Tag: city council

Trinity student educates councillors about climate change

Councillors to take a lead from city’s youth

Trinity Academy pupil Sandy Boyd is one of the leading lights behind today’s Edinburgh Youth Climate Strike, which is expected to attract around 10,000 people onto the capital’s streets to demand action on climate change.

Sandy met councillors at the City Chambers yesterday to explain the reasons for the youth action and to encouraged the ‘auld yins’ to follow the lead of young people across the globe.

School strike actions will take place in 150 countries today and are the latest – and likely to be the biggest so far – in a series of actions first initiated by Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg last year.

Young people will be central to the development of plans to make Edinburgh carbon neutral by 2030, senior councillors have pledged.

Depute Leader (and former youth worker) Cammy Day and SNP Councillor Ellie Bird, who is Edinburgh’s ‘young people’s tsar’, are joint leaders of the city council during the absence of council leader Cllr Adam McVey. The Forth councillors  invited Sandy to meet them in the City Chambers yesterday.
In a ‘positive and productive’ discussion, they agreed that young people would be at the core of the city’s climate change strategy.
Cllr Day said: “It was really encouraging to meet Sandy today and we definitely see this as the start of a meaningful dialogue to ensure that young people and their ideas are absolutely at the heart of our plans for a carbon neutral city by 2030.
“He shared a number of very useful ideas on how we can best communicate with our younger citizens, such as organising meetings outwith school hours and avoiding rigid agendas in favour of inviting participants to set the themes and discussion topics themselves.”
Cllr Bird said: “We’re working with partners to pull together plans for a major climate conference in Edinburgh in early 2020 and at our meeting today we committed to engage fully with Sandy and his peers so that they’re integral to this event.
“We’re looking forward to many more opportunities to hear directly from and work closely with the young people of this city. Their voices are critical to any debate about the future of the planet.”
The Forth councillors are among a number of city councillors who plan to attend today’s march in the city centre.
Cllr Day added: “I think we and all our partners, including Police Scotland, fully support the right of residents of all ages to make their voices heard peacefully.
I’m looking forward to a positive, safe and good-natured event that will go down in our city’s history books for all the right reasons.”
Cllr Bird added: “Sandy and his group are to be congratulated for everything they’re doing to get this vital issue high up on the news agenda and I wish them all the best for a great turnout.”

City parking proposals ‘respond to community concerns’

Telford to become a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ)

Councillors have approved recommendations to progress proposals addressing parking pressures across Edinburgh, following the publication of findings from a citywide strategic review of parking.

The decision will see 25 new Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) created across the city and a host of Priority Parking Areas will also be introduced.

Continue reading City parking proposals ‘respond to community concerns’

New housing phase completed at Western Harbour

Housing Minister Kevin Stewart met new residents during a visit to Western Gateway  last week. The Minister’s visit marked the completion of the first phase of mid-rent housing delivery at Western Harbour. Continue reading New housing phase completed at Western Harbour

£314 million City Centre transformation plan submitted for approval

A “game-changing” £314m plan to transform Edinburgh’s city centre over the next 10 years has been submitted for approval.

The Edinburgh City Centre Transformation Strategy (ECCT), which has been developed by the City of Edinburgh Council, already has full funding in place for the first five years. It is estimated the strategy will deliver £420m of benefits over a 25-year period through investment in improved public spaces, inclusive access and prioritisation of travel on foot, by bicycle and on public transport. Continue reading £314 million City Centre transformation plan submitted for approval

Lower Granton Road improvements complete

Some of the city’s youngest cyclists pedalled through the rain to officially open a newly-improved active travel route beside Lower Granton Road earlier this week.

Trinity Primary pupils help test out the newly-improved active travel route at Lower Granton Road

Pupils from Trinity Primary, led by MyAdventure guides, helped test out the upgraded shared use path along McKelvie Parade, which forms part of the city’s QuietRoute cycling and walking network on Wednesday. Continue reading Lower Granton Road improvements complete

Have your say on west Edinburgh improvements

A series of engagement events will be held this month to gather views on public realm improvements planned in the west of Edinburgh.

Changes, including landscaping, are proposed at a number of locations as part of the broader West Edinburgh Link project, which aims to transform walking, cycling and public spaces around South Gyle and local communities. Continue reading Have your say on west Edinburgh improvements

Green Pencil Award – Going, going, gone: Scotland’s wildlife in danger?

Our successful environmentally themed creative writing competition, open to all P4-P7 aged children in Edinburgh and, once again, to young people in S1-3, is running again this year.

A lot of attention has been given recently to climate change and its effects on the natural environment, so this year our theme is, ‘Going, Going, Gone -Scottish Wildlife in Danger?’ Continue reading Green Pencil Award – Going, going, gone: Scotland’s wildlife in danger?