Category Archives: News and Events

LCCC January 2021 meeting agenda

    1. Welcome, introductions, attendance, apologies (19:00)
      1. to note: declarations of interest in any items on the agenda
      2. to note: J Hein’s death (24/12/20)
      3. to note: A Tibbitt resignation (7/1/21)
      4. to agree: to notify CEC of the above changes
      5. to agree: order of business below

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Trams to Newhaven Christmas closures and 2020 progress

The Trams to Newhaven team sent out an update on Friday 18th December. It included the following information. You can recieve these updates by subscribing on tramstonewhaven.co.uk.

Christmas shut down plan

The Trams to Newhaven project construction will shut down from 5pm on 18 December 2020 until 7am on Monday 4 January 2021. Both contractors will return to work on Monday 4 to review all safety measures ahead of recommencing construction activities on Tuesday 5 January 2021.

All main works finished on the evening of the Wednesday 16 to allow two full days on Thursday 17 and Friday 18 for general housekeeping and security.

All open excavations will be backfilled for health and safety purposes and to protect assets. 

During the period of site shutdown, the entry and exit gates will be secured using a coded padlock.  All emergency services have been given the code should they need to gain access.

Traffic management maintenance crews will be operational 24/7 over the Christmas period. The site will be inspected twice a day.

Over the festive period our contact centre hours will be as follows: 
•    19, 20, 21, 22, 23 December 8am – 8pm
•    24 December 8am – 6pm
•    27, 28, 29, 30 December 8am – 8pm
•    31 December 8am – 6pm 
•    3 and 4 January 8am – 8pm

The contact centre will be closed:
•    25 and 26 December 2020
•    1 and 2 January 2021 

In the event of an emergency out with our operational hours please call our number on 0131 322 1122 where your call will be diverted to our out of hours contact. 

Contact details are:
Telephone: 0131 322 1122
Email: Newhaven.tram@edinburgh.gov.uk

The operating times for the Logistics Hubs over the period are:
•    21, 22, 23 December 8am – 6pm 
•    24 December 8am – 3pm
•    28, 29, 30 December 8am – 6pm 
•    31 December 8am – 3pm
•    4 January 8am – 3pm

The Logistics Hubs will be closed:
•    25, 26 and 27 December 2020 
•    1,2 and 3 January 2021

From Monday 11 January the new opening hours for the contact centre will be Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm and Saturday 8am to 2pm. Our email, Twitter and Instagram accounts will be monitored Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.  

Leith Walk progress over 2020

  • Enabling works were completed in the early part of the year with the creation of the city-bound running lane ahead of the main construction works which were due to commence in March 2020. 
  • Following a 13 week shut down period due to COVID-19 the main construction works began on 22 June. This saw the establishment of the construction site from London Road to Crown Place. To date 60% of Leith Walk has been handed over from MUS, who completed excavation and utility clearance to SFN who will undertake the main tram infrastructure works and public realm.
  • The first installation of rail on Leith Walk has taken place within the Pilrig Street to Dalmeny Street section.

Dynamic Earth break for Carers

Leith Walk-based charity VOCAL have organised two days at Dynamic Earth.

VOCAL’s Wee Breaks partners at Dynamic Earth are offering a unique experience to visit the attraction on Friday 18th December or Wednesday 20th January as they throw open their doors just for VOCAL carers.

Find out all about the big bang and a time when dinosaurs roamed earth with refreshments provided in the café at Dynamic Earth.

VOCAL Wee Breaks offers carers some fantastic opportunities to take some time away from caring in partnership with local and national hospitality, tourism and leisure providers. 

VOCAL works with a number of partners to give carers the opportunity to try something new, reconnect with family and friends or simply take a break from the daily caring routine with or without the person they care for.

Please visit the VOCAL Wee Breaks website to find out what breaks and experiences are available for carers: also more information on planning and funding breaks from caring.

Help celebrate Leith: 100 years as part of Edinburgh

Favourite memories of Edinburgh at Christmas will be celebrated in a moving Christmas card – to be shared online and at locations around the capital.

Cinescapes – a Leith-based project which specialises in hyper local pop up cinema events – is appealing for members of the public to share their favourite festive photographs.

These will be crafted into a multimedia installation which will be projected at secret locations around the city.

Members of the public who would like to share their favourite Christmas photographs or cinefilm clips should email: deckthewalls@cinescapes.co.uk

Additionally, there is an online exhibition celebrating the people of Leith.

Launched on the centenary of Leith becoming part of Edinburgh, on November 5, 1920, it takes its title from a protest banner which read: “Leith For Ever. We protest against Amalgamation.”

Co producer Barbara Kerr said: “It’s very much a community project. We want people to make suggestions of people, places, stories and facts that make Leith what it is.

“Leith For Ever wil celebrate what makes Leith special. We want people to comment, make suggestions and share online – and if any other groups would like to participate we would love to hear from them.”

The exhibition can be found on leithforever.org/100days

The exhibition is the brainchild of a group of Leith-based organisations, including Leith Civic Trust, Yardheads productions, Leith Festival and Cinetopia. The idea of presenting One Hundred Days of Leith was originally suggested by Leith-based Citizen Curator Duncan Bremner.

Duncan Bremner, Executive Director of Citizen Curator said: “I guess Leith has always had a different feeling from Edinburgh. In many ways Edinburgh history is the great and good – the Castle, the crown, the law – but Leith has always been a working community so the history of Leith is more about the social history, of everyday folk.

“The idea was partly inspired by the BBC series ‘A History of the World in 100 objects’. What would Leith be in 100 things – particularly when you think not just of objects but of people and places and stories.

“Leith is not just about its history, it is also about its community and it has a fantastic mix of assets.

“It is a really broad mix and hopefully a project like this will allow people to talk about the things they love about Leith.”

Leith Chooses 2021 is happening

The event will be fully online in January 2021

Our friends and colleagues at the Partipatory Budgeting event £eith Chooses are taking applications until Friday 11th December with the theme for this year’s event being;

  • Challenging food poverty in Leith
    and/or
  • Reducing isolation / ensuring connectedness

Participatory budgeting (PB) is a process of democratic deliberation and decision-making in which local people decide how to spend a public budget.

In the case of £eith Chooses, money from the City of Edinburgh Council’s Community Grants Fund has been made available for projects within the three Leith Community Council Wards: Leith Links Community Council, Leith Central Community Council and Leith Harbour and Newhaven. Good causes / community groups delivering projects in this area are encouraged to apply for funding from this money – an overall total of £46,102, with a limit of £5K per project.

Visit leithchooses.net for more information and to download an application form.