Trams to Newhaven: April newsletter released

Edinburgh Council’s Trams to Newhaven team have released their latest newsletter. Visit edinburgh.gov.uk/tramstonewhaven for updates directly from them.

Construction work shuts down
Construction on Edinburgh’s Trams to Newhaven project is on hold to protect the safety of workers and residents during the current Coronavirus outbreak.

The project will follow guidance from the Scottish Government as to when works can recommence.

The existing traffic management on Constitution Street, Lindsay Road and Ocean Drive remains in place.

The construction sites are inspected daily to ensure they are safe and secure and emergency services have access to all sites at all times in the event they require it.

Work on the project which can be done remotely is continuing,

The contact centre remains operational for any queries.

Please refer to the project website for updated FAQs.

Bus Diversions

Please check the Lothian Buses website or Transport for Edinburgh App for details of bus services.

Scottish Government and City of Edinburgh Council Advice

This week, the City of Edinburgh Council highlighted some tips and guidance on well-being during COVID-19.

Please follow the guidelines that the Scottish Government have issued which you can read here and be safe.

Please find below some further links from the City of Edinburgh Council’s website that you may find useful.

Our latest guidance for businesses
Childcare arrangements for key workers
Homelessness services
Parks and Greenspaces guidance
Council Tax and Benefits phone services

Community Benefits

Construction works may have been temporarily suspended on the project during COVID-19 but our contractors SFN and MUS have been working behind the scenes by reaching out to communities to offer support and assistance where required.

SFN donated some of the vital items that frontline workers require during these challenging times.
City of Edinburgh Council Housing services was just one of the requests that they responded too as they were experiencing a shortage in disposable gloves. They were more that happy to offer further assistance and supplied them with this much needed resources to ensure that housing repair operatives could continue carrying out essential repairs to tenant’s home throughout the locality.

Bring your Child to Work Day – Home Edition
On Thursday 23rd April 2020 our project team got involved in Bring your Child to Work Day. This is hosted by Developing the Young Workforce, who are responsible for driving the Scottish Government’s Youth Employment Strategy, which helps to better prepare young people for the world of work.

This campaign – #DYWChildtowork Day is all about inspiring and attracting young people in to the industry. We got involved by getting some of our team members children experience a day in the world of construction.

Please follow us @TramstoNewhaven to meet our newest recruits!

Find out more and get support

For further information on the project please visit our website where you can find a range of FAQs. Alternatively, you can contact us via email or by telephone on 0131 322 1122. We’re available from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.

Webinar on Reallocating Road Space for Walking and Cycling During Covid-19

(copied from an email from the Improvement Service)

Planning for Place programme have asked us to make you aware of an upcoming webinar on Reallocating Road Space for Walking and Cycling During Covid-19. Facilitated by Irene Beautyman, Place Lead at the Improvement Service, the webinar will be of particular value to council officers, elected members, community groups and all interested in pursuing the role of place as an enabler of healthier lives.

The online event is open to all those with an interest in facilitating active travel during the Covid-19 lockdown and in enabling safer conditions for walking and cycling.

Here is the link to sign up to the webinar: https://www.improvementservice.org.uk/events/reallocating-road-space-for-walking-and-cycling-during-covid-19

Edinburgh Council Planning Service Update: 24 April 2020

Following on from this information about the SG’s planning guidance on pre-applications, Edinburgh Council’s planning department has emailed community councils about how it is changing services in response to coronavirus.

Dear Community Councillors

We are writing to make you aware of a recent change to our service.

We are adapting our service so that we can support communities and businesses across Edinburgh through this difficult time. Our aim is to boost online public input to planning processes so that we can make and issue decisions which will both help with a swift recovery and a positive future for the city. To do this we have introduced ways for people to stay informed and comment on planning proposals despite the coronavirus lockdown.

We are now:

Starting our publication of applications that we have received since the lockdown commenced in March.
Issuing neighbour notification letters by post, with the planning portal open for comments to be made on applications.

Continue reading →

LCCC March 2020 minutes

Due to the limitations of online meetings, we are only recording those who were present at or sent apologies for such meetings.

This meeting was for members only, so any decision recorded below may not be binding. Similarly, the LCCC April meeting may not have been empowered to approve the minutes below.

Minutes of the ordinary meeting of Leith Central Community Council, held via Zoom on Monday 30 March 2020 at 7:00pm Continue reading →