grounds that they offer tiny rooms, very expensive for students, not anywhere near any university, exempt from Council Tax, exempt from having to build affordable housing, and exempt from Section 75 payments (i.e. payments to the Council for local infrastrucutre such as transport, schools, health etc.) and not easily convertible at a later date to livable accommodation for other tenants. And that what this community actually most needs is affordable new homes for ordinary people / families who need to live near their work or want to live in their own community.
Very few planning applications at all are in currently for homes, by the way.
How do you feel about this? Do you agree with the Community Council’s position on this? (Comments below are open)
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Student Accommodation – It was the LCC that fought to have the building that currently houses the bingo hall included in the conservation area. Planning application for local housing (incl 35% affordable) for the site would have been the option had that not been the case. This would not have possible once the building was included.