city council – Page 85 – The NEN

Four more libraries welcome back the public

Four more Edinburgh libraries reopened their doors yesterday as part of a phased plan allowing more access to community facilities.

The libraries are Craigmillar, Wester Hailes, Gilmerton and Drumbrae. Their reopening follows on from six libraries that successfully reopened to the public since October – Central, Fountainbridge, Stockbridge, McDonald Road, Newington and Kirkliston.

Members of the public are reminded that numbers are limited in the buildings due to the safety measures in place and they will need to book their visit in advance – this can be done online or by phoning the library.

They will be open to browse and borrow books, use a public computer, apply for a National Entitlement Card (bus pass) or collect hearing aid batteries. Returning books and picking up free sanitary products will not require a booking.

Social distancing measures are in place and wearing face coverings is mandatory.

Culture and Communities Convener Cllr Donald Wilson said: “We’ve had positive feedback from the public about our six libraries re-opening two months ago which is really good to hear.

“Opening four more libraries is the next step in their phased reopening. We have missed them and are working hard to get them back up and running and this is a good step forward. We look forward to opening the rest as soon as possible in the new year.

“Libraries are invaluable resources for all our local communities. A library is not just a place to borrow books but an essential focal hub addressing the digital divide, access to literature and culture and as a point of communication and information.

“We should not underestimate their role in the communities of our city particularly for vulnerable groups. Can I also wish everyone a Merry Christmas but remember at this most difficult of times to stay safe.”

Culture and Communities Vice Convener Amy McNeese-Mechan said: “This year has obviously been really challenging for everyone and we really appreciate everyone’s support and patience as we gradually reopen our libraries as they are a lifeline for many of our citizens.

“The response from the public has been really positive despite services being limited due to current restrictions. This cautious approach demonstrates our commitment and recognition of the importance of public libraries in this, the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature.”

New Filmhouse: Planning Application submitted

Following an extensive and successful public consultation process which ran for 4 months following its launch in March 2020, Centre for the Moving Image (CMI) has submitted the full Planning Application for the proposed New Filmhouse in Festival Square to the city council’s planning department.

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Motion of support for Wardie Bay swimmers

We are deeply grateful and delighted to announce that Councillor Ellie Bird has proposed a motion in support of our #WardieBay4BathingWater campaign, which will be delivered to Full Council today.

The meeting will be webcast live from 10am. We are item 9.2 so will likely be a little later. You can watch at https://edinburgh.public-i.tv/core/portal/home

Please continue to share and support our petition for water quality monitoring at Wardie Beach. #coastalcommunities #marinepollution #sewage #wildswimming

KAREN BATES

Wardie Bay Beachwatch

Swinney sets out reasons for Capital’s Level 3 status

Deputy First Minister John Swinney has written to Council Leader Adam McVey to explain Tuesday’s controversial decision to keep Edinburgh in Level 3 of coronavirus restrictions.

The letter comes after Council Leaders reacted with ‘anger and dismay‘ to the news that the Capital would not be moving to Level 2, contrary to what had been anticipated and it follows a meeting between Mr Swinney and Cllr McVey on Tueday evening.

Fiirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon and National Clinical Director Jason Leitch also explained the rationale behind the decision during questions following yesterday’s daily media briefing.

In his letter, Mr Swinney says: ‘A move to Level 2 in Edinburgh would mean opening up significantly more services in our second biggest city in the two weeks before Christmas. So we wanted to have as much confidence as possible that the situation is as stable as possible before we make that move.

‘In that context, the recent rise in cases, while relatively slight, was a cause for concern when seen against the backdrop of a much slower reduction in cases and test positivity for Edinburgh over the last two weeks than for Scotland as a whole.

‘By the same token, while Scotland as a whole has seen declining test positivity, the test positivity for Edinburgh is rising. So, weighing the data in the wider context, we decided it was prudent to keep Edinburgh in Level 3 this week, monitor the position closely, and to review the level again next week.

Read the letter from the Deputy First Minister in full.

Council Leader Adam McVey and Depute Leader Cammy Day had been pressing the case for Edinburgh’s restrictions to be eased, in recognition of the city’s relatively low COVID case numbers and the care taken by residents and businesses keeping to the rules.

Responding to the First Minister’s announcement on Tuesday, Council Leader Adam McVey said: I’m extremely disappointed. Our numbers are stable and have now been consistently within the rates of level two for some time.

“We know what a dire situation local businesses continue to face and the latest news will be yet another blow in the lead-up to the Christmas period – which should be their busiest time of the year. I’ve been strongly pressing for Edinburgh’s case to move to a lower level of restrictions when safe to do so. The data suggest that time should have been now.

“It’s thanks to everyone following the guidance that our numbers have fallen and it’s why the Capital’s expectation was rightly that we would be moving to level two. I’ve asked to meet the Government as a matter of urgency to ensure they give a full explanation to the people of Edinburgh of the public health advice that they have based their decision on. I’ll also be pressing the case for additional financial support for our businesses who will need additional help following this decision.

“Despite this situation we need to continue to do everything we can over the coming week to continue to make progress – that means following the guidance, maintaining social distancing and washing hands and using sanitiser regularly.”

Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “This is an outrage and slap in the face for the many businesses, individuals and families who have so carefully stuck to restrictions over the winter so far, suffering significant losses and missing out on seeing one another over the festive period.

“It’s down to them that our cases per 100,000 are lower than many areas around the country, including some already in level two, so we completely understand those who are questioning today’s decision to retain the current restrictions in Edinburgh.

“We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure this is recognised by the Scottish Government, and will be calling for them to reconsider and reverse their decision.”

Councillors will debate an Emergency Motion by the ‘Capital Coalition’ at today’s Full Council meeting, calling on Council to agree to continue to lobby the Scottish Government and “insist the government follow scientific evidence and advice” that indicate that Edinburgh has been consistently in Level 2.

It’s expected that Edinburgh will move to Level 2 when restrictions are reviewed next week.

Hart Builders set to transform Silverlea site

Hart Builders have been appointed to lead work to design around 150 brand new affordable homes at the former Silverlea care home in Salvesen. The Council-led development is expected to start on site next summer.

Hart is working with designers Smith Scott Mullan; Will Rudd Davidson; Hulley and Kirkwood and Hardies to bring forward proposals for the site as part of the £1.3 bn Granton Waterfront regeneration project.

The site will provide net zero carbon homes for social and midmarket rent as part of Edinburgh’s ambitious 20,000 affordable homes target as well as a new home for Craigroyston Community Youth Football Club.

Residents will benefit from improved energy efficiency and savings on fuel bills, helping to halt our impact on climate change. Residents will have access to high quality green space and links to the promenade and shoreline.

In addition to delivering the project, the contractor will provide a range of community benefits for surrounding residents including apprenticeships and mentoring programmes as well as supporting local organisations.

The £18m investment will be funded by the Council and grant funding from the Scottish Government.

Councillor Kate Campbell , Convener of Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work, said: “Granton is a site of national importance – recognised by the Scottish Government as strategically significant. To us it’s an opportunity to provide a large number of the much-needed affordable homes, and to open up a beautiful part of our city’s waterfront so that residents can live there, work there and enjoy it.

“The views are amazing, the history is rich – and it’s our job to build homes and community spaces so that we protect and enhance that history and make it a fantastic place to live.

“I’m delighted that we have approved significant funding for Granton Station, one of the most important historical buildings, and that we now own, and are working to light up the gas holder. It’s critical that new development grows up around these buildings respecting, and enhancing, the history of this important part of Edinburgh.

“We’ve also got plans for a coastal park linking Granton Harbour, Cramond and Lauriston Castle, which will be one of the largest coastal parks in Europe.

“Residents told us during consultation on the masterplan that they wanted to see things happening on the ground, not a document sitting on a shelf.

“Appointing a contractor for these 150 new homes at Silverlea demonstrates clearly that we’re listening, and that we will get things moving so that our collective vision for this special part of our city can be realised.”

Councillor Mandy Watt, Vice Convener, added: “All of the steps we’re taking to make homes – new and existing council owned – more sustainable are also making them warmer and more cost efficient. This helps us to tackle poverty by making the running costs of a home more affordable as well as helping us meet our targets to tackle climate change.

“Already under way is our extensive £350 million investment programme in council housing which will, over the next 10 years, make them more energy efficient, help tenants save money on their energy bills and ensure more generally they are comfortable to live in.

“The appointment of a contractor is great news as this development will not only deliver much needed affordable homes but the project will also boost employment and help our economy recover from the challenges of the pandemic.”

Gill Henry, Business Development Director for Hart Builders, part of the Cruden Group said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been selected to deliver the Silverlea project in partnership with The City of Edinburgh Council.

“This landmark development will not only deliver one of the first net zero carbon home initiatives to the capital, it also provides the opportunity to really focus on placemaking and designing homes for the future and will address many of the issues highlighted throughout the pandemic in terms of homeworking, home schooling and the importance of accessible green spaces.

“Importantly, we are looking forward to engaging with Craigroyston High School and Edinburgh College to encourage more young people into the construction industry and offer first-hand experience of a live project being constructed on their doorstep.

“We will also be offering training and employment opportunities for local SMEs; supported work placements and employment opportunities for members of the community and sponsorship for local organisations to ensure the community benefits as far as possible from this new development.”

Council budget: have your say

Councillors Rob Munn and Joan Griffiths, Finance & Resources Convener and Vice Convener, remain committed to ambitions and priorities for the Capital as the council embarks on the budget process once again …

Budget planning time is always a challenging point in the year for local authorities but the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on services has added another layer of complexity to the decision-making process ahead of us in February when the full Council meets to set our budget.

Nonetheless, we remain firmly committed to the positive and forward-thinking ambitions and priorities we’ve set for the Capital and will be guided by these, and by the latest public feedback, as we embark on the budget process once again.

Our Council teams have gone to incredible lengths to keep essential services running during this unprecedented crisis, but inevitably there have been some services that have had to be curtailed or paused for a time to help us deal with the pandemic and to keep residents and our colleagues safe.

Dealing with the pandemic has placed a much greater demand on services and brought additional costs with it. Meanwhile a significant reduction in our income, through areas such as leisure and transport, has resulted in an additional £47.5m gap in our budget over the next three years.

So, once again, we’re faced with difficult decisions and prioritising how we spend our budget, rethinking how our services are designed and delivered – and where we can make real and lasting savings.

That’s why it’s crucial we hear directly from the people we serve on what you want us to prioritise, as well as how your lives have been affected by the way Covid19 has changed – or, in some cases, temporarily suspended – our services.

There’s less than a week left to have your say in our budget survey, which has already gathered views from more than 1,200 respondents keen to help us shape our services over the next three years.

From the feedback we’ve had already, we can see that citizens welcome the way we’ve kept refuse and recycling collections going throughout the pandemic, as well as home care provision and the work we did to open schools up quickly for the children of essential workers after lockdown began in March.

People say they missed being able to visit their local library or use Edinburgh Leisure services, with community centres and recycling centres (when closed) also cited.

When asked what the Council’s priorities should be for recovery, respondents mention keeping schools open, providing social services including care for the elderly and support for those with additional needs and restoring public transport usage to pre-pandemic levels.

We’ll take all the feedback we receive in this survey on board when we set our budget in February. In addition, we remain fully committed to our established core priorities of tackling poverty and inequality, boosting sustainability and promoting wellbeing – all of which were set based on direct feedback from you on what is most important to the people of Edinburgh.

Your voice matters, so if you haven’t yet done so, please have your say by 10 th December and help us get this right for Edinburgh for the years ahead.

Drumbrae Library Hub to reopen on 14 December

Hello wonderful, beautiful, spectacular library fans!

I know you’ve all been absolutely champing at the bit for the news and I’m sorry to have left you all hanging so long but the stories you’ve heard are absolutely true …

… Drumbrae Library Hub will be re-opening on December 14th! Woooooooo!

Now, before you all get too excited I should let you know that we will be running the same service as the other libraries that are already open which means that you will need to book an appointment to get access in order to browse & borrow, use the PC’s and get your National Entitlement Card.

You can make these bookings through the Library website (or just use this link: https://tinyurl.com/y6nlh8m7).

We will also be running on reduced hours for the moment and I have attached the opening hours in the form of a wee jpeg there (below).

From all of us at Drumbrae Library Hub I would like to thank you for your patience and I cannot properly express how excited we are to welcome you all back (in an orderly and covid safe manner)!

DRUMBRAE LIBRARY HUB

Have your say on capital’s Food Growing Strategy

Edinburgh folk are being encouraged to have their say on the Council’s first food growing strategy.

The strategy aims to encourage people to get more involved in local food production, promote local and sustainable consumption and help improve issues such as biodiversity, health, food security and address poverty in the capital.

Supported by Edible Edinburgh, the Growing Locally consultation is looking for people’s views on food growing, from growing in gardens and allotments or as part of a community growing project.

The consultation is looking to find out:

Ways in which the purchase of local and sustainable food could be increased, to help to reduce the city’s carbon emissions as well as supporting the Edinburgh’s green recovery from covid-19.
Feedback on ways in which local food growing could help to reduce food poverty and improve health and wellbeing.
How the Council and others in the city can help support people to become more involved in local growing.

Edible Edinburgh chair, Councillor George Gordon, said: “The Growing Locally strategy aims to reduce carbon emissions, support local food growing businesses, increase land availability for food growing, reduce inequalities and increase awareness and choice around healthy and sustainable food.

“We are calling for citizens to contribute to the consultation as to how they feel local food growing can help respond to these challenges, as well as help create a vibrant and thriving sustainable food economy in Edinburgh for everyone.”

Brenda Black, Director of Edinburgh Community Food and member of Edible Edinburgh said: “The Growing Locally strategy aims to help promote better food relationships within our communities by connecting people through well-being, through encouraging local growing and consumption of healthy and sustainable food. This consultation provides the opportunity to hear your views on how we can help tackle these issues together as a city.“

The draft food growing strategy was first approved for consultation by Council Committee in February 2020, but the online consultation was delayed due to the outbreak of covid-19.

The consultation will run until 18 January 2021 and will be supported through a series of online events published on the Edible Edinburgh website.

Have your say on the Growing Locally strategy via the consultation hub.

Sharing the Christmas sparkle across the Capital

Christmas 2020 will see more festive lights than ever across the Capital following a one-off funding boost that aims to spread some cheer at the end of a challenging year.

Thanks to savings identified in the Culture budget due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on festivals and events there will now be Christmas lights in every ward of the city, with the new provision being used to dress living trees.

The traditional Christmas centrepiece is already illuminated following the switch-on of the 2020 Christmas Rainbow on the Mound to accompany the traditional Norwegian tree on Friday (27 November). The 18m wide rainbow pays tribute to frontline workers who have given so much during the pandemic. The programme of citywide installation has begun.

Culture and Communities Convener, Cllr Donald Wilson, said: “This has been a very tough year for all of us and as we now look ahead to a very different Christmas, it’s important to show that Edinburgh’s festive and community spirit is alive and well despite the challenges we’re facing.

“Along with our usual provision of Christmas lights and trees around the city we’re also making sure that we spread the Christmas sparkle where we can to parts of Edinburgh that have not previously had festive lighting provision and to make sure that is the case for several years. I’m delighted to confirm that from 2020 there will be lights in every ward of the city.

“With this one-off spend we’ll be ensuring all 17 wards have festive lights for around five years – the life span of the new lighting.”

Culture and Communities Vice Convener, Cllr Amy McNeese-Mechan, said: “To keep everyone safe we unfortunately weren’t able to have our usual community light switch-on ceremonies this year, but I hope this extra splash of festive sparkle across the city will boost spirits and can be enjoyed by residents safely.

“Our thanks to the team who had to work so quickly and explored ways to add lights to previously unlit areas. The task of plotting the best spots is not as easy as it sounds and I want to congratulate the team for researching the city and making sure we could find living trees that are suitable for lights. They had to be on Council land, big enough to accommodate lights without harming branches, in a visible spot or in area of high footfall and near a suitable power supply.

“The installation of the festive lights has started across our communities and I hope citizens enjoy the extra Christmas cheer they’ll bring to local neighbourhoods.”

New Christmas lights for 2020:

Rainbow on The Mound
Nativity Scene (East Princes Street Gardens)
Granton
Gracemount
Longstone
Currie
Balerno
Liberton
Sighthill
Oxgangs
Kirk Brae
Craigentinny
Portobello High School
Leith Walk
Duddingston
Meadowbank
Canongate
Leith – Bernard St Bridge
Meggetland Bridge

Next steps for controlling capital’s short term lets

The Council has published its response to the recent Scottish Government consultation on short term lets. It welcomes the announcement that draft legislation on proposals is expected to be considered by Parliament next month.

The report, which will be considered by councillors at Tuesday’s Policy and Sustainability Committee (1 December), broadly welcomes the Scottish Government’s approach to a new licensing regime and planning control areas and outlines what is required to happen next to allow the Council to implement both licensing and planning controls after the new legislation comes into force next spring.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “Earlier this year I wholeheartedly welcomed the Scottish Government announcement that our call for a new regulatory scheme had been successful. Since then there has been a consultation on proposals and the government has confirmed a draft will be considered by Parliament in December with new legislation being brought in next spring. All of this progress has been in direct response to our hard work in pushing for the powers we know we need to deliver for our communities.

“We’re seeking some clarification on some technical issues regarding implementation and are still working on how these powers can help us control the number of short term lets in the city through a combination of planning and licensing policies.

“We’re pleased that, through new short term let control areas, we’ll be able to control the number of short term lets in the city as properties being let out in these areas would automatically require to have ‘change of use’ planning permission in place.

“It’s also good news that when people apply for a licence we can ask for evidence that they have that permission. This is something we’re very keen to do and our ‘Choices’ consultation for our next local development plan – ‘City Plan 2030’ – showed overwhelming support for control zones.

Depute Leader Cammy Day added: “Great progress is being made to tackle this issue we have campaigned so hard to address. This is so important as short term lets have reduced the city’s housing stock, hollowed out communities and caused numerous issues for residents such as noise and other anti-social behaviour.

“It’s important though that we manage expectations just now as there’s still a lot of work to be done when the legislation is approved later this year to implement the right licensing regime and planning controls for Edinburgh.

“I look forward to the draft legislation going before Parliament in December and legislation becoming a reality in April so we can use the new legislation to improve the lives of many of our residents throughout the city.”

Further information:

The Scottish Government proposes that the licensing system be delivered by local authorities but the regulations will specify a minimum licensing scheme which will be mandatory. Local authorities will have the power to introduce licensing conditions from a specified list of options to address local issues of concern.
The Scottish Government’s proposals would not allow the licensing system to control the numbers of short-term let properties by imposing a cap or limit.
Rather, it is the short term lets control area that would be used to manage high concentration of short-term let properties.
The proposed regulations would allow planning authorities to designate all or part(s) of their area as a control area.
Within such a designated area, the use of a dwelling house for secondary letting will always be deemed to involve a material change of use and requires planning permission.
This is consistent with the Council’s desire to have a method of managing high locational concentrations of short-term let properties and clarifying the planning process for such changes of use to bring a simpler approach.
The proposals also address a key Council principle about ensuring a joined-up Planning and Licensing approach by including a mandatory condition for licence applications which would require the host to confirm that they have applied for, or obtained planning permission (if required), that it remains current and that they are complying with any planning conditions.