Category: Parks and Greenspaces

You are viewing all articles on our website relating to Parks and Greenspaces.

You may also be interested in viewing our Parks and Greenspaces Sub Committee page, which can be accessed by clicking here.

Reminder: Leith Links arboretum consultation closes on 18 June 2021.

Earlier this year City of Edinburgh Council began planting an eighty four tree arboretum on Leith Links as part of partnership working involving The Mushroom Trust, Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust and The Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh.

This image shows the site of the Leith Links arboretum, note that planting has already began on the site.

Their consultation on their plans closes on 18 June 2021, so if you have not yet taken the time to complete the consultation survey please do so over the next few days. It is important that as many people in our community as possible are involved in deciding whether there should be an arboretum, where it should be, how it should be used and the way in which it should be managed.

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Filming on the Links Wednesday 9th June

If you see a small crowd protesting on Leith Links on Wednesday, it’s not the start of the revolution, it’s a film crew filming a drama.

This will take place between about 0900 and 1300 near to the Vanburgh Place  / Academy Lofts bit of the Links, and over towards Wellington Place.

The company has full permissions in place. Filming should not be unduly noisy or disruptive, but any complaints should be directed to Mr. Neil Mackay, Location Manager, on nrmackay@aol.com or phone the City of Edinburgh’s film office 0131 6227337

Parking spaces have been reserved for the film crew between Merith House Hotel and Park View Hotel.

Arboretum planned for Leith Links

Four organisations are working together to develop part of Leith Links as an arboretum, with work already having began some weeks ago when planting of the arboretum began at the Seafield end of the links.

City of Edinburgh Council, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and the Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspaces Trust are working together to develop the arboretum on Leith Links, with some funding provided by The Mushroom Trust.

An arboretum is a specially designed area of different types of trees for scientific, educational and ornamental purposes. Eighty four trees are planned for the Leith Links arboretum.

We are encouraging citizens with an interest in Leith Links to take part in the consultation, and to make their views known.

 

Citizens may also leave comments below for the Community Councils information, and they may also wish to email Councillors Booth, McVey and Munro who represent Leith Ward 13.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Reminder – Meeting re Former Bowling Greens area, 17th May 7pm

Reminder – Please join a meeting about the possible future of the ‘former bowling green area and building’ on Leith Links, at a Zoom meeting, 7pm, Monday 17th May.

Sign up to attend via Eventbrite here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/leith-links-plus-community-meeting-2-tickets-154754618229

You need to sign up by 4pm on Monday 17th and will receive the link at 5pm. If it’s not there by 6pm, check your spam, or email contact@leithlinkscc.org.uk

We’re calling this campaign ‘Leith Links Plus’, Minutes of the previous (first ) meeting here.

Agenda for the meeting:

  1. Brief recap of legal restrictions affecting the area
  2. Feedback on previous meeting
  3. Update on ‘Ideas Bank’
  4. Draw up Short / Medium / Long term aims
  5. Set up Working Group to take these forward.
  6. Draft Short Term Aims –
  7. Ask Council for more bins and benches. Lighting? Also public barbecue area?
  8. Set up a Community Action Day or Weekend (July??), to do litter picking and weeding / cleanup, talk to & leaflet park users, maybe have barbecue or suchlike, and paint the building ourselves.? Volunteer performers? Boules tournament?
  9. Medium Term Aims – discuss Friends of Leith Links Group?, Refine list of proposals, community deliberation, explore skills and expertise available etc.
  10. Long Term Aims –
  11. Date of Next Meeting

 

We are also working on getting some specialised pages up on this web site that can be used for members of the public to share and comment on ideas under discussion.

Watch this space!

‘Former Bowling Greens’ meeting Monday 17th May, 7pm

Please join the next stage of discussions about the possible future of the ‘former bowling green area and building’ on Leith Links, at a Zoom meeting, 7pm, Monday 17th May.
You need to sign up by 4pm on Monday and will receive the link at 5pm. If it’s not there by 6pm, check your spam, or email contact@leithlinkscc.org.uk
We’re calling this campaign ‘Leith Links Plus’, See the Minutes of the previous (first ) meeting here.
Agenda for the meeting is as follows:
  1. Brief recap of legal restrictions affecting the area
  2. Feedback on previous meeting
  3. Update on ‘Ideas Bank’
  4. Draw up Short / Medium / Long term aims
  5. Set up Working Group to take these forward.
  6. Draft Short Term Aims –
    1. Ask Council for more bins and benches. Also public barbecue area?
    2. Set up a Community Action Day or Weekend (July??), to do litter picking and weeding / cleanup, talk to & leaflet park users, maybe have barbecue or suchlike, and paint the building ourselves.? Volunteer performers? Boules tournament?
  7. Medium Term Aims – discuss Friends of Leith Links Group?, Refine list of proposals, community deliberation, explore skills and expertise available etc.
  8. Long Term Aims –
  9. Date of Next Meeting
We are also working on getting some specialised pages up on this web site that can be used for members of the public to share and comment on ideas under discussion.

Watch this space!

Hold the date! Next public meeting about the former bowling green area is 17th May 7pm

The next online public meeting to discuss the possible future of the ‘former bowling green area and building’ on Leith Links will be held on Zoom at 7p.m. on Monday 17th May.
We had a very well-attended meeting on 19th April – thank you to the many members of the local community who participated! – to discuss the possible future of this part of Leith Links that has fallen into disrepair and is underused. Many great ideas for the area were put forward and discussed, but we were also made aware of the restrictions affecting potential changes of use and building on what is ‘common good land’.
The next public meeting will be held  at 7p.m. on Monday 17th May, when we will discuss in more detail some short, medium and long term aims. Hold the date!!!
Participation will be via the Eventbrite ticketing system and we will post a link here very soon that you can use to sign up for this meeting.
We are also working on getting some specialised pages up on this web site that can be used for members of the public to share and comment on ideas under discussion.

Watch this space!

 

Leith Links Bowling Green Area – Community Consultation

As you will probably be aware if you use the Leith Links Park, the bowling green area and the building itself, most recently referred to as the ‘Dry Dock’, are in a sorry state of disrepair. The community council has been monitoring the situation and we are keen to see the building being renovated and used as an asset for the community along with its surroundings. A report from the Parks and Recreation Dept is being submitted to a meeting of the City of Edinburgh Council in May.
We feel that time is of the essence and that community engagement and consultation is paramount. With this in mind, we have scheduled a meeting via Zoom at 7p.m. on Monday 19th April to give all interested groups and individuals the opportunity to put forward their views on how this space should be best used.
Invitation will be via the Eventbrite ticketing system, please click here to register to receive the Zoom link. We hope to see as many residents of Leith Links taking part as possible.
David Igoe
Convener
Parks and Green Spaces Sub-Committee

 

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John Rattray Statue Landscaping, Leith Links

For over two years fencing surrounded the statue of John Rattray and the landscaped mounds on the Links so that the planting of wild flowers selected by Royal Botanic Gardens staff could become established.

We could see the wonderful display of flowers developing each summer and the public, quite rightly asked when would the fencing come down and last September it was removed.

The ecosystem of the coastal planting is developing but is now in danger of being destroyed due to adults and children walking and cycling over the mounds.

The statue and mounds were created to celebrate Leith’s connection with the history of golf when the first recorded rules of the game were written for a competition on the Links in 1744.

The mounds represent the original landscape of the Links when it would have had a similar appearance to Longniddry, St Andrews or Carnoustie.

As we come out of the covid pandemic we hope that the statue will attract many visitors interested in the origins and history of golf.  Hopefully they will also spend more time in Leith discovering the areas historic past and supporting local businesses by spending their money in shops, cafes and restaurants.

The statue and landscaping are a great asset to the Links and Leith but we need you the public to help by respecting and caring for them.

I’ve attached a list of the range of seeds planted on the mounds below which we would hope to see each year.

PDFWildflowers planted on Leith LInks 2019

Best wishes

Jim Scanlon MBE

Chair Leith Links Community Council and member of Leith Rules Golf Society

 

 

 

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City of Edinburgh Council considers demolition of disused Leith Links building

City of Edinburgh Council have this week announced that they are considering demolishing a disused building on Leith Links. The building which is located next to the tennis courts and bowling greens has been unused for some time.Image

Members of Leith Links Community Council were informed at our meeting of Monday 30 November 2020 that the demolition is being considered due to anti social behaviour at the site and the building being in a poor condition.

We are not aware of the Councils full intentions for the site at this time.

If any citizens have any views as to whether the building should be demolished or not please do share your views (as well as any questions etc) with the three Leith Ward Councillors;

And please do share your views in the comments box below so that we know your views.

 

 

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Rattray statue uncaged at last

After 10 years of fund-raising by Leith Rules Golf Society, amounting to an amazing £120,000 followed by motions to Parliament, Royal Consent and planning applications, the statue of John Rattray was cast by Powderhall Bronze and erected on its current position on the Links last September surrounded by a fence.

Finally, after a further year of negotiations with City of Edinburgh Council, the fencing came down yesterday.

Leith Links and Rattray have an important part in the history of golf. The original 13 rules of  the game were written down by Rattray for a competition on Leith Links in 1744. Those 13 rules were the foundation of the rules of golf up to the present day.

The statue belongs to the people of Leith and we should all be proud of this additional part of our rich history.

I hope we can all respect the statue and protect it from vandalism and I encourage you all, like me, to keep an eye on it to protect it.

Since yesterday there’s been lots of interest in Rattray and we hope it will attract visitors from all over the world who, fingers crossed, will also spend their money in Leith.

Jim Scanlon

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