Category Archives: Uncategorized

LCCC October 2024 minutes

Minutes of Leith Central Community Council AGM, at Nelson Hall, McDonald Road Library, on Monday 21 October at 7:00pm

Actions and decisions are red italic. nem con means that no-one spoke or voted against a decision. Continue reading →

Annandale Street to Picardy Place southbound road closure: update

NTBCC was supplied an broken link to Trams to Newhaven details about this closure, and apologises for any inconvenience caused by publishing it.

This post has now been corrected, and the correct link is https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/tramstonewhaven/news/article/374/annandale-street-to-picardy-place-southbound-road-closure.

The diagram of traffic management from that link is below. (Click the thumbnail to see the full-size image.)

diagram of London Road/Leith Walk traffic management

Edge conditions: visions for key sites and buildings in Leith and its ‘edge’

This exhibition is at Out of the Blue until tomorrow (Friday 30 September. The organisers tell LCCC:

‘Edge Conditions’ exhibits a summary of the work carried out by students of the Master of Architecture at the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at Newcastle University. It showcases selected student work from of a studio led by academics Christos Kakalis, Zeynep Kezer and Ivan Marquez Munoz between 2019-2022, which set Leith as the context of intervention. Using this area as its primary site of inquiry, the studio encouraged explorations of architectural responses to edge conditions, conceived literally and figuratively, proposing them as a deliberately loose frame. This enabled a wide range of experimentations and interpretations, from the most literal and material translations of the notion, to the most ephemeral and metaphorical. The projects developed in this studio included attempts at stitching the boundaries between the land at the sea, addressing the effects of water pollution and rising sea levels, as well as interventions to mend the fragmented urban fabric where it frays, identifying components of abandoned assemblages to reconfigure them for new uses, thereby reducing waste and improving the resilience of local communities. The projects exhibited include ‘Reclaiming Playtime’, winner of the RIBA Award for Sustainable Design at Part 2 at the RIBA President’s Medals 2021, and winner of the RIBA Presentation Prize at the RIBA North East Student Awards 2021, proposed for the Shrubhill site by graduates Nic Honey and Rob Thackeray.

Continue reading →

More Covid community testing at McDonald Road Library this week

On top of the permenant test centre (for people with symptoms) at Leith Library, as well as the drop-in vaccine clinics at St James Quarter, the EICC and Leith Community Health Centre (details), authorities have set up another testing hub at McDonald Road Library. Here is the latest alert from them with all the details;

Regular testing for people with no COVID-19 symptoms is one of the ways we can all help keep people safe and stop the spread new variants in Edinburgh. Infection rates are high across Edinburgh, so we’re urging people to keep testing, even if they’ve been vaccinated.  People with no COVID-19 symptoms can come along for a test at:

  • Wester Hailes Library from Monday 23 August to Saturday 11 September (closed Sundays)
  • McDonald Road Library from Monday 9 August to Saturday 28 August (closed Sundays)
  • Blackhall Library, Monday 30 August to Saturday 11 September (closed Sundays)
  • Blackhall Mosque,1 House O’Hill Road, EH4 2AJ from Monday 23 to Thursday 26 August 9.30am to 4pm. 
  • Assembly Rooms, 54 George Street, EH2 2LR from Saturday 21 August to Saturday 28 August (closed Sunday) 9.30am to 5pm
  • Tumbles/Power League car park, 20 Westbank Street, Portobello EH15 1DR from Friday 20 August to Sunday 29 August 9.30am to 5pm
  • Craigmillar Medical Practice, 106 Niddrie Mains Rd, Edinburgh EH16 4DT, from Monday 23 August to Saturday 28 August, 10.00am to 5.30pm and Sunday 29 August, 9.30am to 5pm
  • South East locality office, 40 Captain’s Road, Edinburgh, EH17 8QF, from Monday 23 August to Saturday 29 August, 10am to 5.30pm and Sunday 29 August, 9.30am to 5pm

We’re open from 9am to 6pm unless stated above and there’s no need to book. You can also pick up home testing kits from our centres at libraries. Testing is free, fast and safe. It will only take around 15 minutes to take the test and 45 minutes for people to be sent their results.  If you can’t get to the library, you can order free rapid lateral flow test kits onlineor by phoning the National Testing Centre on 119.   Almost 1 in 3 people infected with Covid-19 don’t have any of the usual symptoms but are potentially passing on the virus unknowingly to family, friends and others in the community. By getting tested people can find out if they are positive and self-isolate at home to stop spreading the virus to others. People who have been vaccinated are also encouraged to take a test as they may still carry the virus. 

You can find out more about community testing on our web pages at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/communitytesting

Bonfire night – advice from Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has published a fire-safety leaflet for 5 November. Please read the full leaflet but here is the section on ‘bonfire safety’:

  • Never drink alcohol if you are tending a bonfire or setting off fireworks – remember it is an offence to consume alcohol in a public place.
  • To reduce the emission of harmful smoke and combustion products bonfires should comprise of untreated wood and paper based materials only.
  • There is a danger of explosion from pressurised containers or sealed vessels amongst bonfire material or irresponsibly thrown on burning bonfires.
  • Never throw fireworks on bonfires.
  • Never use flammable liquids to ignite bonfires – use proprietary fire lighters.
  • Smoke from bonfires must not pose a public nuisance, affect visibility on roads or otherwise inconvenience vehicular traffic.
  • Sparks, flying embers or burning debris must not endanger nearby property.
  • Never leave a burning/smouldering bonfire unsupervised – make sure it is completely extinguished.

And on disposal of fireworks

  • After your display used fireworks should be disposed of by soaking for a least a few hours in water before placing in a plastic bag then disposing of the soaked, bagged fireworks in your outdoor general refuse bin.
  • If you have any fireworks which did not work, do not return to them till after your display has finished. At the end of the display the faulty fireworks should also be soaked, bagged and binned.