The historic London Road clock has returned home after 15 years in storage and following its full restoration, as part of the Trams to Newhaven project.
The clock, which began life on Waverley Bridge in 1857 before being moved to the West End in 1896, was eventually placed at the roundabout on London Road in 1955. It was removed in 2007 during the original tram project and is now being replaced as Trams to Newhaven nears completion.
Specialist clockmakers Smith of Derby have carefully restored the clock, which has involved dismantling it, priming and repainting all parts, hand painting ornate features in gold and repairing the Coat of Arms of Edinburgh, including casting a new deer from aluminium.
The timepiece was returned to Elm Row on Tuesday (16 August) as part of improvements to the public space at Elm Row.
Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said:“I’m sure the return of the London Road clock will be welcome news to many, and thanks to its full restoration it will add a striking finishing touch to the area’s transformation.
“It has a rich history, and I’m sure the clock has witnessed many amazing scenes in Edinburgh.”
John Lawson, City Archaeologist, said: “It has been fascinating to work with Smith of Derby in restoring this iconic clock back to its original condition and with a new striking paint scheme reflecting what we believe to be close to its original Victorian look.
The process has proved more complex than first thought. What was thought to be a simple iron casting in four parts has been revealed by Smith’s conservation work to be a more intricate design, with individual detailed castings added separately to the main column. Along with the Elm Row pigeons, we hope the historic London Road Clock will be enjoyed by all and add to the area’s history.”
Trams to Newhaven remains on schedule for completion by spring 2023 and within the £207.3m budget, with all major construction anticipated to be complete by the end of 2022 ahead of a testing and commissioning period.
The main construction works between Montgomery Street/Annandale Street and Pilrig Street were completed last month (July). Main construction works are also complete on several other sections, including Ocean Terminal to Rennie’s Isle and between Tower Street and Constitution Place and Tower Street and Baltic Street.
Amongst the progress made to date, 93% of track slab has been laid (over 4km), all the necessary utility diversions have been carried out and main construction work is complete on four new tram stops at Constitution Street, McDonald Road, Ocean Terminal and Foot of the Walk, with works progressing well on the Balfour Street and Port of Leith stops.
Several other monuments and public artwork pieces have been refurbished and replaced as part of the project, including the Robert Burns statute at Bernard Street, which was restored and unveiled earlier this year.
In addition, the eight bronze pigeons will be returned to Elm Row this autumn, while work is ongoing to identify an appropriate location for Pilrig Cable Wheels discovered on Leith Walk.
Unite members in Waste and Cleansing in Edinburgh will begin industrial action today over the ‘insulting’ pay offer for local government workers.
Last Friday, COSLA increased the offer from 2% to 3.5%. All three unions of the Scottish Joint Council -Unite, Unison and GMB – immediately rejected the offer.
The NHS have been offered—and look set to reject—5%, so once again local government is treated as the poor relation of the public sector. Local government workers in England have been offered a rise of £1,925.
Edinburgh is the first council to take action, with others following on the 24th.
Pickets and support
The strike takes place from 5am today to 5am on Tuesday 30 August with daily pickets at seven waste depots across the city.
UNITE will be demonstrating at the City Chambers on Thursday 18 August at 9am as part of the industrial action.
Following this, the trade union will join the RMT rally on Waverley Bridge at 10am to foster solidarity among workers and hear from Mick Lynch and Mark Thomas.
THE CITY COUNCIL HAS ISSUED THE FOLLOWING ADVICE:
What to do with your waste and recycling
Communal services
Collections are suspended for all communal waste and recycling bins. Please do not add to full bins. Check nearby bins instead, and when these are all full, store your waste at home, or in your back green or garden if possible. Do not leave bags next to bins unless this is unavoidable, as it can become a hazard.
Keep separating your waste and rinse pots, tubs and trays, and rinse and squash your plastic bottles and aluminium cans, so that these don’t smell while you store them. Flatten cardboard too.
Keep food waste in a sealed container, as cool as possible.
Glass bank services will continue as these are managed by an external contactor.
Kerbside services
Non recyclable waste collections (grey bins)
Suspended. Please do not put your grey bin out. Please keep your waste safe, secure and away from pavements and roads. Consider using a garage, garden or driveway and ensure strong bin bags are properly secured.
Mixed recycling collections (green bins)
Suspended. Please do not put your green bin out. Please keep your recycling clean and flattened, and stored safely.
Food waste collections
Suspended. Please do not put your food bin out. Please ensure your kerbside food waste bin is closed and secured to prevent animal access.
Glass collections (blue box)
Suspended. Please do not put your blue box out. Please rinse bottles and jars and store these at home. Please do not use on street or local bring site recycling points to dispose of your glass. We do not have the staff resources to empty these or clean up fly-tipped material.
Garden waste collections (brown bins)
Suspended. Please do not put your brown bin out. We understand the disappointment this will cause and at the moment, we cannot advise when the service will be running normally again.
We are working on how best to replace the collections affected, and will provide further information on this later.
Report a missed bin
Since normal scheduled collections are suspended, we cannot take reports of missed bins. Please do not present your bin for collection until advised to do so.
Collections of bulky waste items
Suspended. Existing bookings will be honoured where staffing allows. If you have booked a special uplift and we can’t collect it, we will let you know.
Household waste recycling centres
Closed. It will not be possible to book an appointment, and all existing bookings will be contacted by email to cancel.
Request and replacing bins and boxes
Repair and replacement of bins and boxes are suspended. Uplifts of any unwanted waste containers is also suspended.
Litter/ dogs bins and street cleansing
Please also note there will be no street cleansing activities including street sweeping and litter bin emptying. Please either use a bin that’s not full or take it home and double bag it to reduce smells.
Waste reporting and enquires
We have removed all online reporting for waste and cleansing as we are unable to carry out these services during the industrial action.
If you need to report an emergency issue where waste is causing injury or hazard, please phone and listen to the new options carefully. Phone 0131 608 1100, from Monday -Thursday 1000-1600 and Friday 1000-1500. After these hours, phone 0131 200 2000.
You can also email waste@edinburgh.gov.uk with the specific location and details of the issue.
Please be mindful that staff working will be very busy and are all doing their best to deal with a lot of issues at this time.
The Council has published advice and guidance to help residents manage the impact of planned strike action in the city.
The industrial action by members of the GMB and Unite unions, scheduled to last from tomorrow, 18th –30 August, is expected to cause significant disruption to the city’s waste and cleansing services.
Residents are being asked to check the dedicated pages on the Council’s website and social media channels for advice on how to manage their waste safely and responsibly during the strike.
Regular updates on suspended services and on when collections will restart following the strike will be posted as and when they become available.
It is anticipated that all bin collections and street cleaning will be affected. The city’s three recycling centres will be closed and bulky uplift and flytipping services will also be paused as a result of the action.
Commercial waste services for businesses are not collected by the Council and will continue as normal, as will street cleansing on the High Street and Mound Precinct, which are managed by the Fringe Society.
Council leader Cammy Day said:“It’s now looking increasingly likely that industrial action will go ahead here in Edinburgh and in other cities across the country. Together with my fellow council leaders, I’ll continue to press the Scottish Government to resolve this as quickly as possible.
“I firmly believe that all council colleagues deserve to be paid fairly for the work they do and have every right to take this action and have their voices heard. As the lowest funded council in Scotland, it’s time for the Scottish Government to properly fund our Capital city and its services.
“I fully appreciate the impact this action will have on our city and we’re asking residents to be patient and work with us to help manage the inevitable impacts by planning ahead and following our advice.
“We’ve published tips on what to do with their waste and recycling and how they can help us to keep the city as clean as possible during and after the strike.
“We’re also reaching out to our tenants and housing associations, businesses, festivals and other partners asking them to share our messaging and provide whatever support they can during this busy and important time for our Capital city.
“We’re developing a detailed recovery plan so clean ups can begin and services can resume as quickly as possible after the strike.
“Please continue to check our website and social media channels for updates.”
NOTE: The pictures above were taken earlier this week – i.e. BEFORE the strike starts
UNISON, the largest union in local government, met yesterday to discuss COSLA’s latest 3.5% pay offer. The union unanimously agreed to reject this revised offer outright and voted overwhelmingly to continue with their strike plans in councils across Scotland.
UNISON rejected the offer as it has not sufficiently improved, falls far short of the Joint Trade Union’s claim (submitted in January) and falls far short of the current rate of inflation, which continues to rise.
The union also made the point that the offer falls far short of the offer made to council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who have been offered a £1925 flat rate uplift, which equates to a 10.5% increase for those on the lowest wages.
Johanna Baxter, UNISON head of local government said:“This is another derisory pay offer. We are in a ridiculous position of both our employers and the Scottish Government agreeing this 3.5% pay offer is not nearly enough, but both are at logger heads about who should pay for it.
“Meanwhile council workers – over half earn less than £25k per year – are worrying about paying the bills. Inflation is predicted to rise to 13.5% and our members are offered a real-terms pay cut which will plunge more of them into debt.
“We have written to COSLA to tell them the strike continues in waste and recycling and we will confirm dates for strike action in schools and early years in the coming days.”
The City of Edinburgh Council has tweeted: ‘We’re expecting significant disruption to bin collections and street cleaning services due to strike action from Thursday 18 – Tuesday 30 August.
Since the start of May 2022 and over the course of around 40 days, police officers working in south east Edinburgh have carried out proactive road safety work. This proactive work has taken place at least 60 different locations.
The road safety work has been in response to community complaints, identified areas of concern and ensuring children are kept safe walking and cycling to and from school.
Our road safety work consisted of:
Before and after school patrols
Roadside speed checks
General road safety stops
Proactive moving checks of vehicles
Operation Closepass (overtaking cyclists safety)
Ensuring the safety of young people participating in the bike bus
Security bike marking events
Roadside breath tests
Police cycle patrols
Partnership working with our colleagues at Edinburgh City Council and in our Road Policing Unit.
As a result of our activity, we have reported over 50 offences (some motorists were charged with multiple offences) and engaged with well over 100 motorists, offering educational road safety advice on a variety of matters.
Sergeant Grant Robertson, South East Community Policing Team said “we remain committed to keeping your roads safe. We will continue to carry out proactive road safety work across the area alongside our partners.
“Whilst we acknowledge the majority of motorists drive responsibly, everybody has a part to play in keeping our roads safe. You can help by driving to the road speed, but importantly road conditions along with parking responsibly and considerately. Cyclists are vulnerable road users, so please give them plenty space when overtaking, at least 1.5 metres.
“Cyclists should remember that all road restrictions also apply to them. This includes traffic lights on red. Please stop and wait, do not cycle past a traffic light on red. This places you and other road users at unnecessary risk.”
You can follow our work on twitter at @EdinPolSE and look for #OpSlowTime.
Proposals for another ‘net zero’ housing development, as part of the City of Edinburgh Council’s £1.3bn Granton Waterfront regeneration project, have been granted approval by city planners.
This major milestone follows the start of construction work at the £72m, 444-home ‘Western Villages’ project, which is also part of the local authority’s wider regeneration of the area. Over the next ten years 3,500 mixed-tenure homes and associated infrastructure will create a new, sustainable coastal community.
Hart Builders will start work on site in 2023 at Silverlea to deliver 142 high quality sustainable homes, including wheelchair-accessible ground-floor dwellings in a mix of social rent (91) and mid-market rent (51) each benefitting from coastal views and access to parkland.
Cllr Jane Meagher, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “I’m delighted with today’s decision. We’ve reached another major milestone on our Granton Waterfront project to deliver much needed sustainable affordable housing in the area. I recently visited our Western Villages development nearby and was very pleased to see we’re already starting work there to deliver 444 net zero homes on the site.
The homes that we build here will make such a difference for wheelchair users and others who find it so difficult to get a home that meets their needs. Our proposals for the site have been carefully designed to improve the quality of the surrounding green space and to make it easier for people to walk or cycle around the area.
Councillor Jane Meagher, the city council’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, writes:
After a slowdown during the pandemic, it’s great to see so much work underway to build the new affordable and sustainable homes our growing city needs.
Last week I had the pleasure of marking the site start for our newest housing development – Western Villages at the new Granton Waterfront. Spanning a site the same size as the New Town, this regeneration of the waterfront really is going to create a brand new coastal community.
This is growth which will benefit those who already live in the area and the city as a whole and I have to say, it’s incredible to watch the start of construction. There is a team of people working extremely hard so that, over the next decade, we’ll see drastic change and thousands of people move into beautiful new homes.
They will join a 20-minute neighbourhood where they can shop, socialise, and access support. With our partners we’re investing millions in the area, including the fantastic gas works holder, which will become an amazing spectacle; a home for events and a glowing beacon for North Edinburgh below everyone who flies into the city.
I am strongly committed to doing what I can to secure more affordable homes for Edinburgh. Over 150 households bid for every Council and housing association home that becomes available so that’s why we’re driving forward with building new affordable homes on sites across the city.
Close to Granton, in nearby Pennywell and Muirhouse, new homes and a new civic centre are taking shape. We’re also investing in improving existing homes with major works underway in both multi storey blocks and low-rise housing.
As the city grows, the demand we are seeing for affordable and social homes is only going to increase. That is a reality we must face, not least with the country in the grip of a cost-of-living crisis and fears of recession on the horizon.
It’s why it’s critical the Council and its partners press ahead with a truly ambitious and forward-thinking housebuilding strategy and it’s why we must continue to make the case for increased investment in this programme to the Scottish Government. Our capital city, after all, is per head the lowest funded local authority in Scotland.
The way we’re building homes is also changing, with innovative measures being used to reduce energy. Western Villages is a great example of that, as Scotland’s largest net zero development. We want the whole city to become net zero carbon by 2030 so we are committing to ‘build smarter’ and create new homes which are greener and use eco-friendly technology.
This construction work is also helping to boost and create new jobs and apprenticeships which will further help us to support people into employment and keep our economy resilient, which is particularly significant after the impacts of Covid.
The future is challenging, but together with developers and others we are doing everything within our powers to make it fairer on residents and on our environment. We’ll keep working to tackle our housing pressures and deliver these affordable and sustainable new homes.
This article first appeared in the Edinburgh Evening News
Royal Bank of Scotland partners with The City of Edinburgh Council, Volunteer Edinburgh and other city partners to create a donation distribution hub supporting Ukrainian people arriving at Edinburgh HQ
Thousands of people displaced by the war in Ukraine have arrived in Scotland and been supported at Gogarburn site so far. With visa holders yet to arrive[i], many more are expected to be supported.
Donations urgently needed to continue providing essential items such as toothbrushes and waterproof clothing
Royal Bank of Scotland has set up a dedicated donation distribution hub for Ukrainian refugees arriving in the capital.
The hub runs alongside the Welcome Centre for Scotland, which was created through a partnership between the City of Edinburgh Council and local partners, and hosted within Royal Bank’s Gogarburn headquarters.
Using funding issued by the Scottish Government to local authorities to support welcome efforts, the Welcome Centre opened its doors earlier this year to support those resettling in the country and has been the first port of call for thousands of displaced Ukrainian citizens.
Staff from the City of Edinburgh Council are on hand to process entrance paperwork upon arrival, facilitate introductions with host families or find temporary accommodation for the many people who arrive without a place to stay.
To allow families and individuals to settle into their new home quickly and begin to adjust to life in Scotland, paperwork is completed within the centre on the same day – meaning people can make necessary medical or legal appointments as soon as possible. Relevant literature is provided as part of a Scottish Government-produced welcome pack.
Everyone arriving at the Welcome Centre is also offered an essentials pack made up of donations to help them settle in for the first few days. The packs contain day to day necessities such as toiletries, clothing, UK electrical adapters and toys for young children.
With the number of displaced people to the centre increasing daily and supplies of essentials packs depleted, the donations hub is today issuing an urgent call, asking businesses and members of the public who are looking for a way to support the Ukrainian crisis to donate towards the cost of these essential items.
The cost of each complete pack is around £30 and any donation will make a valuable difference, especially to those arriving with no belongings.
Donations can be made to the GoFundMe[ii] set up by Volunteer Edinburgh, who meet the Ukrainian people arriving at the airport and bring them to the Welcome Centre, and also help to purchase the welcome pack items in bulk.
An Amazon Wishlist[iii] has been set up to facilitate donations, where anyone wanting to support these efforts can buy individual items such as toothpaste, sanitary products, rain coats and hand sanitiser. These items are delivered directly to the hub and packed by volunteer staff.
Businesses who would like to help can donate directly through the GoFundMe, via the Amazon wishlist or can send donations directly to the Royal Bank’s Gogarburn offices marked for the attention of Skillbank.
Sheena Hales BEM, who leads the Skillbank at Royal Bank of Scotland said: “At the beginning of the pandemic, we recognised an opportunity to make use of our facilities and converted the conference centre at Gogarburn into a foodbank distribution hub, coordinating deliveries and offering storage space to charities including Social Bite and Cyrenians.
“This charitable legacy has continued ever since, and we’re honoured to have set up the Skillbank to offer our skills and resources to help communities and people in their time of need.
“While Edinburgh has welcomed many Ukrainian people to Scotland through the doors of the Welcome Centre, the reality is that we know there are many more coming who have fled the horrors of war, leaving their lives and loved ones to seek safety here in Scotland.
“While handing out items like a toothbrush or colouring book might seem like a small act, everything we can do to help people feel as welcome as possible is hugely important.
“Currently we have used all of our existing essentials pack stock so any donation – big or small – is massively appreciated.”
Minister with special responsibility for Refugees from Ukraine Neil Gray said: “The safety and welfare of displaced people from Ukraine, who are primarily women and children who may have experienced much stress and trauma, is of paramount importance to the Scottish Government.
“I want to thank people and businesses across Scotland for the huge groundswell of solidarity and support they have shown for the people of Ukraine.
“On arrival, displaced people are given a ‘Warm Scots Welcome’ at the Welcome Hubs, where the Scottish Government is working in partnership with local government and the third sector to assess their needs and provide accommodation and meals along with emotional support and medical attention if required.
“The work undertaken by RBS and the other volunteer organisations in addition to this is extremely important, providing people with items to help them settle into Scotland.”
City of Edinburgh Council Leader, Cammy Day said: “As I’ve said many times already, Edinburgh’s people and businesses have been absolutely outstanding throughout this crisis, offering their unwavering support to Ukrainian people fleeing their homeland in these most desperate of times. From volunteers meeting people on their arrival in Edinburgh, to getting help with accommodation and receiving ongoing support at our advice centre and within the local Ukrainian community, we’re here for them every step of the way.
“I want to thank Royal Bank and their teams for their incredible support – for volunteering Gogarburn House to host our Welcome Hub, where it has run successfully since April, for repurposing their conference facilities to distribute food packages, for their co-ordination of thousands of guest backpacks, filled with nappies, toys, toiletries and other essential items, and for this latest fundraising drive to help gather much-needed donations.”
Situated in Gogarburn, the Welcome Centre is ideally located to welcome those arriving into nearby Edinburgh airport.
To support volunteers working within the centre, colleagues within Royal Bank have given up their time to become Executive Coaches – helping them to navigate the demands of their role and offering expert mentoring advice.
Royal Bank has also worked with suppliers to extend its colleague-wide counselling service to offer staff and volunteers working with vulnerable individuals a confidential outlet and mental wellbeing support.
Edinburgh is bidding for more than £12m in Shared Prosperity Funding from the UK Government as the Council targets support for a series of poverty-tackling community projects.
From money for employment initiatives and skills development to new measures to help Edinburgh’s most disadvantaged through the cost-of-living crisis, up to 32 projects to reduce inequalities between communities could benefit from funding.
The shortlist also includes an initiative to create a number of new community growing areas, projects designed to support people into work and an innovative ‘GreenTech’ Accelerator programme to promote entrepreneurial skills and new start-ups. A ‘Residents First’ programme of exclusive access to cultural events is also planned, alongside a new youth work space and events for older people at risk of social isolation.
Following the submission of the Council’s investment plan, there will be negotiations with the UK Government before initial funding can be released.
If successful, the money will be provided by the UK Government under the Shared Prosperity Fund, which aims to build pride in place and increase life chances across the UK by funding projects which support local business, people and skills and boost communities and local places.
Acting as a successor to European Union Structural Funds, it could start supporting projects in Edinburgh as early as this October, all the way through to 2025.
A report outlining the bid was agreed by the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee on Thursday (4 August).
Councillor Jane Meagher, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “Our communities make our city and we’re so lucky to have a great number of incredible people working so hard to support local projects and bring forward new ideas.
“It hasn’t been easy for the panel to narrow this shortlist down and I’m really grateful to everyone involved. They have chosen an exciting and diverse mix of important projects – each and every one of them designed to tackle poverty and improve lives at a local level – and I’m pleased the selection has received Committee’s approval.
“We agreed that we would provide updates on the bid regularly, including the role of under-represented groups. We all want to make sure these efforts are inclusive and support a diverse range of residents.
“This funding allocation really will mean the world to those involved and will allow us to help thousands of people. I’m looking forward to early confirmation from the UK Government on our success with this bid, as I’m keen that we start delivering right away.”
A mobile exhibit, highlighting the science and issues around air pollution and air quality, is on display in Edinburgh this summer.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Glasgow Science Centre launched the touring exhibition in 2020, aiming to highlight the importance of air quality. It will be on display until the end of August at Leith Library.
The interactive exhibit encourages visitors of all ages to think about their local environment and the quality of the air, how poor air quality can affect them and their family and how we can all help to improve air quality through our daily choices. The interactive exhibit also uses a bespoke tool which allows visitors to share their thoughts on the environments they live and work in, and what can be done to improve air quality.
The exhibit uses a simulation model to control traffic and allow users to experience how different types of transport contribute to air pollution. At the same time, the interactive display provides information on the various sources of air pollution and how it can affect our health and wellbeing.
Dr Colin Gillespie, SEPA’s Air Modelling Unit Manager, said: “Reducing air pollution and its associated health impacts is a challenge we should all be mindful of. We all contribute to sources of air pollution through our day-to-day activities and all breathe the same air, so we all have a part to play in improving air quality, no matter how small our actions may seem.
“This mobile exhibition highlights how individuals can take steps to help improve the quality of life both for ourselves and our wider communities and the simulation demonstrates the different ways the quality of the air we breathe can be impacted.”
Transport and Environment Convener at The City of Edinburgh Council, Councillor Scott Arthur, said: “This fascinating and engaging exhibition will really get people thinking about the impacts of poor air quality on our lives, and the choices we can make to limit this.
“Earlier this year I was proud to launch the Low Emission Zone in Edinburgh as this will reduce air pollution across the city. This is just one of a number of tools the Council is using to tackle poor air quality, from improvements to its vehicles to better infrastructure supporting cleaner modes of transport like walking and cycling, and for Leithers the Tram to Newhaven. What’s more, people using Lothian Buses can be reassured it has one of the cleanest fleets in the UK.
“Visiting this interactive exhibition at Leith Library will provide an insight into the need to make these kinds of changes for the good of all in our city.”
Dr Gillian Lang, Director of Experience Development at Glasgow Science Centre, said: “We are delighted to have been able to partner with SEPA on developing this touring exhibition to raise awareness of the science and issues around air quality.
“The exhibition was at Glasgow Science Centre during COP26 and has toured to Aberdeen Science Centre where it has been seen by over 16,000 people.”
The mobile exhibition is part of a larger educational package which SEPA has developed with Glasgow Science Centre, aiming to highlight the importance of air pollution and the impacts it can have on our health and the environment.
In 2017, SEPA and the Glasgow Science Centre developed a larger, permanent installation which was originally commissioned by the Scottish Government as part of the Cleaner Air for Scotland (CAFS) strategy, encouraging an interactive way to explore the science behind air pollution.
The mobile exhibit is a development of this work and is now available to tour individual local authority areas.
Anyone interested in finding out more information on how to bring the exhibit to their area can contact SEPA via AirQuality@sepa.org.uk.
Before and after school patrols
