The Old Town Hall in Leith should be considered for community use if Police Scotland vacate the building, according to Deidre Brock MP.
The station is one of those up for possible closure as part of Police Scotland’s estate review.
Built in 1828, the Category A listed building still contains the original Leith Burgh Council debating chamber.
The Edinburgh North & Leith MP said: “If Police Scotland decide that the old Leith Town Hall is no longer appropriate for modern policing, there should be a discussion about how it can be utilised for the community.
“It is a wonderful building that holds a unique place in Leith’s history, and I hope the Council will consider how it can best be used for the benefit of current and future generations of Leithers.”
Police in Edinburgh are appealing for assistance in tracing Kevin Sweeney (33yrs) who has been reported missing from the Leith area of the City.
Kevin was last seen on 7th January 2024 in Pilrig Street, Edinburgh. His current whereabouts are unknown and we are becoming increasingly concerned for him.
Kevin is described as being male, white, 5ft 9 tall, average build with an auburn beard and short fair hair.
If you believe you have seen Kevin or have any information please contact 101 quoting incident no. 1669 of the 19/01/24.
MODERN ‘FIT FOR PUPOSE’ FACILITY AT VICTORIA QUAY?
EDINBURGH Northern and Leith MSP Ben Macpherson is urging the Scottish Government to consider siting a new police station in Victoria Quay.
Writing to Justice Secretary Angela Constance yesterday, the local MSP said: “As you are aware, Leith Police Station in my constituency is one of those being considered for closure, as part of Police Scotland’s estate review.
“In terms of the current building in Leith, this is understandable as the current location is within the old Leith Chambers which, while being a remarkable historic building, is not optimal for twentieth century policing or meeting shared aspirations like net zero.
“However, there is a very strong case for retaining a police station in Leith – especially given recent and projected significant population growth in the locality and surrounding areas! This could be realised in the form of a new Leith Police Station within a colocation premises, which would enhance public service provision and make financial sense.
Therefore, I am writing to state that I think Victoria Quay could potentially provide an ideal location for a new Leith Police Station, collocated with other public services.
“The under-utilisation of Victoria Quay is well known and I have previously liaised with the Permanent Secretary about how it could be used going forward, to potentially provide more for Leith and the wider needs of the public and local economy.
“I would be grateful if the Scottish Government and Police Scotland could consider the creation of a new Leith Police Station to be established in Victoria Quay?
“I have copied the this correspondence to the Edinburgh Commander (Police Scotland) and the Permanent Secretary. “
A new clean vehicle charging hub at Leith Waterfront’s Ocean Terminal is to power up after being approved by City of Edinburgh councillors.
The hub, powered by SSE, will form part of the major redevelopment of Ocean Terminal which is currently underway, and which will create a sustainable new neighbourhood on Leith’s waterfront with the provision of new homes, health and leisure facilities and new active travel options for centre users and the surrounding community.
Located at the front of the Ocean Terminal building, adjacent to the current south car park, six state-of-the art EV chargers powered by traceable, clean renewable energy will be able to charge up to 12 vehicles at a time, with two of the bays in the hub designated for accessible parking.
The new site will allow electric vehicle drivers to charge their cars whilst visiting the facilities at the redeveloped Ocean Terminal centre – including a cinema, gym, bingo and family entertainment venue Level X. The ultra-rapid charging facilities of up to 150 kilowatts (kW) will allow drivers to get back on the road within an hour of plugging in.
On 10th August 2023, the ultra-rapid EV Charging Hub from SSE Energy Solutions was installed and launched at the Gapton Hall Retail Park in Great Yarmouth, managed by M7 Real Estate for Oxford Properties. Sir Brandon Lewis CBE was in attendance for the unveiling.
Chris Richardson, Managing Director of Ambassador Investment Management, the Scottish owners of Ocean Terminal, said:“Having recently received planning consent to deliver our Masterplan for Ocean Terminal, we are delighted that our vision for a new neighbourhood on Leith’s waterfront with sustainability at its core is taking shape so quickly as we bring this new EV charging hub to the area.
“As the future of Ocean Terminal changes, so too do the needs of our centre users and we are proud to be working with our partners at SSE, a company which is at the forefront of decarbonisation solutions, to meet modern requirements for clean fuel and green travel options.
“And with the new hub able to charge an electric vehicle in an hour, it will provide the perfect reason to visit the new and improved Ocean Terminal for a meal, film or browse of the shops!”
On 10th August 2023, the ultra-rapid EV Charging Hub from SSE Energy Solutions was installed and launched at the Gapton Hall Retail Park in Great Yarmouth, managed by M7 Real Estate for Oxford Properties. Sir Brandon Lewis CBE was in attendance for the unveiling.
Kevin Welstead, EV Director from SSE Energy Solutions said: “We’re proud to announce this site with Ocean Terminal which will provide ultra-rapid EV charging facilities for their customers to have at their disposal.
“At SSE, we’re dedicated to helping get people on the road to net zero. By providing high-quality EV Charging hubs we are supporting both the public and businesses across the UK and Ireland to make the transition to electric vehicles.
“This site is a perfect example of how drivers can conveniently and quickly charge their electric vehicle as they go about their day.”
Ocean Terminal has recently welcomed the approval of its Masterplan to construct 530 new homes alongside commercial facilities to give a new lease of life to the Ocean Terminal centre, which originally opened in 2001.
Alongside the successful Tram to Newhaven, the plans will add significant provision of cycle parking and an expansion of the cycle route along Leith waterfront, creating new active travel options for centre users and the surrounding community.
Local MSP slams ‘drastic and nonsensical cut in funding’
Funding award grants for voluntary sector organisations is invariably difficult – for cash-strapped councils there is never enough money available to meet ever-growing demands.
There are winners and losers, but the latest round of funding decisions has caused particular anguish for Leith’s Citadel Youth Centre, who have learned that their annual award will by slashed by a swingeing £125,000.
Citadel’s Willy Barr (above) explained: “The city council’s Education, Children and Families meeting that took place on Monday 18th December to recommend grant awards to third sector organisations across the city.
“In the lead up to their meeting the Committee had not published a table of grant awards as they normally do, instead they contacted us on the Monday afternoon to inform us we had been recommended for a “partial award” of 50% of what we applied for, equating to £50,000 per year. We had applied for the maximum capped amount of £100k to fund our work with children and young people.
“This news has come as a huge disappointment, as although we expected a cut from our current annual grant of £175,000 per year, this reduction of £125,000 has been way more than we anticipated and will now seriously impact on the services and supports we offer to the local community, many of whom are already impacted by poverty and related issues affecting their mental health and well-being.”
In an appeal for their support, Willie Barr raised his concerns over the scale of the cut with local MSP Ben Macpherson, MP Deidre Brock and Leith councillors, making them aware of the size of the disinvestment in the Citadel, and the potential implications this could have on local services for local children, young people and their families.
As well as contacting Citadel’s local Leith politicians Willy will also be pressing Council Leader Cammy Day – who was himself once a youth participation worker in North Edinburgh – to rethink the scale of the cut, which is due to come into effect from 1st April.
Organisations were invited to apply for a grant of £10k minimum and £100k maximum per year to one of three funding strands – Learning Outcomes, Health and Wellbeing and Youth Work.
Both NHS Lothian and Police Scotland also contributed funding to the awards.
Eighty nine applications were assessed with total bids totalling £16.7m over three years for an available budget of £10m.
This was carried out by trained assessors before going to a moderation panel consisting of the Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations Council (EVOC), Lothian Association of Youth Clubs (LAYC) and an independent chair.
Sixty eight organisations had their bids approved either in full or partially with the new grants programme running from 1 April 2024 through to 31 March 2027.
Councillor Joan Griffiths, Convener for the Education, Children and Families Committee, said when the awards were announced: “The Connected Communities Edinburgh grants programme aims to support vulnerable and disadvantaged young people and their families right across Edinburgh.
“The three different funding strands mean we can direct resources to deliver outcomes that best support those most impacted by poverty.
“This new programme is a really good example of partnership working at its best. We listened to third sector and voluntary organisations about their first-hand knowledge of what the need was in our communities and where funding should be directed.
“Getting to today’s decision has involved a lengthy and really robust assessment process and I want to thank everyone who has contributed. We will of course continue to monitor the progress of the funding over the coming three years to ensure the outcomes promised for our communities are being delivered.”
‘A really good example of partnership working at it’s best? Willie has pointed out concerns over the funding process:
Lack of Transparency:
“In the first instance, the whole process of applying for our grant has been suffered from a lack of transparency and has had a feeling of secrecy about it.
“There has been no consultation with us or the wider sector, similar to what has happened in previous years. Instead, there has been a short briefing opportunity for organisations to attend, facilitated by L.A.Y.C. and E.V.O.C. who have both been paid £120,000 and £100,000 respectively from the grant fund. (No application from them required!)
“Although this is public funds, there is still a refusal to share information about who has been awarded a grant and how much they are recommended to receive. This veil of secrecy surrounding this committee’s business doesn’t feel like an open democratic process.
“If you check the practice of other committees, such as the 5th December Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee, which published a full list of agencies recommended (and not) for No One Left Behind funding prior to the meeting (pp106-107)
“By the Committee’s own admission, there has been no impact assessment carried out on their decisions relating to these grant proposals.
Apparently, any impact assessment process will take place once organisations are told the level of their award which seems a bit late to me. What is really lacking is asking for an impact assessment specifically focusing on the implications of withdrawing financial support from organisations in a sudden manner.
“There may be ways the city council could support organisations in a way to avoid drastic service cuts, or even closure, by a graded reduction in funds.
(note that this goes against one of the central recommendations from the Lessons Learned from previous third-party grant processes that “An Equalities and Rights Impact Assessment should be completed prior to the report going to Committee so that Members are able to make decisions that take account of that information and recommendations for action.” (3.26)
Willie concluded: “Our normal activity for everyone at the Citadel at the start of any new year is around planning and positive thoughts about what opportunities lie ahead, but to be honest, I anticipate this decision will have a huge impact on current morale.”
Urging a rethink, local MSP Ben Macpherson appealed to funders ‘to reconsider this drastic and nonsensical sudden cut in funding, which will negatively affect a well-known respected and impactful organisation’.
Leith MP Deidre Brock said: ““I’m very concerned by this news. A funding cut of this size will have profound effects on the ability of the Citadel Youth Centre to continue to provide anything like the level of amazing services and support to vulnerable individuals and families in Leith they provide now.
“I find it shocking there has been no dialogue with any of the organisations involved, no impact assessment of the consequences of this cut in funding and by the wholesale lack of transparency throughout the grant process.
“This will, I greatly fear, have long term impacts and consequences wider than the organisations involved, impacting communities already reeling from Westminster Tory cuts.”
The Spirit of Leithers Facebook page also commented: “We try not to do current affairs too much on the Spirit of Leithers page, but come on CEC – the Citadel Youth Centre has been a Leith institution for decades.
“It is a shocking blow for Leith and many individuals and groups in the community. This project has supported so many Leithers over decades by delivering a superb service and saving the Council significant funding as a result of its preventative and direct work.
“I hope we will hear much more about the thinking behind this and a change of heart from City of Edinburgh Council.”
Members of the public are being invited to offer feedback on plans to redevelop the bingo hall located on Leith’s Manderston Steet.
Developer Longstone (2) Limited has unveiled plans to conserve and redevelop the existing building into new student homes. This is in response to a local desire to preserve the building, located in the Leith Conservation Area, and address a ‘chronic undersupply of student accommodation in the capital’.
The proposals follow the decision by the current operators of the bingo hall, Club 3000, to move to new premises in nearby Ocean Terminal in summer 2024.
The conservation and retention of the property does restrict its potential uses and following the building’s inclusion in the Leith Conservation Area, the potential to use the site for housing was explored.
However, the building is not well-suited to a residential conversion and a viable scheme would fail to comply with many of the Council’s planning policies for new housing (for example, dual aspect dwellings and minimum open space requirements). If housing were to be delivered, it would require the demolition of the building.
The proposed use as student homes allows for the creation of a high-quality development that complies with the Council’s student housing policies, while also retaining and enhancing the elements of the building that contribute to the surrounding Conservation Area.
The existing building is in poor condition and is extremely energy inefficient. In 2020, Historic Environment Scotland (Scotland’s heritage agency) assessed the building for potential listed status and concluded that it did not meet the criteria of special architectural or historic interest.
The use of the space for student homes, will also serve to free up residential properties that otherwise would have been used by students, whose numbers in Edinburgh’s universities have grown by over 25% between 2016/17 and 2021/22 (Cushman & Wakefield Student Needs Assessment, July 2023).
The public consultation event will take place on Wednesday 17th January 2024 between 4:00pm and 7:30pm in McDonald Road Library, 2-8 McDonald Road, Edinburgh EH7 4LU.
Exhibition boards detailing the project will be available at the event, as well as from the project website (www.manderston-street.co.uk) from 9am on the day of the event.
Feedback forms will also be available, and attendees are encouraged to share their views. The form will also be available on the website and all feedback should be returned by Wednesday 31 January.
A Longstone (2) Limited spokesperson said: “The local community has expressed a strong desire to conserve the former mill building and our plans for the site allow us to do this.
“While enhancing the character of the Conservation Area, the conversion of the building will help to relieve pressure on the local housing market. The proposals will also deliver considerable economic benefits in terms of the construction and operation of the development, and with students spending money in local shops and other outlets.
“We are keen to welcome local residents to our public consultation event and to working with them as we progress the development.”
CITY Councillors have today (10 January) given their unanimous approval for a major planning application redeveloping the Ocean Terminal centre at Leith waterfront.
The Ocean Terminal Masterplan has been in development and consultation with the local community since 2020, and promises to deliver a sustainable new neighbourhood on Leith’s waterfront with the provision of new homes in addition to community amenities, health and leisure facilities for people from all over the Capital and further afield.
Planning consent for the first phase of the masterplan, for part-demolition of the multi-storey car park and former Debenhams retail unit, was received in autumn 2022. Phase 2, which has received approval from councillors today, will deliver the full Masterplan with the provision of a pedestrian-centred waterfront, new mixed-use community amenities comprising residential, retail and commercial spaces, and high-quality public realm spaces.
During the hearing of City of Edinburgh Council’s Development Management Sub-Committee, councillors commended the developer’s attention to detail and incorporation of key Council and national priorities including housing provision, green space provision, community amenity and sustainability.
Chris Richardson, Managing Director of Ambassador Investment Management, the Scottish owner of Ocean Terminal, said: ““Having worked closely with residents, businesses, locally-elected representatives and planning officers at the City of Edinburgh Council since 2020, we are delighted to have received approval for our Masterplan today.
“The result of our collaborative engagement with local stakeholders is a development which puts community front and centre.
“Our plans will meet Edinburgh’s housing needs during a housing emergency, support the vibrancy of Leith waterfront with the creation of new commercial units, serve our community through various amenities including a supermarket and medical centre, and embed sustainability.
“With planning approvals in place, we look forward to delivering this vision for a new neighbourhood on Leith’s waterfront.”
The plans amount to a £250 million investment in Leith’s waterfront, retaining and creating over 600 local jobs, with further job opportunities during the construction phase, and had won the support of neighbouring businesses and community groups.
Brendan Reilly, President of Leith Chamber of Commerce said:“We at the Leith Chamber of Commerce are delighted to hear that the proposed transformation of Ocean Terminal has gained consent.
“The redevelopment of this area will improve and add significant enjoyment value to the cosmopolitan and European feel that visitors and residents alike already experience when spending time in this thriving area that is Leith.”
Over 530 new homes with multiple tenure options will be constructed under the Masterplan, with a key focus being residential amenity with secure courtyard gardens and raised terraces.
Opening up access to the waterfront and The Royal Yacht Britannia via an extension to Ocean Drive, the project will re-connect the new neighbourhood back to Leith. Together with the re-imagined retail centre, the high-quality public realm spaces will create a safe, vibrant neighbourhood and new waterfront destination for the wider community.
Neil Whatley, Associate Director at Keppie Design which developed the architectural design of the proposals, said: “Keppie is delighted that the City of Edinburgh Council has approved the proposals for Phase 2 of the re-imaging of the existing retail centre, securing its future retention and operation as a key local amenity and introducing a new, residential-led, mixed-use neighbourhood.
“Ambassador Investment Management’s bold and determined vision will allow the Ocean Terminal project to buck the current trend for whole-scale retail demolition – instead retaining and reimagining the existing asset, creating an outward looking development, integrated into a wider, residential-led urban environment that embodies the rich history, character and vibrant spirit of Leith.”
Colin Smith, Director, Head of Planning Scotland at Turley, acting for Ambassador Investment Management said:“This approval marks a significant milestone in Ocean Terminal and Leith’s regeneration, completing the strategic reshaping of Ocean Terminal from an inward-looking, retail and leisure driven commercial centre, to an outward-looking, mixed-use town centre.
“The dynamic neighbourhood will enhance the quality of living, working and leisure space for all, including new public realm next to the waterfront.
“Key sustainability and climate change objectives from the National Planning Framework 4 – which supports the recycling of assets, such as brownfield land, promotes local living and compact urban growth – are delivered by this development, providing convenient, accessible, mixed-tenure living, well connected to the wider city.”
Film lovers in Edinburgh are now able to experience the latest upgrades in big screen entertainment as Vue Edinburgh Omni completes its major refurbishment project, installing luxury recliner seating in all 12 screens onsite.
Set within the Edinburgh Omni Shopping Centre in the heart of the Scottish capital, the eagerly awaited transformation includes 976 luxury leather recliner seats – all of which come complete with a fold away table and cup holder.
Customers can escape to luxury while enjoying the latest blockbuster releases this December, including Wonka and Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom in 4k quality and Digital Dolby surround site.
To mark the launch of Wonka, the cinema chain has also launched a limited-edition Bubblegum Tango Ice Blast flavour, as well as installing an exclusive Wonka themed backdrop – perfect for capturing a sweet selfie with family and friends during a visit to Vue Edinburgh Omni.
The recent completion of Edinburgh Omni means both Vue sites, including Vue Edinburgh Ocean, are now fully installed with luxury recliner seatings – providing premium comfort for film fans to get lost in the big screen entertainment.
Robert Smith, General Manager of Vue Edinburgh Omni, said: “We are thrilled to unveil our brand new luxury recliner seating across all 12 screens on site – the transformation will allow film fans to enjoy a fantastic trip to the big screen in the best seats possible.
“Our customers can expect to enjoy the very best in big screen entertainment including the latest blockbusters, classic titles and the best in live music, sport and theatre, all from the comfort of our signature recliner seating.”
Tickets are available now, with every film, every day available from £7.99 when booked online. More information and tickets are available at:
