We’re here to listen, represent and take action on the things that matter most to the people who live and work in Leith — from planning applications and housing to street cleaning, public transport, green spaces & more.
Our meetings are on Every Third Monday, 7pm – 9pm, at the Nelson Hall in McDonald Rd Library. All welcome! There is no meeting in July and December.
The monthly meeting agenda includes updates on policing, planning, local parks, clean streets, and more, with an open forum for residents and businesses to raise questions or concerns.
We’ve started developing a set of data to help us better understand Leith Central and the wider area around us.
This is very much a work in progress, but the aim is simple: to build a clearer picture of who lives here, how the area is changing, and how that should inform the work of the Community Council.
The charts bring together publicly available data on things like:
housing tenure (owner-occupied, private rented, social rented)
income levels and indicators such as Universal Credit
the balance between flats and houses
comparisons with neighbouring community council areas
Taken together, they begin to show how Leith Central sits within a wider and very diverse part of the city.
Why this matters
As a Community Council, we are regularly asked to comment on planning applications, licensing matters and wider policy issues.
Having a better understanding of the make-up of our community helps us to:
reflect a broader range of local experiences
identify where there may be gaps in representation
think more clearly about priorities
This is particularly relevant in areas like housing, where questions around tenure, affordability and use (including short-term lets and student accommodation) are ongoing.
A work in progress
This is an early draft and will continue to evolve. We expect to refine the data, improve how it is presented, and explore additional sources over time.
We’re sharing it now because it’s already proving useful in shaping our discussions — and we’re keen to be open about how we approach this.
Have your say
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts:
Does this reflect your experience of living in the area?
Is there anything here that surprises you?
Are there other aspects of the community you think we should be looking at?
You can get in touch via our website or come along to one of our meetings.
Present TTN – Robert Armstrong and Chris Wilson CCTT – Harald Tobermann (LCCC), Elaine Dick (LHNCC), Angus Hardie and Andrew Mackenzie (LLCC), Mike Birch (NTBCC) Apologies Douglas Tharby (LHNCC), Charlotte Enscombe Meeting Notes
Matters Arising There were a number of outstanding actions from the previous meeting, which are recorded here for reference. The dates of future TTN/CCTT meetings were discussed and it was agreed that they would normally be scheduled now for the last Wednesday of each month. Actions: Mike to circulate updated Quick Win list following review by Robert Mike to issue action log from meetings showing action status Mike to provide suggested narrative for Master List columns and RAG Mike to forward discrepancies between LHNCC list and master list to Robert Mike to confirm dates for meetings for remainder of 2025. Robert to provide scope of work for work planned to start on 5 May
Review Action Plan Harald stated that he wanted to reformat the action plan to make it is easier to follow. It was agreed that he would do so and include some of the missing actions such as dates of planned TTN Project Board meetings as well as Stage 4 RSA inspection/report issue. It was stated that the Stage 4 RSA report should be available by early August to ensure any observations could be addressed before the next major update for the TEC. Chris reported that Leith Community Growers were no longer able to take over the maintenance of the planters so alternative options were being considered. There was a discussion about the timing of the outstanding lessons learned with CCTT. It was agreed that this should be undertaken prior to the end of August to allow any significant issues to be included in the expected TEC report on the further extension of the trams system. Date and format for lessons learned to be discussed further at next meeting. Actions: Harald to review Action Plan format/content and reissue Robert to provide dates for Stage 4 RSA inspection and report issue Robert to issue link to lessons learned conducted with other Council departments Mike to issue outline of lessons learned previously agreed with TTN team.
Master List and Work in Progress Robert confirmed that he had further updated the master list to ensure that all the columns had been populated and duplicates identified. In total around 870 individual issues had been identified of which 40 had either been completed or were work in progress. This overall number includes issues identified by stakeholders, changes from original design, recommendations from the RSA as well as defects identified by the TTN project team. Many of the items in progress are associated with the work to modify Elm Row public realm. It was agreed that the number of completed jobs should be included in the dashboard. It was noted that based on the RAG prioritisation, about 20% of the items would be closed out in the current financial year. It was agreed that we should be publicising the work that has been completed to demonstrate progress. It was noted that the Festival embargo period would start around 27 July and that this may impact on some of the work fronts especially from Leith Walk to Picardy Place. There was a further discussion about the RAG terms. Actions: Robert to review/revise draft narrative on RAG methodology and issue for comment Robert to update master list as work is completed
Dashboard Robert provided an overview of the dashboard that he had developed but due to limitations in the functionality of this tool, he had started developing a new dashboard using different software. This was not currently available through the Council so he was exploring how this might be used. It was agreed that the word ‘Duplicate’ was better than ‘Repeated’. Other suggestions included having the date of issue and some notional/qualitative cost for each of the items. It was agreed that the dashboard would be issued for review to CCTT members 5 days in advance of any update being published but that it would only be further distributed once posted on TTN website. Actions: Robert to provide updated dashboard using new software All CCTT to review and provide comments to Robert before next meeting Robert to confirm schedule for issue and posting dashboard on TTN website
Any Other Business It was reported that consultation on the North-South Trams project would begin in August. Various questions were asked about the project including whether a new Trams Act would be required and if a new Code of Construction Practice would be developed. It was reported that there had been an accident involving a lorry and a tram at the Dalmeny Street junction on Leith Walk. An investigation was in progress. Harald confirmed that he would be sending a letter to ward and TEC Councillors expressing confidence in the process that was being followed to agree a list of outstanding work. Actions: Harald to issue letter to Councillors regarding process/progress
This document outlines our concerns about the impact of Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) developments in Leith, focusing on how these projects threaten local housing availability, disregard community needs, and conflict with local development goals.
Date of Meeting: 24 April 2025 Present TTN – Robert Armstrong (p/t) and Chris Wilson CCTT – Harald Tobermann and Charltte Encombe (LCCC), Elaine Dick (LHNCC), Angus Hardie and Andrew Mackenzie (LLCC), Mike Birch (NTBCC) Apologies Douglas Tharby (LHNCC) Meeting Notes
Matters Arising It was agreed that notes of these meetings should be published on community council websites and otherwise circulated in local communities to raise awareness of the ongoing work by CCTT and TTN. A list of Quick Wins had been circulated but feedback from the CCTT members was still required. Once this had been agreed by CCTT members, it would be sent to Robert to confirm that these items met the criteria for being treated as Quick Wins. It was noted that there are some actions outstanding from the last meeting. Mike agreed to circulate an action log highlighting incomplete actions. Actions: All CCTT members to ensure meeting notes distributed All CCTT members to highlight any issues to be added to Quick Win list by 2 May Mike to forward updated Quick Win list to Robert Mike to issue action log from meetings showing action status
Review Action Plan It was noted that in part due to delays in CCTT input, there were still some updates of the master list spreadsheet outstanding. It was agreed to seek a revised date from Robert for the completion of this update. There was some discussion about the meaning of the RAG methodology. It was agreed to seek clarification from Robert. With regard to the ‘Initial Works on Site’, it was agreed that it would be helpful to have a scope of work for the planned work. It was noted that there was no date provided for the Stage 4 RSA. It was agreed that this date should be added for visibility and that from a CCTT perspective it should be undertaken asap as this was a key element in determining the final work list. It was noted that it was now planned to provide Business Bulletin updates for the May and June TEC meetings rather than a full report which was now scheduled for the October meeting. It was also requested that the date of planned TTN Project Board meetings should be added to list. Actions: Robert to provide narrative on RAG methodology and confirm timing for completion Robert to provide scope of work for work planned to start on 5 May All to review meeting dates and provide feedback to Mike by 9 May Robert to add Stage 4 RSA with planned date Robert to add planned Project Board meeting dates Mike to reissue Action List once updated
Master List There was a brief discussion about the status of the Master List, but this was deferred pending the arrival of Robert. Elaine noted that there were some items on a list of Landscaping work provided by Chris that were not on the Master List. Elaine also noted that there were differences in the text of the Master List compared to the feedback provided by LHNCC on the actions required to address the outstanding issues. It was agreed that there should be only one list and that any apparent discrepancies should be highlighted to Robert. The discussion then addressed the planned Dashboard. It was agreed that this should be as simple as possible to aid communications and avoid unnecessary work. It should be possible to categorise the outstanding work by TTN Section (rather than CC area), Type, RAG, Open/Closed, Ownership and whether the item was regarded as Quick Win. Actions: Elaine to provide feedback on discrepancies on the Master List Robert to update the Master List as required and provide a definition of each column Robert to provide expanded Dashboard for CCTT review All CCTT Members to provide feedback on Dashboard
Any Other Business It was agreed that if the Council issued a media briefing or had responded to specific media enquiries on TTN matters that CCTT (Harald) would be notified/copied. There was a discussion about certain landscaping work in the LHNCC area. Robert explained that some of this work was outside of the project scope and could not be completed without third party agreement or action. It was agreed that this issue applied to other issues on the Master List (e.g., utility works) and that it would be helpful to add a column to the Master List which allowed the need for a third-party agreement/action to be readily identified. There was a brief discussion about the dates for ‘Monthly CCTT/TTN Meetings’ shown on the Action Plan and it was agreed that these would need to be confirmed. As the McDonald Road Library is closed on Thursday evenings, we would need to confirm an alternative location for the meetings. Various options were mentioned as possibilities. Actions: Chris to ensure Harald notified about media contacts Robert to update spreadsheet with completed third-party agreement/action column Robert to populate the hidden ‘Ownership’ column where appropriate Robert to check if portacabins at 165 Leith Walk could be made available, Elaine to check availability of New Kirkgate Community Centre. Charlotte to reserve Nott as a fallback
Leith Central Community Council 