Tag: city council

Walled Garden campaigners to state their case

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The Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden will be laying out their plans to landowners later today. Developers plan to build housing on the waterfront site, but the Friends group argues that the historic garden should be brought back to it’s former glory for the use of the local community.

A Friends group delegation will set out their vision for the restoration of the garden as a focus for community renewal in a presentation to  the EDI group’s management team this afternoon.

Granton Castle Walled Garden is currently owned by the EDI Group, an ‘arms-length’ development compnay wholly-owned by the city council, who previously submitted a planning application to build luxury houses on the garden site.

However The Friends group argue that the garden should be:

a garden for all to enjoy, with a range of learning growing and arts activities and a diverse events programme.

a restored market garden run by the local community, supplying organic produce directly to local people, businesses and schools, and

a living heritage garden, serving as a gateway to the waterfront development and a social hub for existing and future communities.

At the meeting, FoGCWG will stress that all local community groups share the aim of retaining the garden as open space.

The Friends prepared specific proposals for the development of the walled garden as a community asset after the EDI Group appointed architects to prepare a new masterplan for Granton Waterfront. FoGCWG are keen that their proposals for the garden should be incorporated in the new masterplan.

Specific features of the proposals include a visitor centre and cafe, a kitchen garden, a heritage orchard, a workshop and demonstration area, a sanctuary garden. a medicinal and pigment garden, a restored glasshouse and a polytunnel.

Friends chairperson Kirsty Sutherland said: “With these proposals, an important part of Granton’s heritage can become a catalyst for development and community renewal on Edinburgh’s Waterfront. They offer a wide range of benefits in terms of health and wellbeing, social cohesion, cross-cultural integration, community education and local capacity-building.

“The restoration of Granton Castle Walled Garden as a community asset is supported by a wide range of local stakeholders and national organisations.”

You can contact the Friends group by email at grantoncastlegardengroup@gmail.com

The group also has a website at https://grantoncastlewalledgarden.wordpress.com/

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Help us deliver ‘re-shaped’ services, pleads council

Council seeks your views on budget priorities

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Edinburgh residents are being asked by the City of Edinburgh Council for their views on reshaping council services as part of public engagement for the 2017/18 budget, which will be set early next year.

This year people will get the chance to contribute ideas of their own on how city services are provided, by having meaningful conversations online with other residents in their local area. Residents will also be able to see the suggestions of others in their community and rate those ideas.

The Council has agreed draft spending and saving plans for the next three years and is now looking for residents’ views on how best to change the delivery of some services.

A seven-week engagement period, beginning today (Friday, 30 September), will run until Friday, 18 November. It will focus on three key themes, new ways of working, lean and agile services and working with partners.

The online survey will ask residents to think about how the changes below could affect them, their community and the city as a whole as well as what challenges and opportunities they present for the Council.

  • Supporting individuals and community groups to become more involved in delivering library services.

  • Developing the ways customers do business with the Council to include more online tools which are accessible and respond to customer needs so that services are delivered right first time.

  • Working with Edinburgh Leisure to maintain access to quality facilities and programmes whilst achieving savings and efficiencies.

The Council will also be working closely with communities, equality groups and partners over the coming months by running workshops around reshaping services, working with communities to agree how local budgets should be spent and creating a city vision for Edinburgh for 2050.

A Question Time event will also be webcast from the City Chambers on Thursday, 10 November to give members of the public a more personal opportunity to ask questions about changes to services.

Councillor Alasdair Rankin, Finance and Resources Convener, said: “We have an increasing population, inflationary pressures, decreased budgets and greater demand for our services so it is really important that we get residents’ views on how we can more efficiently deliver services.

“In previous budget engagements residents told us to protect education, care for older people, culture, and services for vulnerable children and adults. These continue to be our priorities.

“Using our online engagement tools, we’re making it easy for people to contribute their views and ideas, and to understand the different challenges there are reshaping our services.

“We are improving our engagement tools this year by allowing people to speak to other residents in their local area about issues which specifically affect them. This will give us quality feedback on how people would like their services delivered in the future.”

Councillor Bill Cook, Finance Vice-Convener, added: “Everything you say will be taken into account when we draw up the final budget to be considered by Council in early 2017, so we are extremely interested in hearing your views. Whether it’s via the online survey, dialogue page, phone, letter, email or social media we welcome all feedback.”

At a meeting of the Finance & Resources Committee on Thursday, 29 September, councillors approved a report on the draft budget.

The draft budget, online survey and dialogue page can be accessed at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/playyourpart.

Residents can have their say by:

Completing the online survey 

Commenting on the online dialogue page 

Phoning on 0131 200 2305 (8.30am to 5pm Monday to Thursday, 8.30am to 3.40pm Friday)

Writing to Freepost, RSJC-SLXC-YTJY, Budget, Council Leader, City Chambers, High Street Edinburgh EH1 1YJ

Speaking to your local councillor(s)

All together now? Capital sets it’s sights on collective city vision

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Edinburgh residents, businesses, partners and stakeholders are being called upon to share their vision for the Capital’s future. The ‘2050 Edinburgh City Vision’ – which begins development today – will encompass the diverse needs of the city, ensuring it continues to thrive as a great place to live, work and visit over the next 30 years. Continue reading All together now? Capital sets it’s sights on collective city vision

What a waste!

City becoming Auld Reekie once again?

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A war of words is breaking out over the state of Edinburgh’s waste and refuse service. Council leaders are calling on businesses to do their bit to keep the city’s streets and pavements clear but business organisations say the council is using traders as a ‘smokescreen’ to deflect wider waste problems. Continue reading What a waste!

Muirhouse Shopping Centre to be demolished

Gunner to go for good as regeneration plans unveiled

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The mutli-million pound regeneration of Muirhouse and Pennywell has taken another significant step forward with the launch of a consultation exercise on Muirhouse Shopping Centre and the surrounding environment. Continue reading Muirhouse Shopping Centre to be demolished

Hundreds of affordable homes set for Shrubhill

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Housing Minister Kevin Stewart marked the start of work on a new affordable housing development in the capital when he visit Shrubhill yesterday. Mr Stewart joined representatives from the City of Edinburgh Council and property developers Places for People, during his visit to the development which will provide 236 much needed affordable homes in the north of the city. Continue reading Hundreds of affordable homes set for Shrubhill

Don’t let a good thing to to waste

Do your bit during Recycle Week

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The City of Edinburgh Council is encouraging residents to get involved in Recycle Week, which started yesterday. The week, which is co-ordinated by Zero Waste Scotland, aims to get everyone in Scotland recycling more by raising awareness of its benefits and promoting easy ways to do more. Continue reading Don’t let a good thing to to waste

Talking rubbish: council crackdown on trade waste abuse

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The city council has set up a Waste Compliance Team to tackle the illegal disposal of trade waste by businesses, particularly around communal bins. The six person squad – a team leader and five wardens – started their inspections last week. Continue reading Talking rubbish: council crackdown on trade waste abuse

Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden: deputation to Petitions Committee today

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Hi, Friends group members and supporters,

Recent meetings and discussions with architects developing new plans for Granton’s Waterfront have gone really well, with fresh hope for the walled gardens future restoration instead of another housing development. The timescale we have before the developers make a choice determining the gardens future use is short – 5th October Senior Management team meeting.
The council owned developers Waterfront Edinburgh Limited have until now insisted on housing in the garden as the best option, but we have been invited to make a presentation to show a viable horticultural alternative!
The garden is quite overgrown and neglected now as many aerial shots display (see above), but we feel it has great potential and a unique history as the oldest structure on Granton’s Waterfront. Who knows what archaeology lies hidden beneath its rich soil?
Our committee decided at the end of August monthly meeting to take action quickly and focus our efforts.
We now have cross party support from local MSP’s, community councils, many local community groups and other expert organisations for the safeguarding of the walled garden from unnecessary housing development. Follow the link below from the wordpress site displays some of the images from the last month, recent meetings and unexpected breaking news this week.
The petitions committee meets TODAY at 2pm in the City Chambers: we hope to represent the views of the Friends Group members and supporters despite the short notice given of the petition hearing tomorrow.
Below is the outline plan we have drafted showing the possible uses of the 2 acre garden. Outline design below is based on the survey results from the Friends Group ideas questionnaire, the topography, aspect and historic features of the walled garden.
garden-plan
Our committee had an enthusiastic emergency meeting last week led by Ellie to draft the survey ideas into an outline plan for the restored garden. We hope this news finds you well and that more positive news and future events will follow.
As ever please get in touch if you would like to attend our monthly meetings, or weekly community gardening dropins. Feel free to pop by the city chambers today at 2pm if you have the time – moral support and some positive energy welcome!
Next Friends Group meeting likely to be at the end of Sept, date, time and venue tba
Best wishes,
Kirsty Sutherland
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Postal Address
Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden
c/o North Edinburgh Arts
15a Pennywell Court, Edinburgh
EH4 4TZ