Tag: 2021

Free film screening, Leith Links 28th September – re climate emergency

Our sister Community Council, Leith Harbour and Newhaven Community Council is screening the film ‘People’s Emergency Briefing’ on 28 September at 19:00 at St. James Episcopal Church, Leith Links.
Tickets / seats are free but limited so please book in advance. Bring a friend, neighbour or family member: everyone is welcome. Coffee, tea and biscuits will be provided.
Link to Tickets: https://buytickets.at/leithharbourandnewhavencommunitycouncil/2409360
After the film there will be an open discussion about what it means for our community and what we can do locally.

What’s happening with climate and nature, and what does it mean for everyday life in the UK?

Join us for a screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing – an eye-opening 50-minute film bringing together nine leading UK scientists and experts with the latest evidence and why it matters for things like:
🌧️ Extreme weather
🍞 Food security
🏥 Health
💷 Cost of living
The film is based on the National Emergency Briefing in Westminster (featured by ITV, Channel 4 and The Times) with appearances from Chris Packham, Deborah Meaden, and a range of voices from across the UK. Learn more at www.nebriefing.org
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If after booking you are unable to attend, we’d be very grateful if you could let us know so that we can re-allocate your ticket to someone else.
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Next LLCC meeting, tomorrow Monday, 27th October, at Duncan Place, 6:30pm

The next meeting of LLCC will be tomorrow Monday, 27th October, in person at Duncan Place, at 6:30 pm.

We have important Guest Speakers from City of Edinburgh Council: Mr. Gareth Barwell, Interim Corporate Director of Place, and Mr. David Givan, Chief Planning Officer and Head of Building Standards.

They have agreed to come for a discussion on questions we asked them, including the following :

What is the vision – what is planned – for Leith, in the next few years?
Our area has been very profoundly affected in recent years by dramatic changes  – large scale new building developments, significant population expansion, tramworks, new CPZs and pending CPZs, Leith Connections’ road closures and partial closures and new cycleways, bus re-routings and diversions,’floating bus stops’ etc. (as well as more routine roadworks, planned utility works etc., often springing up with no prior warning, and no explanation to local residents & businesses) – but it sometimes feels to people in the local community that the various different departments at the council do not necessarily put together an integrated overview of how all these different schemes will interact with each other and do not consider the overall effect on local residents.  Is there an overall, connected, picture of it all, and of how all these schemes will interact with each other and affect local residents (intended and unintended consequences)?  How will it be monitored?
Basically – who is is in overall charge and taking responsibility for the aggregated effect of all these separate schemes?

The meeting is open to interested members of the local community.

Here is a link to enable remote attendance.
Secretary LeithLinks invited you to a Microsoft Teams Meeting:
LLCC October meeting
Monday 27 October 2025
18:30pm GMT

 

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Fire!! Cuts to our local Fire Services

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is proposing a number of changes and service cuts, one of which is to close the Marionville Fire Station. This could have very serious consequences for our area, as it would mean that fire services would come out instead from NewCraighall which would clearly take much longer to reach a fire in the Restalrig, Leith Links, Leith, Seafiled, Craigentinny, Meadowbank, Willowbrae etc. areas. And as we know, the time it takes to attend a fire can be crucial in terms of saving lives, as well as protecting property and preventing fire spread.

If you would like to learn more and comment on these plans, please come along to the public meeting tomorrow, and/or please complete the survey mentioned below.

SFRS is running a public consultation on the future of Marionville Community Fire Station in the city of Edinburgh. We will be holding a public meeting as follows:

Tuesday 2 September (2-4pm and 6-8pm)

Craigentinny Community Centre, 9 Loaning Road,

Edinburgh EH7 6JE

In addition, SFRS has launched an online survey and is keen for individuals and groups from the local community to share their views. The consultation ends on 16th September.

https://firescotland.citizenspace.com/sfrs-communications/sfrs-service-delivery-review-consultation/

https://www.fbu.org.uk/campaigns/scotland-cuts-leave-scars

www.firescotland.gov.uk

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A New Years message

A New Year message from Gail Clapton, Vice Chairperson of Leith Links Community Council;

 

Sadly 2021 has been a difficult year for many people in Leith and beyond, and our thoughts go out to all those who have faced hardship and the loss of loved ones throughout the pandemic.

Unfortunately, moving into the New Year of 2022 sees us under similar restrictions as this time last year so perhaps not ‘the times they are a changing’ just yet.

Many have faced having to adapt to working from home with little or no direct interaction with their work colleagues other than online.  Not ideal but perhaps a safe approach. Similarly, Leith Links Community Council has continued with Zoom calls and it has been encouraging to see more people joining in and it would be good to see that participation continue whether online or in person, when that option returns to us.

It is to be hoped that as more medical advances are made we can meet the current setback as we have other challenges in the past.

So Leithers, lets Persevere, and head into 2022 with high hopes for a light at the end of this long tunnel.

With sincere good wishes to all for a happier and healthier New Year.

 

 

 

 

 

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A festive message

A festive message from Jim Scanlon MBE, Chairperson of Leith Links Community Council;

 

Last Christmas we ended our message hoping that Christmas 2021 would be better.

You may not believe it but things have got better. Since last year the vaccine programme has been successful with most of the population double jabbed and have had or waiting to get the booster.

Unfortunately with this new wave of the virus we have to be careful when going out but if we’re sensible you can still enjoy Christmas with your family. Test test test before you meet up to protect yourself and others.

We are all having to learn to live with this virus to survive and have a reasonable life in this “new” normal.

Remember all those people who you all plan to phone and never do? Why not take the time to call one or two. I can guarantee they’ll appreciate it and you could feel better.

On behalf of the Community Council I hope you all have a peaceful and safe festive period.

 

 

 

 

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University of Edinburgh seek volunteers to observe users of Leith Links

The University of Edinburgh is seeking volunteers to observe users of Leith Links, and to record such observations so that the information collated on park users can be used by them (and others such as City of Edinburgh Council) to improve the park and strengthen any funding bids.

Volunteers are asked to record information such as how many people are using a certain area of the Links, what activities are happening and other characteristics such as age & gender).

If you would like more information please click here.

If you would like to volunteer please click here.

if you would like to ask any questions or submit any comments please contact l.deniz@sms.ed.ac.uk.

 

 

 

This Behaviour Observation Studies area of work is being undertaken as part Thriving Greenspacesof the Thriving Greenspaces Project, which is a partnership of six bodies including City of Edinburgh Council, University of Edinburgh, Greenspace Scotland, Edinburgh Greenspaces Forum, Scottish Wildlife Trust and Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspaces Trust.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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WARNING Seafield Update for plant maintenance

The Community Counci received the following message from Scottish Water regarding work starting tomorrow, Monday 13th December. If you experience any odour issues please report them through the community council webpage and to Scottish Water.

Dear Stakeholder,

We wanted to let you know that Veolia, the operator at Seafield WwTW, will be commencing significant planned maintenance to one of the Primary Settlement Tanks on Monday 13th December. This will involve draining and cleaning the tank over the next week.The current weather forecast suggests favourable conditions during this period.Both SEPA and the City of Edinburgh Council have been informed.We will issue a further update once Veolia has completed the work.

 

 

 

 

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Street Traders Licence Application: Leith Links Police Box

We have been informed this week by City of Edinburgh Council that an application has been made for a Street Traders Licence at the Leith Links Police Box.

We understand the applicant intends to use the Police Box as a ‘coffee shop’ type business selling hot & cold drinks, and snacks. Potentially with some outdoor seating. The applicants business can be viewed online by clicking here.

Any person can make a representation with regards to the application but they must present that to City of Edinburgh Council by 4 January 2022. Leith Links Community Council will be submitting a representation, and should you have any comments which you feel should be considered as part of that representation please let us know in the comments are below. Please avoid only writing that you support or object to the application, please tell us why you object or support etc.

Below is a map of the location, and the formal notice of the application being considered;

 

 

 

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Scottish Water’s Seafield Shenanigans

At the last Seafield Stakeholders’ meeting we complained yet again about the fact that our small voluntary Community Council has been doing all the work of effectively gathering complaints about Seafield smells, while big powerful and well-funded organisations like SEPA, Veolia and Scottish Water just sit back.

This imbalance of power:effort led our MSP to charge Scottish Water with the duty to meet with us to explore ways of working together to create a more effective complaints system for all.

However, when we met, we found that Scottish Water had already used our template to create a new reporting system which is in their control exclusively. We in the community are to have no access to complaints (which they call ‘observations!) This, we were told, was because of privacy issues.

We felt that this action was a betrayal of trust and goodwill, and that we were left with the difficult choice of either dropping our own complaints system in favour of one we will have no access to, or keeping ours and having two systems running at once, causing confusion for local residents.

The Community Council felt overwhelmingly that it was vital that we keep our independent complaints system, so that we and others have evidence and data  around which to campaign.  You will see it is still there on our website, to use.

Although winter does not tend to be a ‘smelly season’, that can start as early as February, and we ask you to please continue to use our complaints facility whenever you notice a Seafield stench, whether it be of sewage, burning rubber or other chemical smells. Don’t hesitate, it only takes a few minutes!

 

 

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Next meeting of Leith Links Community Council, 29 November 2021, 6:30pm

The next meeting of the Leith Links Community Council will be held on Monday 29 November 2021 at 6:30pm, online (Microsoft Teams)

Papers for the meeting can be found here:

  1. Agenda for the Meeting
  2. Minutes of Meeting on Monday 25 October 2021 (draft until adopted)

(These are also stored for access at any time in our online Library.)

We have an interesting Guest Speaker coming, from Living Rent Edinburgh / Leith, and we will also have updates and discussion on ongoing topics of local importance including: Controlled Parking Zone for Leith, Seafield sewage plant and sewage outflows into Water of Leith, City Plan 2030 and more.

As always, our meetings are open to interested members of the public. If you wish to attend, please email contact@leithlinkscc.org.uk and you will be sent an invitation / link for the meeting.

We tend to alternate between using Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Both platforms have their pluses and minuses. Officers and elected representatives of Edinburgh City Council are not ‘allowed’ to use Zoom with/on Council IT, so if we hope to have input from those people, we need to use Teams.

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