Gas network company SGN is investing £120,000 to upgrade the gas network in the Gorgie Road area of Edinburgh. The critical work will begin on Monday 2 June and last for approximately 10 weeks.
The project involves upgrading the old, metal gas pipes in the area to new, plastic pipes which will ensure safe and reliable gas supplies to homes and businesses for many years to come.
SGN Project Manager Matt Ferguson said: “We’ve worked closely with the local authorities in planning this work and we will be doing everything we can to limit disruption during our essential project.
“We know this is a very busy route and would advise motorists to allow more time for their journeys, and plan ahead particularly during peak travel times.
“This particular location has experienced multiple gas leaks in recent years and by upgrading our pipes now, we can prevent future emergency work and disruption.
“We appreciate that roadworks can be frustrating and would like to thank everyone affected for your patience, understanding and support as we work to improve Edinburgh’s energy infrastructure.”
Due to the location of the gas pipe in the middle of the road, three-way temporary traffic lights are required to ensure everyone’s safety whilst the work is carried out. The temporary lights will be in place in Gorgie Road near to its junction with Stenhouse Drive from Monday 9 June for approximately eight weeks.
For the duration of the project, Stenhouse Drive will be closed at its junction with Gorgie Road, and local diversion routes will be in place for motorists.
There will also be no left-hand turn onto Gorgie Road from Els House.
The parade begins May 17th at 10:30am at North Edinburgh Childcare Centre (address on the flyer!) We want to see you all there, dress up, have fun! It’s time to party!!
Remember one of our themes this year is RAINBOWS so get out your most colourful attire! We can’t wait to see you there
A national action plan must be developed to tackle the housing emergency to avoid the risk the crisis “drifts on indefinitely”, according to a new report published by a Scottish Parliament Committee.
A year on from the official declaration of the national housing emergency by the Scottish Parliament, the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee say a Housing Emergency Action Plan with clear milestones and outcomes would ensure progress towards ending the crisis can be properly assessed.
It is one of ten recommendations for the Scottish Government made in the Committee’s Housing Inquiry Report.
Other recommendations include, that the Scottish Government should:
As a matter of urgency, complete and implement its review of the affordable housing target (due summer 2024), provide an update on what progress has been made, and what the revised timescales are for completion
Provide clarity on whether its additional funding for the Affordable Housing Supply Programme budget will ensure that it meets its target of providing 110,000 affordable homes by 2030
Explore further the opportunities presented by increasing social investment in housing and in developing the capacity of the non-profit sector to obtain private finance
The Committee launched its inquiry last year, hearing from professionals working in the housing industry, local authorities, academics, homeless charities, tenants and landlords.
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee Convener, Ariane Burgess MSP, said:“It’s now a year since the Scottish Parliament officially declared a national housing emergency and homelessness remains dangerously high in some areas where there is now a systemic failure in the ability of local authorities to meet their statutory duties.
“During this Inquiry, we heard that the housing emergency was years, even decades, in the making and was therefore both predictable and preventable.
“We can’t afford to be complacent. The Scottish Government must work with the wider housing sector to take urgent collective action to address the emergency and ensure all its departments and policies are having a measurable, clear and positive impact.”
The Committee also took evidence from the Minister for Housing, Paul McLennan, including on the Scottish Government’s Housing 2040 strategy – and is calling for an implementation plan of that policy to be developed as a matter of urgency.
It also made a further recommendation that housing providers are given urgent clarity on the intended legal requirements for homes to meet net zero standards.
The Scottish Government is expected to respond to the report within two months.
Scotland’s housing emergency now impacting 2.3 million adults, Shelter Scotland warns
Over four in 10 adults in Scotland are now impacted by the housing emergency (42%), an increase of 800,000 in just four years (up six percentage points from 36% in 2021), our new research has revealed.
Marking one year since the Scottish Parliament officially declared a housing emergency, a new poll conducted by YouGov exposes the deepening scale of the emergency. It found that 2.3 million adults in Scotland (42 per cent) are struggling with the condition, security, suitability or affordability of their home, or have faced discrimination while trying to find one. *
This comes less than a year before the next Scottish Parliamentary election. Shelter Scotland warns that political leaders have so far failed to deliver meaningful solutions to address the worsening housing emergency.
As it launches its new strategy, Shelter Scotland is setting the goal of making next year’s Scottish election an election to end the housing emergency. The charity is calling on every voter in Scotland to join the fight for home and demand that politicians of all parties focus on building enough homes.
Shelter Scotland Director Alison Watson said:“It’s been a year since the Scottish Parliament declared a housing emergency. Since then, homelessness has gone up and social housebuilding has gone down.
“Last week the Scottish Government announced a Programme for Government with no plan to end the housing emergency. Instead, we had a Programme for Homelessness which says nothing about the 10,360 children are trapped in temporary accommodation which experts say exposes them to violence, vermin and isolation. This simply cannot continue into the next government.
“Everyone deserves a safe, secure home. But too many people in Scotland still live in fear — battling unaffordable rents, unsuitable housing, or outright discrimination.
“Today’s research reveals the harsh toll Scotland’s housing emergency has taken over the last four years – and it’s only getting worse.”
She added: “We want people to arm themselves with the knowledge of their housing rights. Scotland has some of the strongest housing legislation, but local authorities and the government need to comply to the law.
“This continued harm cannot be the norm. It’s time to say: enough is enough. The Scottish Government must urgently publish an updated housing emergency action plan. We need more social homes so the hundreds of thousands of people in Scotland no longer have to compromise their health, safety and education.”
Chelsea’s Story
Chelsea [33] has been in the homeless system since the start of 2023. After being placed in mould ridden temporary accommodation with her three children aged seven months, two, and eight years old, she had no choice but to leave it, fearing it was harming her children’s health.
She was placed in a hotel in the centre of Glasgow for a month where they had no cooking facilities and were cramped in one room.
Chelsea said:“It is a worry when I think about getting a forever home for my children. Whenever I speak to the housing officers, they keep telling me we’re in a housing emergency. People can’t carry on like this. Something has to give.”
Chelsea explained how her children were complaining of headaches and getting nose bleeds, which she worries was from the mould and damp conditions from the temporary accommodation.
“Me and my three children were placed into a hotel room in Glasgow’s city centre. It was horrendous! Three of us were living in just one room with no facilities.
“I had to wash baby bottles in the sink. There was nowhere to cook, no plates to eat food from, so every day we had to eat out. It is financially unstable. The council took our clothes to the laundrette but returned them still wet.
“The bed sheets were stained with blood. It was disgusting. We were in the middle of Glasgow and really felt unsafe.
“It’s had a horrific impact on my children, and I worry about the future impact on them. My son has significant neurodevelopmental issues; he has additional needs and he’s been out of school for three months. His school wouldn’t pay for a taxi from Glasgow city centre to his school. They wouldn’t facilitate him.
“The Government needs to do something. Something has to give. People are trapped and disabled children and women are suffering.”
Most of mainland Scotland’s east coast has now moved to Moderate Scarcity, according to the latest Water Situation Report from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
River catchments across the Deveron, Ythan, Don (Aberdeenshire), Dee (Aberdeen), Esk, Firth of Tay, Firth of Forth, Almond, Tyne (Lothian), Tweed and Esk (Dumfriesshire) are now at Moderate.
There has been no recovery elsewhere and most of the rest of Scotland is now at Alert, with only the Inner and Outer Hebrides remaining at Early Warning.
This follows on from a drier than normal autumn and winter with some areas of the east now having 11 months of below average rainfall. With no significant rainfall currently forecast, it is likely that river and ground conditions will remain very dry over the next week.
All businesses with licences to take water from the environment have a responsibility to use water economically.
Record-breaking dryness
Groundwater levels in Fife and Angus were at their lowest April averages on record, with Newton of Falkland recording the lowest level for April in 28 years. Soil moisture deficits are continuing to increase, and soils are becoming drier than would be expected for the time of year.
In the River Dee in Aberdeenshire records going back 97 years show flows are at their second lowest this early in the year, only 1938 was drier. Typically, the lowest river flows in the Dee occur in July, August or September.
Some parts of Fife have now gone nearly four weeks without measurable rainfall. Across the east river flows are well below normal for this time of year and without significant rain conditions are unlikely to recover soon.
Water scarcity levels
Early Warning: Conditions are drying. No action required, but abstractors should start preparing.
Alert: Water levels are falling. SEPA advises voluntary reductions in non-essential water use for abstractors.
Moderate Scarcity: Environmental impact is clear. Action from abstractors is expected to protect rivers and the species that rely on them.
Significant Scarcity: Critical river levels. Restrictions on abstraction licences may be imposed.
Advice to abstractors
SEPA have been contacting abstractors directly to understand more about their water use and provide targeted advice. These conversations are showing that many have already put measures in place to use water more efficiently. As well as direct contact with individuals, all those with a licence in an area at Alert or Moderate Scarcity are receiving messages to remind them of their responsibilities.
Active consultation is ongoing with organisations across Scotland, including NFU Scotland, Fisheries Management Scotland, Golf Scotland, Scotch Whisky Association and Scottish Water to help share important information and ensure that advice and support is available.
If your business abstracts water from the environment, here’s what you need to do:
At Alert:
Check and maintain abstraction equipment
Review your water use plans
Reduce non-essential water use
Consider low-water irrigation techniques or alternative scheduling
At Moderate Scarcity:
Actively reduce water use, particularly during peak daylight hours
Coordinate with neighbours to optimise shared use
Consider alternative sources or reduced production if possible
Claire Tunaley, Senior Hydrologist – Water Resources Unit, SEPA said: “We’re seeing the kind of conditions we normally associate with late summer in some places – and it’s only May.
“Groundwater and river levels across the east are already hitting record lows. In Fife and Aberdeenshire, we’re seeing some of the driest conditions in living memory for this time of year. With parts of Scotland now at 11 months of below average rainfall it will take above-average rainfall over an extended period to recover to normal levels, especially for groundwater levels.
“Our message is clear: if you abstract water from our environment – whether you work in agriculture, energy, industry, distilling, food and drink or the leisure sector – you must take action now to help protect your operations and help safeguard Scotland’s rivers and wildlife in the weeks ahead.”
Everyone can use water more efficiently
Scottish Water is calling on people to use water as efficiently as possible in homes and gardens and help the utility protect resources and maintain normal supplies across the country.
The public water supply is resilient, and Scottish Water is continuously monitoring the levels of storage throughout the country to maintain supplies, but there has been an increase in water use by customers in the past weeks. The amount of water the company put into the network across Scotland has had to be increased from mid-April by 150 million litres per day.
Scottish Water is urging people to help save water by:
using water efficiently in the garden and outdoor spaces by using a watering can instead of a garden hose where possible and avoiding using sprinklers
taking shorter showers
turning the tap off when brushing teeth
using washing machines and dishwashers only when fully loaded
using a bucket and sponge rather than a hose to wash the car.
RAINBOWS
