Category: Leith Links Community Council

We have been sent this latest update on the public toilets on Leith Links by Marco Galli, Green Space Development Officer at the Council:

The drainage works on site are now complete. We are carrying out final checks, including topographic survey and CCTV camera investigation survey, to make sure the new drainage network meets the required standard before the toilets can reopen. We are on track to reopen at the beginning of June 2026.

During the construction phase, the contractor encountered a number of unexpected challenges I wanted to make you aware of:

• An old cast iron water main was found during the groundworks. The team had to work carefully around it and adjust how the works were carried out.
• Extra work was done to protect sections of the new drainage pipework, making it stronger and more resilient for the long term.
• A water leak was found during the works. This was caused by poor installation from the original build and has now been fully fixed.
• One of the electrical cables in proximity to the toilet was accidentally damaged by the contractor. The contractor has organised for an electrician to remediate this and we estimate completion by the end of the week.

Despite these challenges, our contractor Healthmatic kept the programme on track.

Please note that the temporary toilets have been removed from site. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause in the short term and are working hard to reopen the permanent facility as soon as possible. Several incidents of antisocial behaviour took place, leaving the toilets unsafe and posing a risk to our colleagues who maintained them.

We know the closure has been frustrating and we thank you for your patience. We will keep you updated as we move towards reopening. Please feel free to pass this update on to anyone who may find it useful.

Thank you.

The AGM and next meeting of Leith Links Community Council will be on Monday 25th May, at 6:30pm, at Duncan Place Community Hub, 4 Duncan Place.

There will be a short AGM followed at 7pm by an ‘ordinary meeting’. We have guest speakers Jo Hirst and Doreen Goldie coming to talk about what happens when sewage at Seafield is treated and turned into sludge cake which is spread across local agricultural land as fertilizer and may potentially have a dangerous impact on our food systems, water courses and the wider environment.

We also have a busy ‘general’ agenda of local issues. Do come along and join the discussions – the Community Council would really appreciate more support from local residents.

If you need to join remotely, please use this MS Teams link

Secretary LeithLinks invited you to a Microsoft Teams Meeting, 25 May 18:30

 

Documents

AGM Minutes April 2025

April 2026 Minutes here

May 2026 Agenda here

Police Report May 2026

Annual Report 2026

Annual Accounts 2025-2026

 

The next meeting of Leith Links Community Council is on Monday 25 May at 6:30pm. Following a brief AGM and a short break, starting at 7pm we will hold our ‘ordinary’ CC meeting, starting with visiting speakers Jo Hirst and Doreen Goldie to talk about what happens to our sewage, why it may be dangerous, and what regulation and enforcement is necessary.

 

 

Everyone knows about the offensive stench that frequently blights the lives of those who live in the vicinity of Seafield Sewage Treatment Centre. However what is not so well known is that after the City’s sewage has been ‘treated’, the resultant sludge cake is spread across local agricultural land as a fertilizer. Many believe that the several contaminants that remain in this ‘treated’ sludge cake represent a serious public health risk. A campaign has been launched to have this practice ‘paused’ until the full facts are made known.

 

Come to our next meeting on 25th May at 7.00pm  at Duncan Place Community Hub to hear more about this campaign and about why there is so much concern about the potential impact on our food systems, water courses and the wider environment.

The next meeting of LLCC will be on Monday, 27 April 2026, in person at Duncan Place, at 6:30 pm.

As usual we have a busy agenda of local issues to discuss.

We also have guest speakers Sutherland Forsyth and Sam Gallacher from Scottish Historic Buidlings Trust, to give a short presentation on the latest plans and news about a Leith Museum at Leith Custom House.

We have been asking the Council for information, for the benefit of local residents who have been querying what is going on with the roadworks on Restalrig Road, and complaining about a lack of information/ communication.

We have asked for a meeting / walkabout on-site with the Council team, to get a better idea of what they actually mean by some of the terms. We have complained about the poor road closure practice that has meant leaving some residents without access. We have asked for additional work on pavements along the way, as these are in an exceptionally poor state. We’ll try to find out and pass on more.

Meanwhile this page gives the basics:

https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/road-projects-improvements/restalrig-road

This is what we have learned so far –

There will be a gap of a week+ over Easter when no work will be done. Otherwise, work is slightly ahead of schedule. They are curently working on Phase 4 (see below) and will move on to Phase 5 tomorrow (Wednesday 1st April)

The City of Edinburgh Council says – 

Restalrig Road

We’re improving the road surface, crossing facilities at junctions and drainage at Restalrig Road, Restalrig Road South and Blackie Road, which includes road resurfacing and pavement works at junctions.

The work will improve driving and walking conditions and enhance road safety.

Working in stages

Work will be done in nine stages starting from 9 March 2026. Sometimes stages may overlap.

We expect work to end in July 2026.

Our contractor will work Monday to Friday, typically between 7am and 7pm.

We will stop work during the Easter break from 3 April to 12 April.

During each phase there will be pavement and drainage work where we’ll use parking suspensions, lane closures and temporary traffic lights at junctions.

Phase 1 – Restalrig Road from East Hermitage Place to Cornhill Terrace. Estimated 3 weeks

Pavement works and drainage – parking suspensions, side road closures (East Restalrig Terrace, Blackie Road and Cornhill Terrace) and temporary traffic lights.
Road resurfacing – road closure 24/7, Traffic diversion via Lochend Road

Phase 2 – Restalrig Road from Cornhill Terrace to No.88 Restalrig Road. Estimated 3 weeks

Pavement works and drainage – parking suspensions, side road closures (Ryehill Terrace) and temporary traffic lights

Road resurfacing – road closure 24/7, traffic diversion via Lochend Road.

Phase 3 – Restalrig Road from No.88 Restalrig Road to Prospect Bank Gardens. Estimated 3 weeks

Pavement works and drainage – parking suspensions, side road closures (Prospect Bank Road) and temporary traffic lights.

Road resurfacing – road closure 24/7 with local access to Easter Hermitage and Prospect Bank Gardens via Restalrig Road outwith the site working hours 7.30am and 5pm. Traffic diversion via Lochend Road.

Phase 4 – Restalrig Road from Prospect Bank Gardens to Alemoor Park. Estimated 3 weeks

Pavement works and drainage – parking suspensions and temporary traffic lights.

Road resurfacing road closure 24/7 with local access to private access road via Restalrig Road outwith the site working hours 7.30am and 5pm. Traffic diversion via Lochend Road.

Phase 5 – Restalrig Road from Alemoor Park to No.167 Restalrig Road. Estimated 3.5 weeks.

Pavement works and drainage – parking suspensions, side road closures (Restalrig Circus) and temporary traffic lights.

Road resurfacing – road closure 24/7 with local access to Alemoor Park via Restalrig Road outwith the site working hours 7.30am and 5pm. Traffic diversion via Lochend Road.

Phase 6 – Restalrig Road from No.167 Restalrig Road to Restalrig Crescent

Pavement works and drainage – parking suspensions and temporary traffic lights.

Road resurfacing – road closure 24/7 with local access to Restalrig Park via Restalrig Road outwith the site working hours 7.30am and 5pm. Traffic diversion via Lochend Road.

Phase 7 – Restalrig Road South – From Restalrig Crescent to Restalrig Square

Pavement works and drainage – parking suspensions, side road closures (Restalrig Crescent and Lochend Avenue) and temporary traffic lights.

Road resurfacing – road closure 24/7, traffic diversion via Lochend Road.

Phase 8 Restalrig Road South – From Restalrig Crescent to Restalrig Square

Pavement works and drainage – parking suspensions and temporary traffic lights.

Road resurfacing – road closure 24/7 with local access to Restalrig Square and St. Margarets Apartments via Restalrig Road South outwith the site working hours 7.30am and 5pm Traffic diversion via Lochend Road.

Phase 9 Blackie Road – From Summerfield Gardens to Claremont Road

Pavement works and drainage – parking suspensions and temporary traffic lights.

Road resurfacing – road closure 24/7, Traffic diversion via: Claremont Road – Claremont Park – Restalrig Road.

Access

• Pedestrians will be able to access the area at all times.
• Restrictions will be in place for vehicles at times during road resurfacing, apart from emergency vehicles which will have access at all times.
• We will use temporary parking restrictions to make sure the work is done safely, with signs showing details of specific restrictions.
• We will have a Council officer on-site during the work to monitor progress and provide assistance and information to residents and businesses.

Further information

We understand that the work will be disruptive and want to thank you for your patience and understanding.

Every effort will be made to accommodate residents and businesses and we hope that you will appreciate the long-term benefits and improvement the project will deliver.

If you have any specific queries, please do not hesitate to contact the site team directly or email us at transport.designservice@edinburgh.gov.uk

 

The next meeting of LLCC will be on Monday, 30 March 2026, in person at Duncan Place, at 6:30 pm.

As usual we have a busy agenda of local issues to discuss.

The next meeting of LLCC will be next Monday, 23 February 2026, in person at Duncan Place, at 6:30 pm.

We will be welcoming guest speakers Matthew Farnham of Veolia to give us an update on Seafield sewage Works, and Rachel Hutton of Harbour Homes, to speak briefly about the ‘Leith Network’ of charities.

We also as usual have a busy agenda of local issues to discuss.

The next meeting of LLCC will be next Monday, 26 January 2026, in person at Duncan Place, at 6:30 pm

We will be welcoming guest speakers from Scott Hobbs Planning, who are undertaking a pre-application consultation on revised proposals to develop the Dalton’s site on Salamander Place / Street. The proposals still include residential accommodation and purpose built student accommodation, though in a different ratio.