Work to restore the iconic timber groynes on Portobello beach has been completed by the city council.
The five timber groynes constructed in the 1970s help to hold sand in place to prevent further erosion of the Capital’s important coastline.
In November 2021, one of them was damaged during Storm Arwen and partially collapsed. Following a survey of all of the groynes, work was commissioned to repair and restore them.
Cllr Stephen Jenkinson, Transport and Environment Convener, said:“By investing half a million pounds in the repair of the groynes we are helping to protect the sand and coastal environment at Portobello so locals and visitors can continue to enjoy this popular beach in Edinburgh for many years to come.
“This announcement is very timely as we are promoting all the work the Council is doing to address climate change as part of ‘Climate Week’.
“Unfortunately, due to the climate emergency, storms are becoming all too common and I’m really pleased their restoration means we have good protection in place. It’s also great to hear the excess timber wasn’t wasted and was donated to locals including a community garden and artists.
“The iconic groyne structures are well known to locals and visitors and have become part of the landscape in the area so it’s great to see them restored to their former glory.”
Communities across Scotland, including groups in the Hebrides, Shetland and two projects in Edinburgh are to benefit from a share of £1.5 million Scottish Government funding aimed at supporting community renewable energy generation projects.
A total of 19 community groups from across Scotland, including groups in Eigg, Bressay, Tiree, Fair Isle, Barra and Arran, will share funding from the Community Energy Generation Growth Fund. This will support them to develop their own renewable energy projects, including installing wind turbines and solar panels to meet local needs.
The organisations will also be able to earn money from their projects by, for example, selling the excess energy generated back to the grid.
The fund forms part of the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES), which to date, has awarded more than £65 million in funding to over 900 renewable projects across the country.
The pilot scheme will inform longer-term support for community-owned energy generation projects through CARES.
Acting Minister for Climate Action, Alasdair Allan said: “I am pleased the fund has provided support to so many locally owned energy generation projects – particularly those in our island communities.
We are fully committed to ensuring that all areas of Scotland are able to thrive and contribute to a growing sustainable economy and renewable projects like these will help reduce energy costs, generate revenue and help drive Scotland’s transition to net zero.
“It is crucial that communities are at the heart of Scotland’s ambition to become a renewable energy powerhouse – and this fund helps to ensure that they can lead and benefit from this era defining transition.”
Director of Eigg Electric Labhaoise McKenna said: “Eigg Electric is delighted to be a recipient of the Community Energy Generation fund. As a pioneer of community energy generation, we value this support to help us to plan for and further develop our renewable system.
“This fund will help us build a more resilient island community and help us on our journey to 2030 carbon net zero.”
Fort Seafield And Wallacetown Community Association
Installation of solar panels on three school buildings in Wallacetown, with power generated sold to the Local Authority. The funding will be used to fund purchase of equipment.
£151,512
Arran Community Renewables
A 4 MW solar farm on Arran. Funding will be used for grid connection, a planning application and project management costs.
£220,828
Radical Renewable Art and Activism Community Energy Society Limited, Glasgow
Rooftop solar PV on 7 community buildings and 2 local businesses in Glasgow. Funding will be used for site permissions, detailed design work and consents.
£68,850
Fife Communities Climate Action Network CIC
Ground-mounted solar PV across 4-6 sites. Funding is for grid connection, legal agreement, planning costs and technical development.
£58,074
Arnish Community Windfarm Ltd
Up to seven 4-5MW wind turbines. Funding is for a grid connection.
£38,000
Sunart Community Renewables Ltd
300kw ground mounted solar. Funding is for feasibility work.
£17,844
Sunart Community Renewables Ltd
800kw wind turbine. Funding is for feasibility work.
£20,884
Radio City Association, Kilbirnie
A 3MW wind turbine project. Funding is to support feasibility work.
£10,000
Carluke Development Trust (on behalf of the ONECarluke Community Energy Project up).
Rooftop solar and battery storage at four sites. Funding is for equipment and installation costs.
£233,260
Tiree Community Enterprise Limited
Solar PV array with battery storage, to support EV storage and resilience. Funding sought for equipment and installation costs.
£113,500
Eigg Electric Ltd
Three 100kwh wind turbines and infrastructure upgrade to support increased capacity, to support decarbonisation of Eigg by 2030. Funding is to support grid infrastructure upgrades.
£86,766
Knock and Swordale Community Company Limited
3-6MW wind turbine. Funding is for options appraisal and planning work.
£20,000
Fair Isle Electricity Company Ltd
Ground mounted solar array to provide power to the Fair Isle Bird Observatory. Funding is for equipment and installation costs.
£137,361
Edinburgh Community Solar Ltd (Edinburgh Community Solar Co-op)
2.5MW solar array on 16 council sites, including 7 schools and a number of leisure buildings. Funding is for development costs.
£84,960
Porty Community Energy
Solar bond project, exploring putting solar on 6 community buildings. Funding is for a feasibility study and work on consents and permissions.
£44,088
Zero Carbon Daviot
1MW ground mounted solar PV. Funding is to support feasibility work.
£15,000
Barra and Vatersay Community Ltd
Repowering for Barra community turbine, with learning to be applied to other repowering projects. Funding is to explore an engineering solution to support repowering.
£23,000
Huntly Development Trust Limited
A wind generation project on Gartly Moor, forming part of a wider project of up to 20MW of wind, solar and potentially green hydrogen. Funding will be used for grid and planning, including addressing aviation issues.
£138,141
Blairgowrie and Rattray Development Trust
Ground and/or roof mounted solar. Funding is for feasibility work.
£10,000
Bressay Development Ltd
Solar PV and battery storage on a brownfield site. Funding is for feasibility work.
A popular children’s book author took time out of writing recently to read a book to youngsters which aims to spread crucial messages to help keep children safe from abuse.
Bruna De Luca (47), who lives in Melrose in the Scottish Borders, was delighted when the children at the Sighthill library event joined in with all the catchphrases when she read from the NSPCC’s Talk PANTS story which features a colourful animated dinosaur, called Pantosaurus, and her own book ‘I’m Not Cute, I’m Dangerous’.
The Pantosaurus book and animation, which features a fun song, helps children to understand the talk PANTS messages which includes that their body belongs to them, that they have a right to say no, and they should tell a safe adult they trust if anything makes them feel upset or worried.
Bruna, mum of two girls aged 10 and seven, said:“As a parent of young children I love how the Talk PANTS book approaches such a tricky topic without introducing fear or ideas that children might worry about.
“It helps parents and carers to talk about this subject in a positive and reassuring way that won’t make their child feel anxious.
“The children really enjoyed hearing these stories and it was lovely to see the delight on their faces when a life-sized Pantosaurus visited too!
“Many of the children already knew the words to the Talk PANTS song and they joined in. They were having so much fun that they didn’t even know they were learning some very important messages at the same time.”
Talk PANTS gives parents, carers and professionals advice on how to have simple, age-appropriate conversations with children to help keep them safe from sexual abuse.
This event was part of the NSPCC’s Edinburgh Talk PANTS campaign to help protect young children from sexual abuse which has resulted in approximately 4,110 Talk PANTS conversations with people in the city since it launched last September.
Edinburgh, Talk PANTS is being delivered by NSPCC Scotland, the Edinburgh Child Protection Committee and a wide range of partners across the city to spread the NSPCC’s Talk PANTS message.
During the past year, local PANTS professionals have been trained to deliver the campaign messages and resources to other professionals and families across Edinburgh through webinars and workshops.
And several awareness raising events have been held across the city for parents, carers and children, including a fun family day with Pantosaurus at Edinburgh Zoo and family sessions at Edinburgh Book Festival.
Carla Malseed, NSPCC Scotland Local Campaigns Manager, said:“We are very grateful to Bruna for supporting this campaign – the children absolutely loved meeting her and listening to her story as well as The Power of PANTS.
“We know that a simple conversation can make a big difference in helping to keep children safe and that’s what Talk PANTS is all about.
“With the help of our fun, loving dino – Pantosaurus – we’ve already reached thousands of people across the city, and we’re looking forward to having more conversations at upcoming events.”
Lillian Cringles, Chair of the Edinburgh Child Protection Committee, said: “We’re extremely pleased that this campaign has already helped thousands of parents, carers and professionals to have such important conversations with children about their bodies and how to stay safe.
“I’d urge families to look out for other events on our web pages to learn more about the TalkPANTS message.”
There will be a reading of Pantosaurus and the Power of PANTS and a special visit from the friendly dinosaur at Portobello Book Festival on Saturday, 5 October – following bookbug. For more information, visit: EdinburghTalkPANTS
Anyone with concerns about the welfare of a child can call the NSPCC’s free and confidential helpline on 0808 800 5000 or email: help@NSPCC.org.uk for advice.
Children and young people can contact Childline about anything that may be worrying them by calling 0800 1111 or by visiting: www.childline.org.uk
The NSPCC would like to thank Baker-Ross for their donation of children’s craft packs.
A masterplan to transform Seafield in north-east Edinburgh into a new environmentally friendly neighbourhood, was published yesterday by the Council.
The masterplan will also connect its coastline to the surrounding communities in Leith, Portobello and Craigentinny.
Currently, the area is primarily made up of car showrooms, trades, light industry as well as Lothian Buses’ Marine Depot and the Council’s Seafield Household Waste Recycling Centre. The draft ‘Seafield Place Brief’ and ‘Draft Seafield Masterplan’ have been produced to add detail to the allocation in the Council’s local development plan, City Plan 2030, as one of 44 pieces of land across Edinburgh allocated as an ‘Opportunity Site’ for development.
Planning Convener, Councillor James Dalgleish said: “Our draft plan focuses on the creation of a new environmentally friendly neighbourhood at Seafield to help address the city’s housing emergency.
“Options for higher density flats, with the clear aim of 35% of homes on site being affordable, are being explored with stunning views across the Firth of Forth alongside excellent community facilities.
“We’re estimating the site could potentially deliver as many as 2,700 homes with a range of other styles of housing such as colonies and townhouses. We’ll also make sure there are opportunities for employment and community uses.
“Our bold vision to transform this area would open up the Seafield section of Edinburgh’s coastline creating an attractive and seamless promenade linking to the waterfront communities that already exist on either side.
“I’d like to thank the local people and businesses whose views have helped get us to this stage and I look forward to receiving further feedback from the upcoming consultation to help us finalise our plans.”
A new primary school, GP surgery and plenty of green space are also proposed for Seafield as well as a Waterfront Park. Improved public transport, walking, cycling and wheeling routes linking to the wider area are also included. The provision of a heat network to help the city with its net zero target is planned. This would also help to keep utility bills down for future residents.
The area under consideration stretches from Seafield Street in the north to King’s Road in the south. The eastern boundary of the site is the Forth Estuary, while the western boundary is defined by a railway line and by Seafield Recreation Area. Seafield Road East, part of the A199, runs through much of the site. As Seafield is a coastal area, work is also ongoing with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to make sure we mitigate against any future flood risk.
If approved for consultation by the Planning Committee next week, residents, businesses and other organisations interested in the area will be asked to give their views on the ‘Draft Seafield Place Brief’ and ‘Draft Seafield Masterplan’, developed following extensive consultation with local people and businesses.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have updated their advice on bathing at Portobello Central after the latest water quality samples showed no risk to the public.
Results of a sample taken at Portobello Central bathing water on Thursday, 11th July showed water quality had returned to satisfactory levels and signage advising against bathing will be removed.
Signage was changed on Wednesday, 10th July to advise against bathing as a precautionary measure after analysis of routine samples indicated a high bacterial result. SEPA liaised closely with the City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Water.
A spokesperson for SEPA said: “Following visual checks of the beach and water sampling by our officers, SEPA have confirmed there is no impact on water quality at Portobello Central bathing water and will remove the signs advising against bathing.
“Water sampling will continue to take place throughout the bathing season as part of routine testing.
“We continue to work with our partners to improve Scotland’s water environment and make our summer visits to the beach safer and more enjoyable.”
As a result of analysis of routine samples, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have indicated a high bacterial result in the water at Portobello Beach.
SEPA are temporarily advising against bathing and paddling, at Portobello Beach from Pipe Lane to Joppa Rocks, due to the potential risk to human health. SEPA have activated electronic signs and the Council is arranging additional signs to be posted to support this.
SEPA are working closely with the City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Water to investigate and will continue to monitor the situation.
Council Leader Cammy Day said: “We’re aware of SEPA’s current advice against bathing and paddling at Portobello beach and I’d request that people follow the advice.
“The matter is currently under investigation, and we’ll continue to liaise with SEPA and our partners to monitor the situation.”
New Edinburgh East and Musselburgh MP Chris Murray said: “Horrible to see Porty beach is closed due to a threat to human health.
“Please take care in the coming days and stay out of the water. As the local MP, I will be pushing to get this issue dealt with.”
Further information on Scotland’s Bathing Waters is available on SEPA’s website.
Glasgow-based, award-winning architecture firm Loader Monteith has been appointed to lead a design team undertaking detailed feasibility work on a community cinema project in Portobello,
The commission, by The Friends of George (FoTG) group, is supported by the award of a grant from The Architectural Heritage Fund.
The design team’s work will dovetail into an in-depth commercial and operational assessment being undertaken by independent cinema consultants, Mustard Studios, whose work is being funded by a grant from the Scottish Land Fund.
Loader Monteith approached Stefanie Fischer, a leading cinema architect within the UK’s independent cinema sector to join their team as a subconsultant. Her expertise as a cinema architect complements the expertise of Loader Monteith Architects as conservation architects.
The appointment of the Loader Monteith led team builds on a long running campaign by FoTG who have been working to save the art deco former cinema from demolition. With strong support from within their community, FoTG hope to acquire and restore the C-listed building, and operate it as a cinema for the community. These latest commissions will develop and refine the group’s ambitious plans and will also include input from educational and film industry partners.
Mike Griffiths, Friends of the George Chair said: “We are delighted to be able to appoint such an expert team of professionals to develop and refine our proposals as we continue to point the way towards a positive future for The George not only in the heart of the community of Portobello, but more broadly, to play a role in the cinema sector in Scotland.
“The consultants we have working on this bring extensive expertise and experience to the project and will be led by a firm of architects with a burgeoning reputation for exciting contemporary architectural design, deployed to breathe new life into historic buildings.
“We’re extremely grateful for the financial support we have received from the Architectural Heritage Fund, the Scottish Land Fund and our benefactor Victoria Schwab.”
Iain King, Specialist Conservation Architect and Director at Loader Monteith, said:“We are pleased to have been selected as the lead architects, alongside our expert team of consultants, to support the Friends of The George in developing the proposal for the George Cinema.
“Despite the building currently being on the Buildings at Risk Register, it benefits from strong community support and the dedication of the Friends of The George, a group committed to preserving this Art Deco gem and restoring it as a sustainable, independent cinema.
“We look forward to collaborating with them on this important project.”
Last year, Friends of The George Limited had the cinema building formally valued by a firm of professional surveyors and made an offer to purchase it as a “restoring purchaser”, based on that valuation. Funds for purchase were very generously offered by benefactor, writer V.E Schwab.
This offer was rejected by the current owners of the building who have tried – and failed – twice in recent years to secure consent to substantially demolish The George and develop the site with luxury flats.
Most recently, last October, Historic Environment Scotland (HES) published their decision notice on the application by the current owner to have The George ‘delisted’. HES confirmed that the building continues to meet the criteria of special architectural and historic interest and so there will be no statutory change to the current ‘C’ listing designation.
Recent silent, community protests, independent of the FoTG group, have called on the current owner of the building to clear up the mess outside of the cinema and to address the continued neglect and dereliction of the building.
