A leading property developer has brought forward a housing scheme that is set to be a “green technology” leader.
Edinburgh-based Teague Homes ((UK) Limited is bringing forward 96 homes on Salamander Place, phase 6 of the company’s highly-successful Ropeworks scheme, totalling 667 homes.
The company’s Buildings Energy Strategy Is aiming for a net zero carbon development. This results in an aggregate reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of by 42.55 per cent compared to a baseline building under current regulations.
A key priority for the Council is that buildings must reduce their carbon emissions, both through their design and use of low and zero-carbon generating technologies, helping deliver the Council’s target to be net zero carbon by 2030, 15 years ahead of the national Scottish target.
Heating and domestic hot water at the Ropeworks development will be provided by air source heat pumps, where heat is extracted directly from the outside air and transferred to water and air inside the building.
Various renewable technologies will also be integrated into the proposed development’s design. Roof mounted solar panels will generate electricity on site, which can feed the electrical demand of the heat pumps and/or electric charging points.
Battery storage can also be integrated into the system to store any excess power generated to ensure no wastage and maximise system efficiency.
Advanced building design, incorporating state-of-the-art insulation and superior air tightness, will also assist in achieving this target. Material selection a key consideration, with the use of cross laminated timber being a much low impact material with a much lower carbon footprint when compared with steel and concrete construction.
Electric charging points will be available and bike storage requirements have also been increased from previous proposals, adding in electric charging for bikes.
This process will minimise living cost for occupants, while still creating great family homes for the people of Edinburgh.
Daryl Teague from Teague Homes commented: “Through delivering a net zero carbon development using low and zero carbon technologies, this development, if approved, will not only assist in tackling climate change, but also minimise living costs.
“The integration of various renewable technologies into the proposed development’s design will make this development a green technology leader, removing the requirement for fossil fuels and supporting City of Edinburgh Council achieving next zero carbon by 2030.”
A second phase of community engagement on plans to introduce Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) in two areas of Edinburgh begins today.
Between 8 February and 5 March, the city councill sought the views of residents in Corstorphine, Leith and East Craigs on their travel choices and use of their community spaces for movement and relaxation to help us develop proposals for each area in partnership with the local communities themselves. In total we received around 2200 responses across the three communities.
After the first phase of engagement, there was a clear appetite within Leith and Corstorphine to move forward with more detailed dialogue.
For East Craigs the council will be bringing an additional report on plans for the area to the next Transport and Environment Committee in recognition of the majority of respondents reporting, during our initial engagement in February/March, that traffic levels were not significant on most residential streets.
However, some residents did indicate that there are issues with high traffic volumes on selected streets. We’ll therefore propose to have further discussion on targeted traffic reduction with the East Craigs community at a later date, with a view to bringing proposals back to a future meeting of Transport and Environment Committee.
In Leith and Corstorphine the council is now looking for feedback on initial recommendations to create safer, more comfortable environments for walking, cycling and wheeling, as well as for spending time in local streets and outdoor spaces.
These have been informed by the opinions and ideas shared during the first phase of engagement, as well as traffic data which indicates where there are issues around intrusive traffic.
As part of this second phase of engagement they will be holding co-design-type workshops with community representatives so that the design team can closely explore details in greater depth with the community.
Each of the schemes will be refined following the current period of engagement and brought back to Transport and Environment Committee. If approved, they would be then be introduced on a trial basis via an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) towards the end of 2021.
For Corstorphine, two options have been proposed to improve safety on the High Street, as well as various interventions elsewhere in the area to restrict through traffic, particularly around schools.
The Leith Connections project designs consist of two elements – a high-quality segregated cycle route between the Foot of the Walk and Ocean Terminal, which will be introduced on a permanent basis, and an experimental LTN in the area between Salamander Street, Commercial Street, North and Great Junction Street, Duke Street and the roads around Leith Links.
The LTN designs include restrictions to through traffic and ‘parklets’ to encourage more people to walk, cycle and spend time.
Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “Over the last year we’ve seen the impact that lower traffic volumes and space to walk and cycle can have on our environment.
“As we work to make a sustainable recovery from the pandemic, we’re looking at ways of working together with our communities on designs and proposals that would make neighbourhoods more liveable, easier to move around by active travel and welcoming to spend time in.
“Thanks to thousands of comments on the initial engagement about our plans to introduce Low Traffic Neighbourhoods across the city, as well as traffic monitoring both before and after the pandemic to identify intrusive traffic hotspots, we’ve been able to develop a set of proposals for Leith and Corstorphine that really address the issues facing these neighbourhoods, helping to tackle barriers to walking, cycling and wheeling.
“As we now start the next phase of public engagement on these proposals we’ll be continuing to work closely with the communities in a co-design-style approach which involves residents in each key step of the projects’ development.
“In East Craigs, there was a clear view that for most people there weren’t significant traffic problems on most residential streets, although some residents did report too much traffic on certain streets.
“That’s why we’re currently putting the LTN plans on hold in East Craigs. We’d like to come back to discuss ideas on targeted traffic reduction with the community sometime in the future, but for now, we look forward to working with communities in Corstorphine and Leith to take forward designs there.
Transport and Environment Vice Convener Councillor Karen Doran said: “We’ve seen from examples around the world how Low Traffic Neighbourhoods can encourage community interaction and healthy, active travel, and we want to see this happen in Edinburgh.
“Please let us know what you think of the initial plans for Leith and Corstorphine, so we can deliver schemes which work for as many people as possible.”
Key findings from engagement with the public earlier this year include:
Walking was the largest travel mode used by respondents to the survey, with cycling higher than the national average at 9%.
Safety of streets for cycling and safety of streets for walking were the main factors that prevent respondents from making trips by foot or bike within the local area.
51% of respondents think that traffic levels and speeds for children cycling or walking are unsafe or very unsafe.
75% of survey respondents strongly support or support the aim for improving cycling conditions in Leith.
80% of survey respondents strongly support or support the aim for improving walking conditions in Leith.
The most popular local destinations were Ocean Terminal, Leith Walk and Leith Links. Walking was used for the highest proportion of these journeys with between 44-65% of trips and cycling was used on 13-23% of trips.
Speed and volume of traffic on Craigs Road was felt by some in the community to be too high and conditions could be improved for people walking and cycling, however there was also general feedback that most streets in the area were not felt by survey respondents to have high traffic volumes or speeds.
School drop off/pick up times were highlighted as a particular issue on some streets, resulting in higher volumes of traffic and parking.
Alongside this engagement feedback, project teams have collected and assessed traffic data from before and during COVID to help identify streets where intrusive traffic is a problem. This data has generally corresponded closely to the streets that residents have highlighted as having high traffic volumes and speeds.
Traffic operations plans have been developed to help people to plan journeys around their communities by different transport modes. Every residence will remain accessible by motor vehicle.
Engagement on the Leith and Corstorphine proposals will run from TODAY (Friday 4 June) until 4 July, during which time respondents can view and comment on designs. We’ll also be consulting with key stakeholders including community councils, ward councillors, emergency services and mobility and access groups.
The ETRO process for introducing changes, if approved, includes further public consultation on the traffic regulation changes, with the results to be reported back to Transport and Environment Committee in autumn, when a decision would be made about whether to implement the LTNs on a trial basis (for up to 18 months).
ETROs allow us to trial measures, in collaboration with the community and stakeholders, to evaluate their impacts and benefits prior to permanent implementation. During the trial we will be monitoring the impacts of the changes and asking for public feedback.
Measures along the future cycle route from Leith Walk to Ocean Terminal, which will change traffic movement in the area, are proposed to be implemented at the same time as the trial LTN. These relate to a permanent route design and have already been through public engagement.
You’ll be able to find out more and share your views on Leith and Corstorphine proposals from today.
Hearts & Minds charity launched their short film What Do I Need?: Carers Voices online yesterday.
This is the culmination of their PLAY COPE CARE Workshop Project for carers at home, which they developed developed with carers organisations across Scotland, and with funding from BUPA UK Foundation.
Speakers at the event were Kaye Ramage, Glasgow East End Community Carers, Claire Baker-Mosley, Head ofCommunity at BUPA UK Foundation and Rachel Colles, Project Lead for Hearts & Minds.
Hearts & Minds shared their new short film created with carers from Glasgow East End Community Carers who talked about their own personal experiences and thoughts of being a carer at home for a person living with dementia or chronic illness.
Hearts & Minds also shared the outcomes from the Play Cope Care project and discussed their programmes for people living with dementia and their carers.
Carers have had to face unimaginable adversity over the last year. Isolation, loneliness, lack of support and vital services as well as feelings of feeling forgotten by society have been acute during the pandemic.
Through conversations with carers groups, Hearts & Minds realised that they wanted to make something to make carers feel seen and heard, for their feelings to be validated, for their resilience and playfulness in the face of extreme adversity to be celebrated, and for their huge contribution to society to be recognised.
The film is based on Hearts & Minds Play Cope Care workshops for unpaid carers and features the voices of the carers.
The film is available to carers organisations to share and provide 6 minutes of respite to carers who might be feeling alone, at a loss or invisible and act as a reminder they are connected to a huge network of remarkable people who know exactly what they are going through.
The launch of this film is timely as we approach Carers Week 2021, 7 – 13 June.
Road policing officers are appealing for information following a road traffic incident in Edinburgh yesterday (Thursday, 3 June 2021).
Around 5.25pm, police received a report a man had been struck by a car on Queensferry Road, Edinburgh near its junction with Parkgrove Road. Emergency services attended and the 33-year-old man was taken, by ambulance, to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for assessment. Medical staff describe his condition as stable.
The female driver of the car was uninjured.
The road was closed for several hours to allow for collision investigators to carry out enquiries.
Sergeant Jennifer Forbes said: “This was a busy time of evening with lots of people and several motorists in the area. I would appeal to them to contact us with any information they may have as it could assist our enquiries in establishing what has happened. In particular, anyone with a dash cam is asked to check it as it may have captured images which could aid our investigation.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 2696 of 3 June, 2021.
With just three weeks to go until the much-anticipated St James Quarter phase one opening, the new fashion district celebrates launching its official social channels – by framing the perfect selfie spots to capture the city’s brand-new skyline!
Four giant picture frames can be found at some of Edinburgh’s most Instagrammable locations including Calton Hill, St Andrews Square, The Mound and Neighbourgood Market in Stockbridge, for followers to capture their own selfies and win £150 vouchers, #nofilter needed.
To enter, step into the frame, share your pic and tag and follow St JamesQuarter on Instagram and Facebook. The competition will run until Sunday 6th of June, with entries officially closing on Monday the 7th of June at 9pm.
Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton has lodged a parliamentary motion calling for the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation to accelerate the process by which it will come to a view on whether the Covid 19 vaccine rollout can be extended to children.
Mr Cole-Hamilton, lodged the motion after it was revealed that the number of Scottish children aged 0-9, hospitalised with Covid-19 has risen to 10. He is keen for the JCVI to come to a view as to whether or not it is safe to offer vaccines to young people given that it is already being rolled out to children as young as 12 in countries like Canada. This follows widespread reports various reports that the Delta strain of the virus could be more harmful to young people than previous variants.
Commenting, Mr Cole-Hamilton said:“I am in no way trying to influence the decision of the JCVI, nor am I asking them to cut corners, but I am concerned about the threat that the new Delta variant could pose to children.
“There is international data to support the benefits of some vaccines in children. If it’s is possible to safely vaccinate our children and young people I would like to see that done as quickly as possible.
“Canada is one of the first countries in the world to start vaccinating children, and they are confident enough to do so based on the existing data and the view of their own regulators. I’m not for a minute suggest that we follow their lead for the sake of it, but we do need to treat the potential threat of the Delta variant on young people for what it is- a matter of urgency.”
“The sooner we have a decision from the JCVI on use of the Covid-19 for children, the sooner we can put a plan in place for how best to protect them.”
The City of Edinburgh Council has set out its improved process to deal with issues some tenants face due to excessive dampness, mould and condensation.
The enhanced processes, that puts our tenants health and wellbeing at the forefront, are being rolled out now (from June 2021) to deliver a robust, streamlined, start-to-finish approach that will quickly address immediate moisture-related issues within Council homes, while also looking at the conditions and internal fabric to prevent problems arising in the longer term.
The report makes clear that the first step will be to remove and reinstate any walls or surfaces affected, alongside work to identify the causes and address them. It’s been designed to ensure that tenants are kept up to date through more frequent updates from locality officers and ongoing liaison so they know what to expect at every step of the process.
Significant capital investment will be at the heart of the programme to remedy the root causes of these issues. Work is already under way to proactively engage with our tenants to ensure that any homes affected are identified and appropriate remedial action taken.
In the short term, following the successful pilot dehumidifier programme, devices will now be made available as standard, with help to fund the running costs for the duration they are required. In conjunction, other immediate action will be taken to investigate if there are any underlying issues such as poor external fabric, poorly performing heating systems, issues with windows or doors, or ineffective extractor fans.
This will be complemented by the ongoing support of the Council’s dedicated Energy Advice Service, set up in 2018. It provides advice and support for tenants on energy efficiency and heating their homes and has supported nearly 3,000 households, with financial savings for tenants totalling over £590,000 and carbon savings of 1,485 tonnes.
The Convener and Vice Convener of the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work committee, Councillor Kate Campbell and Councillor Mandy Watt, have looked to tackle this challenge for the Council repairs service head on, listening to tenants’ concerns and taking more responsibility to make sure Council tenants live in homes that are clean, safe and warm.
Convener, Councillor Kate Campbell, said:“I’ve heard the concerns raised by our tenants and recognise that there were issues with the process. Previously if damp wasn’t identified, but there was mould and condensation, tenants were often given a referral to the energy advice service, but too often work wasn’t undertaken to identify any underlying issues which could be causing mould, and mould was not removed as the first step. This report sets out how that process will change.
“The first step will be to remove any mould or damaged surfaces and reinstate them. We’ll then take a robust look at what the cause could be, whether that’s leaks, issues with doors or windows, insulation, heating systems or extractor fans not working. After we’ve carried out these steps, we’ll bring in energy advice to make sure tenants are heating their homes in a way that works for them and is as energy efficient as possible.
“The new process will be more transparent from start to finish and it will be made clear at the beginning what tenants can expect. The process is designed to make sure we are dealing with these issues in the short, medium and long term, and there are checks along the way as well as six weeks after the work is completed.
“Through this new plan and revised processes we’re taking more ownership, more responsibility and giving more support to our Council tenants to make sure they are living in homes that are safe, clean and warm and ones that they are proud to live in. The health and wellbeing of all Council tenants is paramount which is why we asked for this report. We need to be confident that we are getting it right for all tenants who are experiencing these types of issues with their homes.
“This will be complemented by the current capital investment programme and the work we’re starting to retrofit existing homes to high energy efficient standards. This demonstrates our intention to improve the quality of all of our Council homes and bring them up to modern standard of energy efficiency which in turn will help to keep homes better ventilated, warmer and cheaper to heat.
“Fuel poverty is a critical factor and this report outlines the measures in place to address this worrying situation for families.”
Vice Convener, Councillor Mandy Watt, said:“I’m really pleased to see that we’ll be taking greater responsibility for fixing the problems of condensation, damp and mould that afflict some of the housing we own.
“By authorising our repairs team to tackle these issues head on, we’ve taken huge steps in the right direction. We’ll also be looking to invest in any structural improvements that are needed.
“As things progress, we’ll check with our tenants that what we’re doing works; and we’ll listen to their suggestions about any further measures we could take. The Covid-19 pandemic has created challenges for our repairs service team but we are all committed to getting this right for our tenants.”
Council tenants have suffered from living in damp housing in Edinburgh since long before coronavirus was ever an issue, of course – Ed.:
The Council says it is investing significantly in homes to make them easier and cheaper to heat.
In the last six years, over half of Council homes have benefited from energy efficiency measures including new heating systems, insulation and new windows and front doors.
A Whole House Retrofit (WHR) programme is currently in development and will inform the long-term investment approach for existing homes from 2023 onwards. The WHR approach will prioritise advanced whole house retrofit measures, which will help to design out poor performance and future maintenance risks. Once completed, homes will be better insulated, ventilated and affordable to heat.
The process for dampness, mould and condensation will be continually monitored to pick up any emerging issues, and a detailed review will be undertaken after a three-month period, to allow time for the process to be embedded and an assessment of its effectiveness can then be made.
This will include a review of tenant satisfaction and constructive feedback received, together with further tenant engagement. This will complement an existing in-depth review of a sample of escalated complaints, which includes cases where dampness, mould and condensation issues have been present.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has met with the First Ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland to discuss the United Kingdom’s Covid recovery.
They were joined at yesterday’s meeting by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (CDL). The Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland joined virtually, along with other ministers and officials from the devolved administrations.
Ministers agreed that the meeting provided an important opportunity for dialogue between the UK Government and devolved administrations.
The Prime Minister reflected that, while there are divergent views on the question of the United Kingdom’s constitutional future and the UK Government and devolved administrations will not always agree, these differences should not prevent us from working together to ensure a strong recovery for all parts of the country.
The Chancellor set out the direct UK-wide support provided by HM Treasury in response to COVID-19, which was worth around £352 billion across 2020-21 and 2021-22, and how the sacrifices of the British people coupled with our comprehensive support package and on-going vaccine rollout have laid the foundations for recovery.
Looking forward, he said as we gradually lift restrictions to ensure we maintain control of the virus, there are reasons for cautious optimism with data showing our Plan for Jobs is working.
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said that collaboration between the UK Government and devolved administrations on Covid recovery would allow us to emerge from the pandemic stronger. Ministers acknowledged the benefits of mutual aid and burden sharing on healthcare and agreed that there was a clear value in sharing data and best practice.
Summing up, the PM emphasised the importance of establishing a structured and regular forum for ongoing engagement between the UK Government and the devolved administrations to deliver tangible outcomes in the interests of people throughout the UK and of completing the Intergovernmental Relations Review.
Following yesterday’s four-nations summit on Covid recovery First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the meeting must prove to have been more than just a talking shop.
The First Minister said: “We are of course willing to work together on recovery from the pandemic, but the UK Government needs to listen and act on key Scottish Government concerns.
“Because of the powers that rest in Westminster the decisions the UK Government takes have a major impact on the kind of fair recovery we are trying to build in Scotland.
“I sought assurances that there would be no return to the cruel and damaging austerity of the past and that furlough and the £20 uplift in Universal Credit will be extended. The proof of the worth of this meeting depends on whether the UK Government takes these issues seriously and responds accordingly.
“This meeting also took place at a time when the UK Government is undermining devolution through the Internal Market Act and diverting funding away from the Scottish Parliament. This has to stop and instead the UK Government needs to start treating the Scottish Government and other devolved governments as equal partners.”
Attendees:
UK Government
Prime Minister (Chair) – Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster – Rt Hon Michael Gove MP
Chancellor of the Exchequer – Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland – Rt Hon Brandon Lewis CBE MP
Secretary of State for Scotland – Rt Hon Alister Jack MP
Secretary of State for Wales – Rt Hon Simon Hart MP
Scottish Government
First Minister of Scotland – Rt Hon Nicola Sturgeon MSP
Deputy First Minister – John Swinney MSP
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy – Kate Forbes MSP
Welsh Government
First Minister of Wales – Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS
Minister for the Economy, Vaughan Gething MS
Northern Ireland Executive
First Minister of Northern Ireland – Rt Hon Arlene Foster MLA
Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland – Michelle O’Neill MLA
