Category: Saughton

Six month Gorgie Road closure to ‘enhance West Edinburgh’s water environment’

A major £3 million Scottish Water project on a key arterial route linking west Edinburgh with the city centre is about to get underway.

Gorgie Road will be closed between Robb’s Loan and Hutchison Crossway for approximately SIX MONTHS from Sunday (25 January 2026).

The existing unscreened overflow is to be replaced by a new overflow chamber with a powered screen to filter out sewer related debris during heavy rain.

Part of Scottish Water’s £500million Improving Urban Waters programme, the project will protect the nearby Water of Leith in Saughton Park.

Senior Project Manager Ethan Gillies Denning said: “We are acutely aware Gorgie Road is one of the key transport routes linking west Edinburgh with the city centre.

“As well as being home to Tynecastle stadium and close to Murrayfield, it is also home to thousands of residents, and crucial for local businesses, schools, universities and emergency services.

“But the road also sits above critical Victorian-era waste water infrastructure that helps protect homes and businesses during heavy rain.

“This project will significantly reduce sewer related debris entering the Water of Leith, supporting cleaner rivers and a healthier local environment for people and wildlife including otters.”

The project is part of Scottish Water’s Improving Urban Waters programme, an additional £500million package of investment to improve the environment and make it more enjoyable for customers to explore their local area.

Working closely with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) Scottish Water has identified priority storm overflows for improvement or replacement for water quality or aesthetic – sewer related debris – reasons.

Under the banner ‘Draining the Rain, Enhancing the Environment’ the investment will help prevent sewer related debris such as wet wipes from entering the environment during periods of rainfall.

Ethan Gillies Denning added: “We have launched a comprehensive campaign of radio and social media adverts to make sure as many as people as possible are aware of the work starting.

“There will inevitably be disruption, but we have worked closely with a range of agencies including Edinburgh City Council and the emergency services to anticipate and mitigate any major issues.

“We would ask people to follow all diversion signs and to allow extra time for journeys particularly at peak times and please be patient.”

The project is being delivered by Scottish Water’s alliance partner, Caledonia Water Alliance and is expected to be completed by July 2026.

Happy 15th Anniversary, NEN blog!

NEN PUBLISHED OUR FIRST BLOG POST ON THIS DAY IN 2011

The very first NEN blog post was published on this day in 2011. The post read:

Hello, and welcome to the brand new NEN blog.

For those of you not already familiar with the newspaper, we are a local community paper serving the North Edinburgh community. We’ve been here for over thirty years.

This blog, along with our new Facebook page and Twitter stream, represents our first foray into the world of social media.  We really want to encourage more participation, more questions and ideas from the North Edinburgh community – both online and offline – and hope that these new tools will help us to do that.

We already have a good website, where you can always find the latest edition of the printed newspaper. The blog won’t be replacing that, but will instead be there to show people the latest news about the area, and also to help us cover the current funding crisis we are facing as an organisation.

Above all, we want to include your input on the blog – be it ideas for stories, comments, pictures and events. So get in touch!

The NEN’s website was sadly deleted when funding ceased but our social media presence continues on both Twitter and Facebook and the blog is still going strong with 10 – 12 posts daily.

2025 was the NEN blog’s busiest ever year with 36,000 visitors. As I write this we’ve published more than 38,000 posts – all of these remain accessible online – and we’re currently on a run of publishing on 2749 consecutive days.

When the NEN office in Crewe Road North closed much of the NEN archive material was lost, but thankfully some of our picture library was salvaged and can now be found at granton:hub (Madelvic House), where the volunteer archive team has also collated all remaining hard copies of the North Edinburgh News newspaper.

Hopefully, between the physical archive and the NEN blog, you can find all you need to know about our community’s rich history – and we’re adding to that history every day!

Drylaw winding down for holidays but community larder still open next week

That’s us winding down for the year now – most of our groups have started their holiday, and soon the staff and the centre will too – next Friday!

However, our Community Larder is open as usual next week – so do come along to pick up some food. We know this time of year can be difficult, so we are well-stocked, thanks to Tummies Not Trash.

If you are able and would like to, get along to their Christmas Eve event – we are closed from Friday 19th, so it’s a good opportunity to access some surplus food.

Details below:

Pedestrian critical following Ferrari collision

Policing officers are appealing for information following a serious road crash in Stennhouse.

The incident happened around 8.50pm last night (Saturday, 25 October, 2025) on Stenhouse Drive, just west of its junction with Stenhouse Grove, and involved a red Ferrari 488 Spider and a pedestrian.

Emergency services attended and the pedestrian, a 26-year-old man, was taken to hospital for treatment where he remains in a critical condition.

The road was closed to allow enquiries to be carried out and reopened around 12.20am on Sunday, 26 October, 2025.

Officers are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the crash to assist.

Following enquiries, it is believed a white saloon type car was driving ahead of the Ferrari prior to the collision and may have witnessed what happened.

Sergeant Grant Hastie said: “We are appealing to anyone who was in the area around the time of this incident to please contact us with any information that may assist.

“In addition, anyone with CCTV or dash-cam footage is asked to get in touch.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting reference 3121 of 25 October, 2025.

Edinburgh football club receives £3,000 boost from local home builder

Persimmon’s donation supports Hutchison Vale’s youth trip to Newcastle and new team kits

Persimmon Homes East Scotland has donated £3,000 to Hutchison Vale Football Club, helping to support one of Edinburgh’s most iconic grassroots football organisations.

The donation, made through Persimmon’s Community Champions initiative, helped fund a recent trip to Newcastle, where the club’s youth teams competed in a football competition, gaining valuable experience and making memories that will last a lifetime. As part of the support, the Persimmon logo will also feature on the 2015 squad’s kit, worn proudly in the club’s traditional yellow and black colours.

Hutchison Vale FC, based at Ford’s Road in Saughton, was originally founded in 1940 to provide footballing opportunities for boys in the Hutchison area and surrounding communities. Now, the club supports 400–500 boys and girls across 20 teams, with players ranging from under 10s to under 20s, along with a thriving Junior Academy for children aged five to eight.

The club has produced more than 30 Scottish international players and countless others who have gone on to play professionally, including Paul Hanlon, Leigh Griffiths, Allan McGregor, Kenny Miller, and John Collins. Other former players include Gregor Townsend, Scotland’s national rugby coach, and rising boxing star Lee McGregor.

Neil Parry, Managing Director of Persimmon Homes East Scotland, said:
“Hutchison Vale has a proud tradition of developing young talent while instilling the values of discipline, teamwork and respect.

“We’re delighted to support their trip to Newcastle and help ensure the next generation continues to benefit from all that the club has to offer.”

Tam Smith, Club Leader, said: “We are very grateful for this generous donation. It will make a huge difference in ensuring our boys have a fantastic experience at their tournament in Newcastle.

“With funding becoming tighter each year, this support is invaluable to our voluntary organisation.”

Persimmon Homes East Scotland donates up to £6,000 every quarter to local organisations and charities through its Community Champions programme, supporting groups that make a real difference in their communities.

To find out more or apply for a Community Champions grant, visit: 

www.persimmonhomes.com/community-champions

SGN: Improvement work in Gorgie starts on Monday

From Monday 2 June SGN will be upgrading the gas network in Gorgie Road.

Work is taking place in Gorgie Road, near its junction with Stenhouse Drive. This particular location has experienced multiple gas leaks in recent years and by upgrading our pipes now, we can prevent future emergency work and disruption.

Temporary traffic lights and a road closure will be in place around our working area. These lights will ensure traffic flow can be maintained and vehicles can safely pass our site and excavations in the carriageway.

For the duration of the project, Stenhouse Drive will be closed and local diversion routes will be in place for motorists.

You will find more information and details here:

https://sgn.co.uk/…/major-planned…/gorgie-road-edinburgh

Over 150 children and young people take part in The Big Sports Day

In a first-of-its-kind event for the city, over 150 children and young people from Special Schools and mainstream primary and secondary schools took part in The Big Sports Day.

The event was held at the Saughton Athletics Track and invoilved children and young people with with a physical disability learn,ing difficulty or autism.

Organised by the City of Edinburgh Council’s Active Schools team and Youth Work Development Workers based at Gorgie Mills school, children and young people took part in a range of sports, facilitated by a range of trusted providers, including: football, frame running, cycling, tennis, karate, rugby, archery, cricket and lots more.

Groups of pupils rotated around three or four specific activity stations catering to their individual needs and abilities. Edinburgh College students volunteered their support on the day.

The event was partly funded through the Edinburgh 900 fund with a one -off amount secured to run The Big Sports Day event.

Councillor Joan Griffiths, Education, Children and Families Convener, said: “It is truly fantastic to see that this community event was attended by so many learners from across the city and to hear that a great time was had by all!

“Having fun through sport and keeping active is an important part of the curriculum across all Edinburgh schools and it’s brilliant that learners had the chance to try out a range of different sports.”

Dangerous driving in Saughton Road North: Witness Appeal

Road Policing officers in Edinburgh are appealing for information and witnesses following an incident of dangerous driving in the Saughton Road North area.

Officers are aware of a video circulating on social media showing a Honda Civic speeding at 82mph and overtaking numerous vehicles into oncoming traffic.

Enquiries so far have established the video was uploaded on Monday, 6 January, 2025.

Enquiries to trace the vehicle and identify the driver are ongoing, and anyone with information is urged to come forward.

Constable Alexander Marshall, from the Edinburgh Road Policing Unit, said: “This was an extremely irresponsible and reckless act, not only to be speeding at over 80mph in a 20mph zone, but to also use a mobile phone filming yourself while doing so.

“Putting the public at risk in such a manner will not be tolerated.”

“We are asking for anyone who may have witnessed the Honda Civic in question, or can help identify the driver, to please contact police on 101, quoting incident 0555 of 14 January, 2025. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, if you wish to remain anonymous.”

Friday: Coffee at the Rose Garden

Enjoy a cup of coffee, have a chat, meet new people, and take in the beauty of a rose garden – all for a great cause!

Join Macmillan’s coffee morning from 11am to 2pm on Friday, 20 September at Saughton Parks’ Rose Garden to help raise money for charity.

Overdose Awareness Day: Memorial Service at Saughton Park Bandstand

Please share this event to remember those lost to their battles with substance use on Overdose Awareness Day.

https://ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/edinburgh/saughton-park-gardens/memorial-service-for-overdose-awareness-day/e-deyjrp…?