Author: Leith Central Community Council (Jack Caldwell)

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Leith Central are meeting virtually!

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, we are hosting a virtual meeting from 7pm on Monday 30th March.

Residents are welcome to join in using Zoom with the link zoom.us/j/323515008

It will follow the agenda initially outlined for the meeting on 16th March which can be read on our meeting page, including our response to the City Mobility Plan and new proposed developments at Iona Street.

Residents and community councillors are encouraged to follow the chair and keep microphones muted unless selected.

Special thanks to Community Cllr. Amy Woodgate for facilitating this new solution.

Coronavirus and Leith Central

There’s not much we can add to government advice and rulings, but we want to reiterate;

  1. Stay at home. Protect the NHS.
  2. Wash your hands.
  3. Ensure your news is from a trusted source.

Leith, Bonnington, Broughton and Hillside are very densely built up areas which means we need to take particular care and heed the advice. If you’re confused about the fast moving rules, please check out either of these definitive websites (and only them!);

We applaud the dozens of community groups popping up in the area in response to COVID-19, from street-wide WhatsApps to larger community networks. Several of our members have been active in facilitating these groups, but to ensure the safety of everyone, as well as the magnitude of them now springing up (mostly on “street by street level”, we’re no longer catalouging them.

Volunteer Edinburgh are now starting a larger directory of them. Here are some national organisations that may be of help;

Nationwide support (phone and online)

  • NHS 111 (dial 111)
    • Health assessment & support
  • NHS Lothian general health (0800 028 2816)
    • General Health advice (not symptom-related)

ReadyScotland (by the Scottish Government) have also released a directory of support numbers

Last updated by J. Caldwell, 20:23 30th March 2020 on behalf of the LCCC communications group. Information may change.
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Stead’s Place development halted

The controversial plans proposed by Drum Property Group (18/04332/FUL & 18/04349/CON) have formally been rejected by the Scottish Government today, after several campaign groups and statutory bodies including Leith Central Community Council and the City of Edinburgh Council objected to the proposals earlier this year.

This means that the plans that have been circulating this year are definitively shelved, and the site owners will have to pursue another option, be it new plans or a sell-off of the site. We do not yet know how they will respond.

Please see the PDFs provided by the Scottish Government below.

Decision Notice – dated 20 December 2019 cac_651950

Decision Notice – dated 20 December 2019_651885

Although it’s a welcome decision, it’s Leith Central Community Council’s duty to continue objectively scrutinising and examining all future planning applications, including any that come forward relating to this site. There will no doubt be work to be done and we look forward to continuing the work.

Lastly, Leith Central Community Council must reiterate the importance of the shopfronts down Leith Walk, and encourage the site owners to re-open the shops in the interim if there is no immediate development taking place.

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Safer Leith at Christmas

Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service & the City of Edinburgh Council Trading Standards will be holding public drop in events focussing on providing the public with information on how to stay safe over the festive period.

Bogus callers, Dangerous Christmas presents/CE markings, Fire Safety, Home Security, Cycle Safety  etc. are all impacted by the change in season so come along to learn how to stay safe.

On Monday the 9th of December 2019 at the following locations.

  • Bield Sheltered Housing Complex, Gordon Court (Lounge area) – 10:30 am to 12:00 noon
  • Out of the Blue, Dalmeny Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Please come along and speak to them about how to stay safe over the forthcoming festive period. Free bike marking and cycling safety equipment available (limited availability, so come early).Leith poster.Festive

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Forget about Brexit. This is important.

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What is more important than Brexit? Tenements!

Arguably, tenements are the most successful form of urban living around the world. Our area* – the most densely populated in Scotland (census 2011) – is more or less defined by strong lines of tenements along our residential and shopping streets. Where these tenements are arranged around a “back green” they also provide much needed breathing space in a busy city. A lot of tenements in our area are more than 100 years old. Most residents in our area live in a tenement.

For a variety of reasons (latterly, including AirBnB), it is sometimes difficult to manage a tenement and even more problematic to maintain them collectively. This has also been recognised elsewhere as an issue and since March 2018, a Scottish Parliamentary Working Group has been meeting with the purpose of establishing solutions to aid, assist and, where necessary, to compel owners of tenement properties to maintain their buildings.

Leith Central Community Council (LCCC) is pleased to have Euan Leitch, Director of Built Environment Forum Scotland, at our monthly public meeting on 18 November at McDonald Road Library to provide an update on the final recommendations of the working group and upcoming (legislative) developments. His talk is titled Tenements: strengthening the repair & maintenance culture through legislation and will be followed by a Q&A.

* roughly between Easter Rd, London Road, Leith Walk, McDonald Rd, Ferry Road and the Foot of Leith Walk

18 November 2019 7pm McDonald Road Library – all welcome

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Housing 2040: Scot Gov exhibition / consultation

The Scottish Government & Architecture Design Scotland are coming to Edinburgh on  11th and 12th December. They say

Home is more than simply shelter. It is not just the place where we live, but has a huge influence on how we live. It can shape our health and wellbeing, as well as our work and prosperity. It also impacts on the quality of our environment and the strength of our communities. Housing touches every part of life in Scotland, from childhood to old age.

We’re here to explore the future, working to understand what our homes and communities should look and feel like in 2040. The exhibition looks at themes around living and housing, offering the opportunity for discovery and discussion – gathering and sharing views about our housing needs and aspirations.

By listening to voices from across the country and across generations, we’re building a picture of a housing system that can evolve and adapt to the challenges that tomorrow brings, from an ageing population to the climate emergency.

The Scottish Government has begun to consider how our homes and communities should look and feel in 2040 and the options and choices to achieve this.

The travelling exhibition is curated and designed by Edinburgh University’s School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (ESALA), award-winning Scottish practice Collective Architecture and Peak15 Design, together with Chris Leslie and Sandy Halliday. Accompanying the exhibition are facilitated workshop sessions, designed to hear from a range of voices.

The views collected through the consultation and the travelling exhibition will help to inform the Scottish Government’s final vision and route map for housing over the next 20 years, which it is aiming to publish in spring 2020.

The exhibition and consultation will be at Castlebrae Community High School from 6pm – 8pm.

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Community Police surgeries

The Leith Community Policing Team are holding Community Policing surgeries at The Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Dalmeny Street on the following dates. The surgeries are an opportunity for local people to speak directly with officers about concerns in the area.

Friday 18th of October 2019 (1.30 / 4 pm)

Friday 8th of November 2019  (1.30 / 4 pm)

Friday 20th of December 2019 (1.30 / 4 pm)

Edinburgh Police North East are the division of Police Scotland that operate in the Edinburgh North East locality, including the areas of Broughton, Leith, Bonnington, Pilrig, Craigmillar, Craigentinny, Niddrie, Portobello, Duddingston and Restalrig.

Please visit @EdinPolNE on Twitter for more information.