Month: January 2020

Tackling the Seafield Stench

Major Investment at Seafield Waste Water Treatment Works

Major investment is planned for the country’s biggest waste water treatment works so it can serve the growing needs of Scotland’s capital city. The news has been welcomed by local MSP Ben Macpherson.
Scottish Water will carry out improvements to the Seafield Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW) in Edinburgh, which processes 300 million litres of waste water every day, to help improve operational resilience and mitigate potential odours at the facility and support the city’s growing population.

Following an independent review, a number of recommendations were made for the site and these improvements have been delivered.

In addition to measures already taken, Scottish Water’s further investment of about £10 million in improved sludge storage will be delivered during a new investment programme, which starts in 2021.

This follows a review of treatment capacity in the region which has established that Seafield and Newbridge WWTWs can accommodate forecast growth in the region until at least 2029, after which there will need to be a review of further required investment at that time.

Scottish Water will work with its partners in the Edinburgh and Lothians Drainage Partnership (ELDP) to reduce the amount of surface water entering our sewers and volumes arriving at Seafield WWTW, and to mitigate climate change risks.

Scottish Water is committed to minimising odour issues in the area of the Seafield WWTW and is working closely with its operating partners, Veolia, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Edinburgh City Council.

Douglas Millican, Scottish Water’s Chief Executive, said: “Scottish Water has already completed a lot of the work that was recommended in the independent review and we are committed to working with the community going forward to ensure that the planned investment and future investment is done in partnership.

“We are bringing forward this investment in extra sludge storage to help with odour risk management and we are confident that, as strategically important sites, Seafield WWTW and Newbridge WWTW can accommodate additional waste water to meet the needs of a growing region.”

He added: “Scottish Water is committed to working with stakeholders on our short-term investment and in developing options for Seafield WWTW in the long-term.”

Ben Macpherson, constituency MSP and Chair of the Seafield Stakeholder Group welcomed the planned Scottish Water investment at Seafield WWTW.

He said: “I very much welcome this £10 million of major investment by Scottish Water to upgrade the Seafield Waste Water Treatment Works and minimise odour issues in the area.

“I pay tribute to all of the Stakeholder Group for helping to secure this investment, and particularly the local Community Council and Residents’ Association who, along with others including myself, have campaigned for improvements over several years.

“Following the recent independent review of the site and surrounding networks, I’m pleased that Scottish Water is implementing the recommendations and that our Stakeholder Group has made a positive impact.

“This investment should make a meaningful difference towards addressing the odour issues that occur in Leith, and improve the performance of the Seafield Waste Water Treatment Works for the benefit of Edinburgh as a whole.”

Roseanna Cunningham, Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, said: “This latest investment from Scottish Water into our biggest waste water treatment works, is an important step in improving operational resilience and ensuring the site continues to serve the growing needs of our capital city.”

Edinburgh College students wow judges during design challenge

A group of Edinburgh College students recently wowed judges at the end of a week-long design challenge, tasking them to work alongside an Edinburgh-based design agency on a live brief for a real client.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) tasked students with creating a campaign to promote their new National Progression Award (NPA) in Creative Thinking to teachers and the parents and carers of pupils in Scottish secondary schools.

The students were split into seven different teams and paired with one of the design agencies involved in the project: Neish Design, Emperor, Amaze Realize, Whitespace, Union Direct, Campfire and Lewis. Each team spent a week coming up with a campaign that would best answer the project brief, before pitching their ideas to a panel of judges from the SQA.

Team Union Direct, made up of HND Graphic Design students Rachel Platts Smith, Gonzalo Cervilla, Balazs Hirth, Zoe Willis, Valentina Torella, and Ross McGrail were announced as the winners of this year’s competition for their ‘Creativity is possibility’ campaign that featured a number of promotional activities including a ‘box of possibilities’ that could be sent to secondary schools across the country.

The winning team has been invited to a meeting with representatives from the SQA, where they will discuss in more detail how their ideas will be used to take the promotional campaign forward.

Team Union Direct spokesperson and Edinburgh College student Rachel Platts Smith said: “We are very proud to be named the winners of this year’s competition.

“The key to our success was definitely teamwork – we all worked together right from the very start and knew how we wanted our concept to look and were all driven to make that idea work.

“We would like to thank our mentors at Union Direct who were there every step of the way and made this experience all the more enjoyable – we couldn’t have done it without them.”

Graphic Design lecturer Helena Good said: “The competition this year was outstanding, each and every one of our students should be very proud of their achievements. It’s so pleasing to see the excellent standard of work produced by our students – they are a credit to the College.

“The one-week design project gives students the opportunity to work on a live brief alongside an Edinburgh-based design agency, before presenting to a real client – providing them with an insight into what it’s like to work in this industry in the real world.”

Fiona Robertson, SQA Chief Executive said: “Creativity is a hugely important skill and that’s why the NPA in Creative Thinking is such an exciting development. I am thankful to all the students from Edinburgh College who provided an incredible range of ideas for promoting the qualification.”

Martin Boyle, Head of creative, Hospitality, and Sport at SQA, added: “It was a joy to ‘be the client’ for the HND Visual Communication students’ project. It was thrilling to see the students tackle the brief with such commitment, and creativity.

“The whole project has been a fantastic example of engaging creative education in practice, bringing together the college, students and industry to create something special.

“Of course, this isn’t just a theoretical exercise. We hope to be in a position to be able offer our NPA in Creative Thinking to schools and colleges across the country, and utilise the work of team Union Direct in our activities.

“The standard of work the students presented was genuinely exceptional. I look forward to hearing more about their progress, and I’m confident that there are some real stars in the making on the course.”

Choices for a future generation: building a more sustainable Edinburgh

By 2030, Scotland’s Capital will be a sustainable city which supports everyone’s wellbeing. Its residents will live in homes they can afford and won’t necessarily need to own a car to move around, while having every opportunity to share in their city’s success … (AYE, RIGHT! say Edinburgh residents!)

But this is how Edinburgh could be in a decade’s time, if it responds fully to the twin challenges of a rising population and the climate emergency and in the manner set out in a radical plan for future growth.

‘Choices for City Plan 2030’, published earlier this week, will be discussed by the Council’s Planning Committee on 22 January. It sets out bold options for the public to consider and comment on about how we manage future development so Edinburgh can adapt and flourish during a time of major change.

The wide-ranging document sets out options for how to the make best use of land for future development. It also addresses how the Council could tackle short term lets through new planning policies, in addition to the new regulatory powers announced last week by the Scottish Government following Edinburgh’s campaign to seek national legislation.

Views will also be sought on planning for and building more affordable housing, managing the growth of student housing, and whether all new buildings and conversions should meet the highest zero carbon standards to help Edinburgh meet its ambitious target of becoming a carbon neutral city by 2030.

In each section, the Council gives its preferred option for development as well as other alternatives.

If the ‘Choices’ document is agreed by committee, an eight-week public consultation will begin on 31 January.

Residents and other interested groups will have every opportunity to have their say with 17 public sessions and six themed events for stakeholders planned. Copies of the document will be available in libraries and online, where feedback can be left via the Council’s consultation hub.

‘Choices for City Plan 2030’ links closing with the Council’s ambitious draft City Mobility Plan, designed to improve sustainable transport over the next decade.

Cllr Neil Gardiner, Convener of the Planning Committee, said: “Edinburgh is a vibrant city, with a great quality of life. We have a beautiful green and historic environment, a thriving economy and numerous cultural attractions to be enjoyed.
“But, like many cities, we have increasing levels of poverty and health inequalities in our communities, rising housing costs and in some areas, traffic congestion and poor air quality.
“We also need to adapt our city to meet the needs of an aging population, address the increasing impact of climate change and ensure growth is sustainable.
“We need to have an open conversation with our residents, businesses and other stakeholders about how our city grows and changes to meet future needs where this growth takes place. City Plan 2030 is about us making the right choices now so that our residents can make reasonable and informed choices about how and where they live and how they get around in the future.
“We’re embarking on one of the most significant periods of transformation in a generation and we need to rethink the way we expand to accommodate our growing population. We’re already committed to building 20,000 affordable and low-cost homes by 2027 but the city needs more housing, with particular emphasis on affordable homes.
“The plan we finally publish will affect us all to some degree and it’s important that we hear from residents on this journey to accommodate future needs. The history of Edinburgh is about successfully adapting and evolving – now it’s our turn to come together to think about how we can plan most effectively for the future.”
Vice Convener, Cllr Maureen Child, added: “To meet our ambitious climate change targets, we must develop differently in the future and all houses and other buildings will need be much more energy efficient.
“We will work with our partners in the industry to ensure we make the best use of the limited space we have and, going forward, we’ll be asking developers to think more carefully about location, density and design. Where historically you may have built a supermarket on a brownfield site, we need to think of a mix of opportunities and uses for the site, including housing.
“Of course, connectivity is central to this and our Transport and Environment Committee today agreed an ambitious new draft City Mobility Plan, designed to improve sustainable transport over the next decade, while enabling the type of growth we’re aiming for in City Plan 2030.”
The proposed City Plan 2030 will be published by the Council for representation before being formally examined by the Scottish Government before the Council can consider adopting it.

CCTV appeal following Easter Road fire raising

Police have released CCTV images as part of ongoing inquiries into a wilful fire raising in the Leith area. 

The incident happened between approximately 2am and 2.30am on Wednesday, 4 December 2019, at Easter Road. The fire was quickly extinguished by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and nobody was injured as a result.

Officers are looking to speak to the man shown in the images as they believe that he may have some information to assist their investigation.

He is described as a white, aged in his teens to mid-20s and with a slight build. He is shown in the images wearing a dark-coloured hooded rain jacket, tight grey-coloured jeans and dark coloured NIKE trainers.

Constable Fergus Kelly, from Leith Police Station, said: “The fire was set close to houses and cars in residential areas and it is fortunate that it was quickly put out and that no one was injured.

“As part of our inquiries we are eager to speak to the man pictured and would ask anyone who can help us identify and trace him to get in touch with officers as soon as possible.

“Equally anyone with any other information that can help our investigation should come forward.”

Those with information should contact Police Scotland via 101 and quote incident number 0240 of 4 December 2019. Alternatively a report can be given to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

British Airways emitting more CO2 emissions per passenger than rival airlines

Flying with British Airways can increase CO2 emissions by up to 45 per cent per passenger when compared to rival airlines on the same UK routes, according to a new Which? Travel investigation. Continue reading British Airways emitting more CO2 emissions per passenger than rival airlines