Category: Corstorphine

Artisan expands its Scottish operation as part of £140 Million new homes commitment

Investment in Low Carbon Urban Housing and City Centre Redevelopment across Edinburgh and Glasgow drives ambitious growth plans  

Artisan Real Estate is strengthening its market position in Scotland with the announcement of a new management team as the developer moves forward with its £140 million investment plan focusing on low carbon city centre residential redevelopment across Edinburgh and Glasgow.  

Experienced property professional David Westwater will join Artisan this month as Scottish Regional Manager, following 40 years of industry experience including Frasers Property UK, Interserve plc and most recently, as Development Director at Robertson Property.  

Westwater (above) will help take forward Artisan’s ambitious plans to progress low carbon housing development with mixed-use regeneration across prime city centre brownfield sites – including a £98 million residential investment for Edinburgh alone. 

Building on the existing expertise, Artisan is also currently recruiting a Scottish commercial and technical manager to further add to the team’s expansion, complementing the dedicated locally based sales and marketing team.  

Artisan has witnessed a significant expansion of its home-building operation in Scotland during the past 12-months, building on its more established track record as one of the UK’s most recognised and award-winning city centre regeneration specialists. 

The developer will shortly begin construction on Rowanbank Gardens, an industry-leading, sustainable residential development delivering 126 high-end apartments in the Corstorphine area of Edinburgh. 

The development, on a former brownfield site, provides smart energy-efficient design geared to achieving low to zero carbon ratings whilst responding to the rapidly changing requirements of home buyers and the wider community following lockdown.  

Artisan’s first residential development in Scotland, the 180-apartment Canonmills Garden overlooking the Water of Leith to the north of Edinburgh city centre, has now sold 85% of all available properties as it approaches completion later this year. 

Welcoming the expansion of its Scottish operation, Artisan’s UK Property Director Clive Wilding, says: “These are exciting times for Artisan Real Estate in Scotland, and the strengthening of our team reflects the significant progress we have made during the last 12 months, despite the very obvious challenges faced during lockdown.

“Our current focus is developing prime brownfield sites across city centres in Edinburgh and Glasgow, delivering low carbon, multi-tenure housing with no fossil fuel, linked to high quality external spaces and integrated with a range of green transport options. 

“We are delivering niche urban developments in the most exciting parts of the city centre, creating a high-value premium product for a wide range of homebuyers. And we have a very exciting residential pipeline and are actively identifying and securing new opportunities across Scotland’s major city centre areas – a process which will be hugely boosted by our expanded dedicated residential and commercial Scottish operation.” 

Artisan is also consolidating its market position as an urban regeneration specialist with a number of high-profile mixed-use commercial redevelopment projects across Scotland.  

Construction work on the £80 million transformation of the Custom House building in Glasgow overlooking the River Clyde continues apace with a four-star, 294-bed Clayton Hotel and a 162-bedroom Adagio Apart-Hotel set to create a vibrant riverside quarter when it opens in 2022. 

Plaudits are still being received for Artisan’s £250 million New Waverley development (above) at the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, completed in 2020. 

The development’s Queen Elizabeth House, now the flagship UK Government hub now home to 2,900 civil servants, was recently recognised by the British Council for Offices and was awarded its Innovation Award, gaining national profile for the development. 

Jaco Jansen, Artisan’s Chief Executive Officer adds:  “Artisan has an amazing opportunity in Scotland to set a new benchmark for high quality urban regeneration in sensitive city-centre environments – whether it be commercial, residential or mixed-use. This supports our other regional businesses, each with a similar focus in Bristol and Leeds. 

“Our track record in Scotland has given us a strong understanding of the importance of high quality placemaking, which is at the heart of all Artisan’s developments. We are an ambitious and hungry company with an increasing appetite for bespoke developments in the best city centre areas. We are looking forward to expanding our footprint across Scotland and the rest of the UK.”  

For more information on Artisan’s developments in Scotland and the UK visit www.artisanrealestate.co.uk 

Have your say on initial proposals for Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in Leith and Corstorphine

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:

Corstorphine – almost 600 responses received

  • 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.

Leith – over 800 responses received

  • 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.

East Craigs LTN – over 800 responses received

  • 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.

Bike marking events this weekend

Police Scotland’s North West Community Team are holding two free bike marking events this weekend.

Saturday 5 June: Victoria Park, Trinity from 11am – 2pm.

Sunday 6 June: St. Margaret’s Park, Corstorphine from 11am – 3pm.

#PedalProtect

#BikeRegister

Have you seen Peter?

UPDATE: Police are pleased to confirm that Peter Macquarie has been traced safe and well. We would like to thank the public for their assistance.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Police Scotland is appealing for information to trace a vulnerable man missing from Edinburgh. Peter MacQuarie, 65, was last seen around 4.50pm today, Wednesday, 26 May, in Hayfield, East Craigs.

He is described as white, around 5ft 10, bald with a short grey beard and moustache. When he was last seen he was wearing a grey jacket, green jumper, black jeans, brown shoes and a blue beanie hat.

Inspector Caroline Flynn, Drylaw Police Office, said: “We are growing increasingly concerned for Peter as this is out of character for him and just want to know he is okay. He is very vulnerable, can get confused and is unsteady on his feet.

“He does not have a mobile phone with him, however does have a bus pass. When he travels, he tends to take the bus and has been known to take the number 31 bus towards the Bonnyrigg area.

“We are working with the relevant travel companies, and checking CCTV, to see if he has travelled, however would appeal for anyone who may have seen a man matching his description to get in touch with us.”

Anyone with any information should contact Police via 101, quoting incident number 2899 of Wednesday, 26 May, 2021

Have you seen Zakiyya?

UPDATE: Police have confirmed that 13-year-old Zakiyya Haider has been TRACED safe and well. Police thank the public for their assistance.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Police are appealing for the help of the public to trace a 13 year old girl reported missing from her home in the Corstorphine area of the city.

Zakiyya Haider was last seen around 5pm last night (Friday 21 May) when she left home.

She is described as 5ft 5ins tall, of slim build with long dark hair and brown eyes. When last seen she was wearing all black clothing.

Inspector Keith Forrester said: “Zakiyya’s mum and sister are growing very concerned for her, therefore I would ask anyone who may know where she is to get in touch. Likewise if she sees this appeal please call your family or Police Scotland to let us know you are safe.

“Anyone who has information that may help us find Zakiyya is asked to call Police Scotland quoting incident 4104 of 21 May 2021”. 

It’s great to be ‘bark’!

 Dogs Trust Dog School Edinburgh re-opens for face to face classes  

Dogs Trust Dog School Edinburgh is celebrating welcoming dogs and their owners to face to face training classes once again.   

Hundreds of families across the region have welcomed dogs into their lives over the last year and with the country experiencing national lockdowns, Dogs Trust Dog School in Edinburgh switched to teaching classes online to make sure dogs didn’t miss out on the chance to learn new life skills.  

But now lockdown has eased, the training team are excited to be meeting up with four-legged friends and their owners once more to train dogs of all ages, from puppies and adolescents to adult dogs.  

Julie Morrison, Head Coach of Dog School Edinburgh said: “We were so pleased to have been able to continue training dogs in such a difficult year and thousands of dogs have received their training classes online in recent months, but nothing beats hearing the pitter patter of paws in the training room!   

“Life is going to change in the coming weeks and months for ourselves and our dogs, which means owners may need to start putting some adjustments in place. Our classes can help owners teach their dogs the skills they need to continue living happily alongside them and to cope with the different experiences that life out of lockdown will bring.   

 “This year, Dog School is being supported by funding raised by generous players of People’s Postcode Lottery. We want to say thank you to them as their support has meant we have been able to continue providing training to owners and their canine friends, despite the extraordinary times we have all experienced.”  

Classes will be held at North Merchiston Club at Watson Cresent, Edinburgh Tabernacle at Inverleith Gardens and 71st Scout Hall at Corstorphine Road. 

Classes will follow government guidance and there will be a maximum of six people allowed in a training class, ensuring social distancing measures can be followed. To make sure demand can be met, online training classes will also continue.   

To find out more, visit  www.dogstrust.org.uk/dogschool   

Spotted! Giraffes are back at Edinburgh Zoo

A very tall package was received at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Edinburgh Zoo yesterday (Tuesday 11 May) as two male giraffes arrived from Woburn Safari Park, Bedfordshire. 

The wildlife conservation charity has partnered with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) and Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch Whisky to bring giraffes back to the capital for the first time in over 15 years and support vital work to protect the species in the wild. 

Ronnie and Arrow will have some of the best views in the city from their brand-new hilltop home and will be gradually introduced to visitors over the coming weeks. 

Jonathan Appleyard, hoofstock team leader at Edinburgh Zoo, said, “It is incredible to welcome giraffes back to Edinburgh Zoo and we are so excited to start introducing them to our charity’s members, patrons and visitors after they have settled in. 

“Numbers of giraffes in the wild have declined by almost 30% since the 1980s due to habitat loss and poaching, so this is a really important opportunity for us to raise awareness and support the Giraffe Conservation Foundation’s work to save the species. 

“Our brand-new giraffe house has been designed with high level walkways which means visitors will be able to meet these wonderful creatures face-to-face, giving them an amazing opportunity to connect with nature and be inspired to join us in protecting them from extinction.” 

Up to three more male giraffes will be arriving at Edinburgh Zoo in the coming weeks and the newly-formed bachelor herd will need time to bond with each other and get used to their new home before the giraffe house officially opens to the public in mid-June. 

Jonathan Appleyard added, “As they are the tallest animals in the world, it is very likely visitors will be able to spot our giraffes exploring their outdoor areas before we officially open to the public. 

“We are so grateful to Glenmorangie and everyone who donated to help build our giraffe house and support our partnership with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation.” 

Julian Fennessy, co-director and co-founder of GCF, said, “There are only about 117,000 giraffe remaining in all of Africa. Their numbers have dropped by almost 30% in the last three decades.

“As this decline has happened largely unnoticed, it is now time that we draw more attention to this silent extinction. Zoos play an important role in sharing this message and the new giraffe herd at Edinburgh Zoo can play a vital role in raising awareness and funds for the plight of their wild cousins in Africa.” 

Thomas Moradpour, President and Chief Executive of The Glenmorangie Company, said, “This majestic creature has long been a beloved symbol of our brand, thanks to our distillery’s giraffe-high stills, the tallest in Scotland.

“These amazing animals are under threat of a silent extinction, which is why we are proud to be official partners of giraffe conservation at Edinburgh Zoo, and to support the work of GCF in the wild. 

“Through this global partnership, we hope to raise awareness of the plight of the giraffe, and ensure these wonderful creatures remain part of our world for many centuries to come.”  

More information about visiting Edinburgh Zoo, the giraffes and how people can help care for the charity’s animals is available at edinburghzoo.org.uk/we-are-open.  

Be wary: bogus workmen incidents in Corstorphine

Police are appealing for information after two “bogus workman” incidents in the Corstorphine area.

The first incident happened at a property on Broomhall Avenue and was reported around 12.35pm Wednesday (21 April).

Two unidentified men claimed to have carried out work on a neighbour’s roof which had extended to the house owner’s property.

They persuaded the resident to give them a low three figure sum of money for their work. It eventually turned out now work had been carried out.

The second incident happened at Craigmount Place in Edinburgh around 10.45am and again involved two men attempting to persuade work was needed on the roof of an elderly resident’s property.

However, they ultimately left empty handed after the resident spoke to his bank who raised concerns this may be fraudulent.

Both incidents are being treated as linked and enquiries are ongoing.

Both men are white. One was in his mid to late 40s, of slim build with short brown hair. He was wearing a red jumper and brown trousers. The second is described as wearing a dark jumper. They were using a white panel van.

Detective Constable Jenna Lawrie of Corstorphine Police Station said: “We are carrying out extensive enquiries to identify these men and would urge anyone else who believes they may have seen him to get in touch.

“We would urge everyone to be wary if anyone attending unexpectedly at your property and always to ask for identification.

“False callers are often well practiced and can be very convincing. A genuine caller will expect you to check for identification and will not put you under any pressure if you check.

“Anyone who has information about these incidents is asked to call 101, quoting incident 1283 of 21 April, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

Appeal for information after Stenhouse hit and run

Police are appealing for information after a man was reported to have been assaulted and then struck by a vehicle in Stenhouse last night (Wednesday, 7 April, 2021).

Around 7.25 pm on Wednesday evening, police were called to a report of an altercation in Stenhouse Grove, involving two men. Shortly afterwards, a black 4×4 vehicle was seen to deliberately drive at one of the men in Stenhouse Street West, striking him and causing him to fall to the ground.

The vehicle then drove off and the man ran off along Stenhouse Street West.

The suspect, who is thought to be the driver of the 4×4, is described as white, in his 20s, 5 ft 10, of slim build, of gaunt appearance and had short blonde/brown hair. He was wearing a light coloured top and grey jogging bottoms. He spoke with a local accent.

Detective Sergeant Dougal Begg, Corstorphine CID, said: “At the moment our priority is to trace the man struck by the vehicle, primarily to ensure that he is safe and well. We want to make sure he receives any medical treatment he may need after this incident and would ask him to get in touch with police.

“We are still trying to establish why this happened.

“From our enquiries so far, the man struck by the vehicle, who is only described as white, 20-30 years old, of medium build, possibly brown hair, was wearing a beige jumper and grey jogging bottoms, was assaulted by a man, on Stenhouse Grove, Edinburgh.

“It is believed that the attacker then got into a black 4×4, with a male passenger on board, before deliberately striking the other man, throwing him into a hedge and then driving off.

“Officers are carrying out enquiries in the area in an effort to trace those involved.

“I would ask anyone who saw what happened, or who has any information that can assist our enquiry, contact CID officers at Corstorphine Police Station, Edinburgh, via 101. Please quote reference number 2912 of 7 April, 2021, when calling.

“Alternatively, information can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”