06/12/2012 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Work starts on Great Junction Street homes

Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) in conjunction with its subsidiary company, Persevere Developments Limited, has started work on its Great Junction Street development. The 32 affordable homes, made up of nine one-bedroom and 23 two-bedroom properties, are being built for social and mid-market rent and are due to be completed in autumn next year.

Twenty of the flats will be available for social rent, priced at £330 for a one bedroom flat and £375 a month for a two bedroom flat. The remaining 12 homes, available for mid-market rent, will be priced at £450 a month for a one bedroom and £550 for a two bedroom property.

The ground floor has been designed as a large retail unit that can be split into three separate units. The current plan is to lease the whole unit to a local community group called The Junction.

Keith Anderson, Chief Executive of PoLHA, said: “High rents in the open market and tough mortgage criteria to buy a house make it increasingly difficult for people to access and live in good quality homes. We recognise the variety of housing requirements for people in Edinburgh which is why the Great Junction Street development will help meet a wider range of needs. PoLHA is committed to providing much-needed, high-quality, affordable housing for local people and this development will complement our existing affordable housing throughout Leith and North Edinburgh.”

In keeping with the surrounding buildings, the exterior will be stone and the properties will feature Solar Thermal Heating provided by panels located on the roof.

The main contractor is CCG Limited and the architect is EMA. It is being funded by a combination of private finance raised by PoLHA and Government grant allocated by the City of Edinburgh Council.

PoLHA is building the mid- rent homes on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiary company Persevere Developments Ltd (PDL) which was set up in 2011 to allow the Association to be more innovative in terms of funding and development of this kind.

PoLHA owns around 2400 properties throughout the North Edinburgh area and hopes to deliver up to 500 additional new homes by 2015 through the Association and PDL.

Local MP calls for immediate investment in Port of Leith

Edinburgh North and Leith MP Mark Lazarowicz has called for immediate government investment in the Port of Leith. Participating in yesterday’s Westminster debate on unemployment in Scotland, he called for new investment in infrastructure by Government both north and south of the border to create new jobs, pointing to plans to develop the Port of Leith as a potential focus for Government-backed investment.

The North and Leith MP said: “Youth unemployment has risen sharply locally and there is also a problem of underemployment – people aren’t able to get as much work as they would like, whether with their employer or where they are self-employed.

“House building is always a sign of activity in the economy as a whole and there have been only 8 new homes built in Edinburgh North and Leith in the last quarter. Yet once again in his autumn statement the Chancellor failed to provide funding for new affordable housing.

“There were no plans either for High Speed 2 to extend to Scotland. In other sectors where the Government has announced investment – often more than once – little has happened on the ground. The Chancellor heralded new capital investment again today, but it needs to happen now not in some dim and distant future.

“A £119 million development of the Port of Leith is on a list of shovel ready projects here in Scotland. Both the UK and Scottish Governments need to get on with projects like this to create jobs so that young people desperately seeking work are not left disillusioned.”

Choirs to sing out at Sainsbury’s!

Fancy some seasonal sounds while you do your Christmas shopping? Sainsbury’s Blackhall will ring out with all your festive favourites with visits planned by three different choirs in the run-up to Christmas!

A spokesperson said: “We are delighted to welcome some members of the congregation of our local Church, Blackhall St Columba’s, to our store on Sunday (9 December) at 2pm to sing carols for our customers and colleagues. We are also looking forward to a visit from Stockbridge Primary School choir, who will be singing for us on Wednesday 12 December at 4pm, and the Edinburgh Jubilio Choir on Tuesday 18 December at 6pm.”

Yummy Food group hungry for international success!

Hello!

Last year a group of local women started the first Food Festival in North Edinburgh called the Yummy Food Festival celebrating healthy eating in Muirhouse. Even although it rained, it was an amazing day – full of food storytelling , food demonstrations, giveaways, cooking demonstrations, theatre, information stalls and face painting! Over 500 people come to North Edinburgh Arts to celebrate the talented cooks and chefs within the North Edinburgh Community.

On Friday 15 March 2013 the festival will be happening again! Next year’s food festival will continue with the theme of cooking on a budget £5 for a family of five, but this year’s festival aims have a very international feel and celebrate the culinary talents that are in our community.

Would you like to get involved … YES! we hear you cry!!There are many ways you can get involved:

· Can you volunteer on the day? Can you be a steward?
· Can you give a cooking demonstration with an international feel?
· Are you a gardener and can show people how to plant seed?
· Are you an organisation with food, health related information you would like to share in a fun way
· Can you face paint?
· Are you a good story-teller?
· Do you want to share information about health, cooking books, budgets, food, money, diet, being economical and other food related issues and share it with people in a fun way?
Can you help with the washing up?
· Can you help make foodie decorations or signage?
· Are you a group who bake or make and would like to sell them at the festival for your group or charity?

Last year’s event was amazing and we are busy planning next year’s Festival. To make it a real celebration of our community do lets us know if you want to get involved.

Thanks for your support!

The Yummy Food Festival 2013 group

If you’d like to be involved or require further info contact Lisa Arnott at Pilton Community Health Project on 551 1671, email lisaarnott@pchp.org.uk

Link sausage, anyone?

Pennywell Pork Butchers is reopening next week, but there won’t be any meats, pies or sausages for sale. The shop, which closed in November last year, is being pressed into service as an office/exhibition space for the local Link Up project!

Link Up Muirhouse worker Julie Crawford (pictured below) said: “We’re only open for one week, but we’re hoping to fill the whole week with a lot of things – you can find out about the Link Up project, talk to members of Tenants and Residents In Muirhouse (TRIM), hear the local Time Bank Choir , have a look at our photographs of Muirhouse and add some more of your own to our digital archive and there will be lots of seasonal arts activities too. Why not pop in for a cuppa and a chat about what’s happening in Muirhouse and how you can get involved in your community?”

The shop opens next Monday and will open:

Monday 11am – 3pm

Tuesday 9am – 2pm

Wednesday 12 – 6pm

Thursday 4 – 9pm

Friday 10am – 3pm

Saturday 10am – 4pm

Thanks to Total Craigroyston for passing on this info!