Road policing officers are appealing for information following a fatal one-car crash in Edinburghlast night.
Police were called to Corstorphine Road at the junction with Balgreen Road around 10.50pm on Saturday, 30 March, 2024, after a silver Volkswagen Tiguan collided with a wall.
Emergency services attended and the driver, a 29-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin have been informed.
The passenger of the car, a 17-year-old man, was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh where his condition is described as critical.
The road was closed for around eight hours to allow collision investigation to be carried out.
Sergeant Louise Birrell of Edinburgh Road Policing said: “Our thoughts are very much with the family of the man who died and our investigation to establish the full circumstances is ongoing.
“We are appealing to anyone who may have seen the vehicle before the crash or who has dash-cam footage that might help with our enquiries to get in touch.”
If you can help please contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 4595 of Saturday, 30 March, 2024.
Gas network company SGN will shortly begin work to replace the old metal gas mains on Glasgow Road with new plastic pipes. This work is essential to ensuring the local community continues to receive a safe and reliable gas supply.
As part of a wider project in the West Craigs area, work on Glasgow Road will begin on Tuesday 2 April and should be completed in around two weeks.
Lane closures will be in place on Glasgow Road west bound, and Maybury Road south bound, both at the Maybury Junction.
This is a busy route and motorists are being urged to allow more time for their journeys and plan ahead, particularly during peak travel times.
The work will progress as quickly and safely as possible and all efforts to reduce disruption are being made, including the work being undertaken within the Easter break.
SGN manages the network which distributes natural and green gas to approximately six million homes and businesses across Scotland and southern England. Our pipes deliver gas safely, reliably and efficiently to each of these customers.
We perform an essential 24/7 service to keep everyone in our communities safe and warm. If anyone smells gas indoors or outside, they should dial the National Gas Emergency Number on 0800 111 999* and an engineer will visit that location to carry out the required checks.
We’re committed to caring for our customers, especially those in vulnerable circumstances, working with specialist organisations on initiatives aimed at making a positive impact on society and improving the lives of the people in our communities.
Alongside the UK and Scottish Governments and the other gas distribution networks, we’re developing the world’s first zero-carbon gas grid and shaping a net zero future for the UK.
*Calls are free and lines are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. These calls are recorded and may be monitored
ONE THOUSAND HOMES AND HOTEL PROPOSED FOR WEST EDINBURGH SITE
The public are to be given the chance to view and comment on exciting proposals for a sustainable residential-led development at Maybury Quarter Edinburgh, site of the former Saica packaging facility in West Edinburgh.
Promoted by regeneration specialists, Summix Capital, Maybury Quarter Edinburgh provides an ideal opportunity to regenerate this former industrial location on Turnhouse Road, which covers 15.5-acre (6.3 hectares).
The flagship low carbon neighbourhood aims to deliver a mix of uses, including housing, hotel, commercial and retail uses. This brownfield site is allocated in the Council’s Proposed City Plan 2030 for residential-focused redevelopment.
The first public consultation event outlining the proposals will be TOMORROW – Wednesday 27th March 2024 – at Delta Hotels by Marriott, 111 Glasgow Rd, Edinburgh EH12 8NF between 2pm and 7pm.
A second event will be held on 22nd May 2024 at the same venue and time, presenting updated proposals which will include appropriate feedback and comments from the first event and other stakeholder engagement.
Further information will be made available at www.maybury-quarter.co.uk, which will host consultation materials on the day of the event.
The proposals for Maybury Quarter will ‘aim to deliver a balanced mix of uses that promote health, wellbeing and sustainable lifestyles which are designed to encourage a strong sense of place and community’.
It will aim to deliver:
1000 homes
Hotel – 120-150 rooms
Retail/potential local centre – 30,000 sq. ft. overall
Extensive green spaces will be created, with high-quality public realm and access arrangements
The housing proposed will include tenure blind affordable housing, addressing the city’s well-publicised housing emergency, and including the provision of accessible family homes and Build to Rent (BTR) accommodation. BTR sees homes built specifically for rent, rather than sale.
It is anticipated than an application for detailed planning permission to City of Edinburgh Council will be submitted towards the end of 2024.
Stuart Black, Development Director for Summix Capital, commented: “We are delighted to give the community the chance to view and feedback on our proposals for Maybury Quarter Edinburgh, which provides a unique opportunity to redevelop one of the last major pieces of brownfield land in the city into a brand-new, sustainable mixed-use community.
“The site’s regeneration has the potential to provide much-needed homes, employment and investment, helping to address the current housing emergency, and taking advantage of and strengthening already excellent public transport links by train, tram, bus and cycle.
“Maybury Quarter must be one of the most exciting and best-connected development sites in Scotland.”
Spain-based paper and cardboard company Saica has relocated to a purpose-built facility at Deans Road in Livingston. It is active in nine other European countries.
About Summix Capital
Summix Capital is a regeneration company specialising in development projects across the UK and Ireland. Working with its partners, it has successfully delivered thousands of homes in the UK and Ireland since its foundation in 2006.
It works closely with sector specialists across the property space, unlocking challenging sites and helping speed up what can often be a long development process from conception to delivery. Its aspiration is to ensure that housing, student accommodation and mixed-use schemes are delivered where they are most needed.
The company’s vision for regeneration involves taking on sites with vacant possession to dormant, dilapidated structures and developing a viable plan for their redevelopment and repurposing. At a time when the demand for housing far outstrips supply, a steady flow of land is essential.
In 2017, the Summix Capital Partners I LP fund was launched to further enhance its ability to deliver larger and more complex projects.
Dean & Cauvin Young People’s Trust has today (WEDNESDAY 13 MARCH) been awarded funding from the Young Start programme to continue delivering their vital support services to vulnerable young people in Edinburgh.
Funding of £99,347 was awarded to the 300-year-old charity as part of a total of more than £1.5 million awarded to 19 Scottish organisations supporting children, teenagers and young adults across the country.
Young Start, delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund, awards dormant bank account funding to projects that help young people reach their full potential.
Spartans Community Foundation also received funding of over £99,000. They will use their Young Start award to provide a three-year project to support 450 young people aged 10 to 18 through regular weekly clubs, workshops, day trips and residential trips.
The project, based at Ainslie Park in Pilton, will support children and young people from the immediate surrounding areas. The group will also support the young people in developing self-advocacy and communication skills. The project builds on the group’s experience of youth work in North Edinburgh and its partnership with other agencies.
Other Edinburgh-based projects to receive funding are:
The Venture Trust (£95,292)
This group will provide a two year project to support 110 young people aged 16 to 24. The group will support young people through intense complex challenges such as adverse childhood experiences, trauma, poverty, abuse and periods of homelessness and substance use issues.
The project aims to provide a preventative approach to these complex issues and avoid high-risk behaviours. The group will support young people from West Lothian, Midlothian, and Edinburgh.
U-Evolve (£91,505)
The group will provide a therapeutic programme of support to young people aged 11 to 18 in Edinburgh.
This programme has been developed by young people, and in response to challenges young people face with their mental health and wellbeing. This project will benefit 300 young people and 36 volunteers over the course of three years.
Youth Theatre Arts Scotland (£67,386)
The group will provide disadvantaged young people aged 16 to 24, who want to work in youth theatre with opportunities to train in youth theatre leadership, gain work experience, obtain accredited qualifications in youth work, and develop their CVs and interview skills.
The two and a half year project will benefit 100 young people and 40 volunteers.
Dean & Cauvin Young People’s Trust provides a range of support to vulnerable young people including helping with addiction and homelessness, supporting young parents, and family breakdowns.
Jay, aged 20 from Edinburgh, accessed Dean & Cauvin’s residential services with the help of her social worker, when she was 19 years old and had just given birth to her baby boy, Bob.
Jay said: “I was quite ill after giving birth to Bob – I had a blood clot and a collapsed lung, so I had to spend quite a bit of time in hospital.
“When I was better, I had nowhere to stay. There was no space with any of my family members, and having a six-week-old baby made it so much more urgent that I found a home. My social worker managed to find me a space at Cauvin House.”
Dean & Cauvin’s residential service – Cauvin House – provides accommodation to young parents and their children, as well as ongoing parenting support and assessment, to help keep families together.
One year after Jay moved into the shared accommodation, an individual flat became available for her, which she was able to transition into.
Jay said: “It feels amazing to have our own space. Living with Bob in the shared accommodation was obviously so much better than the alternative – being homeless – but having got a wee flat for us is giving me so much independence.
“I still get a lot of help from the staff – I had a really bad period of mental illness a while back and began self-harming, and my support workers were always there for me and have helped me come back out of that and be mentally well again.”
Jay says thanks to the charity, she’s looking forward to the future and hopes to go back into education.
She explained: “I was studying childminding at college when I got pregnant, and now I feel like I’m in a good position I want to go back and finish it when Bob goes to nursery.
“I’m so thankful for everything the staff at Dean & Cauvin have done for me – they’re like a second family – they’ve been there through it all with us.”
Lianne Thomson, House and Community Service Manager at Dean & Cauvin Young People’s Trust said: “We are deeply grateful for the Young Start funding as it has enabled us to continue making a real difference to the lives of our young people.
“It has helped us to provide vital support and resources to empower and impact the lives of the families we work with. I am immensely proud of Jay’s progress and it has been a privilege to join her on her parenting journey.”
Announcing today’s funding, The National Lottery Community Fund, Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “Support services such as Dean & Cauvin are such important resources around the country for so many young people like Jay to help turn their lives around in moments of real difficulty.
“We are always keen to support projects that put Scotland’s young people at the heart of the development and running of services. If your group has an idea how you would make this happen, then we’d love to hear from you.”
Young Start helps young people aged eight to 24 become more confident and play an active part in realising their potential. Funding of up to £100,000 is available for youth led projects.
The Management Committee of C. C. C. (Corstorphine Community Centre) is delighted to announce that The Hub (formerly Westfield House) on Kirk Loan is now in community ownership.
Negotiations with the City of Edinburgh Council for the purchase of the building and grounds have been successfully completed, and the building became the property of C. C. C. on 20th February 2024.
It has been a long journey to secure a new home for a community centre in the heart of Corstorphine, following the fire in 2013 which devastated the Public Hall.
We are more than grateful to the individuals and organisations who have got us to this point, offering invaluable expertise and time, and raising and awarding funding over the 10 plus years it has taken.
We now have a building, situated in the heart of Corstorphine which will be devoted to promoting community wellbeing and activities.
We will do this by being the home for organisations needing a local base, by delivering a growing programme of activities in-house, by providing letting space for groups and organisations to deliver their activities within Corstorphine, and by offering space for events.
The next big task, so that this all becomes a reality, is to make the building fit for purpose by ensuring it is fully accessible, inviting to use, and environmentally sound. It will be a major works programme and plans are already in the making.
We want to ensure that the end result is a community centre for the 21st century, with a viable business model, which serves and enhances life for folk in our community.
Wednesday 28th February at Corstorphine Community Centre, 5 Kirk Loan, Corstorphine between 2pm and 7pm.
PLANS to redevelop a corner plot in one of Edinburgh’s most desirable aareas have resurfaced with a switch from private flats to a care home in response to an ageing population profile.
Northcare has chosen a 0.56-hectare site at the corner of St John’s Road and Manse Road, launching a public consultation on its plans for a 60-bed unit designed by Unum.
Proposed Development
Being undertaken by award-winning operator Northcare (Scotland) Ltd, this proposed mixed-use development includes a 60-bed luxury care home, five assisted living apartments and ground floor commercial units facing onto St-John’s Road, all within a high-quality landscaped setting.
If consented, the care home complex will address an identified demand for care beds in the local area, exceeding expectations by providing high-quality care accommodation.
One floor (a third of the building) will be devoted to dementia care, and the care home will also provide residents’ entertainment spaces including private dining facilities, cinema, activity rooms, beauty salon, cafe/brasserie and gallery. These allow the residents to enjoy a “day out” without the need to leave the home. The cafe/brasserie and beauty salon will also be accessible to the public, and in addition to this two commercial units will be available for rent.
A residents’ amenity space and activity room will be located on the top floor of the care home. Benefiting from extensive glazing and an external terrace, this will take advantage of the views over Edinburgh towards the Pentland Hills and beyond.
The proposed development is set within an attractive landscape, enhancing the local area, and includes the creation of a secure landscaped garden to the rear of the property.
The site is directly accessible to a range of services, facilities and amenities, and is served by direct access to the public road network with good pedestrian, cycle and public transport access for both visitors and staff.
Ten car parking spaces are proposed, including two universally accessible and two electric vehicle charge points (EVCP). Secure and covered cycle stands, encouraging sustainable modes of travel, will also be provided.
Echoing the prior Michael Laird scheme the latest proposals include a dedicated dementia floor and secure landscaped grounds as well as a top-floor glazed amenity space with an outdoor terrace. Spread across six independent living wings the ‘L’ plan build is served by a double-height entrance lobby with services located in a partial lower ground floor.
Key Benefits
Regenerating this brownfield site, the development will bring a number of benefits to the local community:
Addressing an ageing population
As is well-recognised, Scotland is currently in the midst of a care crisis, with limited lifestyle choices for elderly residents requiring care services. The current stock of care homes and supported housing is not able to meet the future demand of care requirements within Edinburgh.
With an increasingly ageing population, this situation is set to worsen, with the level of bed demand set to almost double over the next 30 years.
A shortfall of care home provision in the wider area has been demonstrated by a Demographic and Needs Analysis Review, prepared to support the development. Much of the existing stock is not fit for purpose and requires to be modernised and upgraded to meet Care Inspectorate standards of provision.
It is anticipated that a proportion of those in the new home will be from the local community, and thereby already registered with a local GP. In addition to this, we partner up with GP practices and pay a private retainer to allow them to get sufficient resources to support our care homes. As an example, we already have such an agreement in place with Blackhall Medical Centre.
A new care complex such as that proposed will improve choice and in due course release housing locally.
Employment and investment
Northcare (Scotland) Ltd will acts as both the developer and operator of the facility, which will see a capital investment of £15 million from buying the site to development. The mixed-use development aims towards net-zero, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving gold standard.
In addition to the construction phase, when operational it is anticipated that 70 permanent jobs will be created at a range of levels and in a variety of trades, including care assistants, housekeeping staff, managers and chefs.
A cafe/brasserie and hair salon will be accessible to the public, and in addition to this two commercial units will be available for rent.
The proposed much-needed accommodation for an ever-increasing elderly population will allow them to live their lives with dignity and independence, with special assistance on hand, exceeding the requirements of the Care Inspectorate regulations.
Community Consultation
NORTHCARE says: ‘We strongly believe in the need for ongoing dialogue regarding our care home proposals, and through a meaningful and effective pre-application consultation (PAC) process are engaging early on with the local community and other key stakeholders.
As what is classed as a major development and in accordance with the planning regulations, a minimum 12-week period of consultation in advance of the submission of the planning application is required. This includes the holding of at least two public consultation events.
Through this process we are promising to consult and listen carefully to your views, making changes where possible to inform and improve our proposals, prior to the submission of a planning application to City of Edinburgh Council. This is anticipated to take place in April 2024.
Consultation Event
A second public consultation event will be held on Wednesday 28th February at Corstorphine Community Centre, 5 Kirk Loan, Corstorphine between 2pm and 7pm (the first was held on 31 January).
Consultation boards will be available to view, providing information on the proposals, with the project team on hand to explain and answer questions, and the opportunity to provide feedback, which will play a crucial role in refining and enhancing our plans.
This event seek to progress and update the proposals following feedback from the first consultation event held at the same venue on Wednesday 31st January, considering and incorporating any amendments where appropriate.
If you want to make comments on the proposals, you may do so at the public consultation event, via the project website using the feedback form below, by email to: hello@northcare-manse.co.uk,or by writing to: Orbit Communications, 42 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh EH2 4HQ. The deadline for receiving these is Wednesday 13th March.
Comments made do not constitute representations to City of Edinburgh Council. A further opportunity to make representations to the Council will be available following formal submission of the planning application.
It is anticipated that a planning application will be submitted to City of Edinburgh Council in April and a site start is estimated by the spring of 2025.
Bruce encourages young people to embrace unexpected career paths
Bruce Lamb (19) has joined the funeral industry and is encouraging other young people to keep an open mind when considering their career choices.
Broxburn-based Bruce works alongside his father at Scotmid Funerals in Forrester Park, where his role includes preparing coffins, ceremonial driving and speaking with recently bereaved family members. No two days are the same for Bruce, something he has described as “one of the best parts of the job”.
After finishing school, Bruce pursued a football scholarship in Virginia, USA but, when that did not work out, he returned home to reconsider his options and choose another path.
As a young boy, Bruce was fascinated by his father’s job. He learned a lot about grief and the whole funeral experience from him, including how to approach the first conversation, managing the service arrangements and aftercare, and how this process helps the bereaved.
When the opportunity to join Scotmid Funerals at Forrester Park came, he jumped at the chance and is so pleased he did.
When asked what people’s reaction is to his job, Bruce answered: “Most people are taken aback to start with and quickly fire a lot of questions at me about the job. When I explain how much I enjoy my work, I receive a positive reaction.”
“I agree that it is unusual for someone my age, but Scotmid has broken the mould. I don’t mind being the youngest because l can learn so much from experienced operatives. Everyone at Scotmid has been great in helping me to be the best I can be in my post.”
Since starting his new role, Bruce has grown a strong satisfaction from his work. He said: “The best part of the job is receiving compliments or a thank you card from a bereaved persons’ relative or loved one.
“This is by far the most welcome reward in doing the job and I’m honoured to play a small role in helping others during their time of need. It’s a long way from what I originally planned to do with my life, but I can’t imagine being anywhere else now.
“I think the biggest misconception is that all funeral workers must be sad (or a little strange?!) to do the job, which is so far from the truth. There is compassion and humour within the industry, with each having their time and place.”
Bruce is now aiming to tackle this common misconception about the funeral industry and is encouraging other young people to keep an open mind when it comes to their career choices.
He continued: “I think the industry is often overlooked because schools do not promote it as a potential career. I would and have recommended the job to a few of my friends and would heartily encourage any younger person to go for it.
“I wanted to be a footballer, but I have joined the funeral industry instead. I may be going against ‘the norm’, which I think is great as it changes the definition of the role.”
Outside of work, Bruce enjoys an active lifestyle – playing for his local football team, Pumpherston u20s, and playing golf when he has free time. Sports, as well as his Xbox, gives him time to unwind after work and spend time with friends.
James Blackburn, Head of Scotmid Funerals, said: “It’s great to see the younger generations coming into the funeral care industry and taking such pride in their work for people in their time of grief.
“Bruce is a great example of embracing the fact that there is no wrong career path and I hope other young people consider funeral care as a personally and professionally rewarding career choice.”
With support from the SLIC Climate Engagement Fund ‘Shelf Life’ Corstorphine Library will be hosting a month long fashion swap during March to help raise awareness of the environmental impact of fashion.
If you have clothes that are clean, in good condition but you just don’t ever get around to wearing, we would love to have them.
Donations can be dropped off at Corstorphine library any time that we are open – (that’s 1pm – 8pm Monday and Wednesday and 10am to 5pm Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday) – please don’t leave clothes outside the library when we are shut!
