Tag: city council

Saving energy in Wester Hailes

Five hundred households, both private and council-owned, living in mixed tenure properties across the Wester Hailes area are to benefit from energy efficient upgrades and revitalised buildings.

This follows an extensive large-scale common repairs and maintenance works programme to renovate 66 low-rise blocks in the first year due to complete by summer this year (2022).

This is part of the City of Edinburgh Council’s ground-breaking three-year Mixed Tenure Improvement Service (MTIS) pilot which gave an update on progress to date for the blocks across Murrayburn, Drumbryden and Hailesland to the Finance and Resources Committee today (3 March).

The programme will now be rolled out across the city to help accelerate energy efficiency fabric maintenance and repairs in mixed tenure blocks to benefit more tenants. This is due to the success of the pilot to date in engaging with private owners – with scheme decisions to progress being made in 75% of minority council-owned blocks – and securing sizable energy efficiency grant support through the Scottish Government Energy Efficient Scotland, Area Based Scheme.

Councillors have also agreed to extend the Council’s Scheme of Assistance (SoA). This will, as part of the MTIS, offer enhanced debt repayment terms* to help all private owner occupiers meet their repairs and maintenance responsibilities and allow them to consider more options for funding their share of the cost of works within all Council-led capital improvement, mixed tenure property projects.

Works being carried out on behalf of all owners across the current MTIS pilot includes repairs and replacement of roofing, guttering, drying room facades, installation of external wall and attic insulation, together with the maintenance and decoration of communal stairwell spaces.

This MTIS pilot is aiming to carry this out in 181 mixed tenure blocks in Murrayburn, Hailesland and Dumbryden over a three-year period to the benefit of all residents and tenants, improving the aesthetics, energy efficiency, safety and security and the overall value of properties in the long term.

Cllr Kate Campbell, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “Bringing all our housing stock up to a good condition, making homes energy efficient, warm and affordable to heat is very important, both for tenants and for owners in these blocks.

“Council officers have worked hard to support private owners throughout this MTIS pilot. As a result, we’re helping owner occupiers meet their share of the energy efficiency improvement works by supporting them to access up to £15,500 each in Energy Efficient Scotland (EES) funding. Supporting private owner occupiers with enhanced re-payment terms will help too, and this is now being extended to others in a similar situation.

“The mixed tenure improvement service continues to be an incredibly successful as a pilot, and I’m so pleased that we are expanding this programme as it will play a crucial role in dealing with the legacy issues caused by right to buy. We can now invest in many more homes making much needed improvements to homes and blocks across the city.”

Cllr Mandy Watt, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Vice Convener, said: “We have a long way to go as part of this three-year programme to improve 181 blocks but this has been a great start.

“In this pilot’s first year we will have improved the standard of living and conditions of a huge number of people in Wester Hailes. The buildings that we’ve completed so far look fantastic and really lift the look and feel of these neighbourhoods.

“We hope once the programme has been completed across all of Murrayburn, Hailesland and Dumbryden, the communities will feel a real sense of pride in their homes which fit in so much better with the new build developments close by.

“We have strong ambitions as a Council and as a city to become a sustainable and net zero Capital by 2030. Housing is a huge factor in getting there and getting our existing housing stock better insulated and energy efficient will be key – which in turn will help to keep people warmer while helping to reduce energy bills.”

* extending the period for payment plans with the Council for owner occupiers to up to 15 years and a reduction in the interest rate from 6% to 4%.

Capital summit discusses support for people of Ukraine …

… but no further council action until 15 March meeting

City leaders have come together to discuss Edinburgh’s ongoing response to the Ukraine crisis.

At a summit held in the City Chambers, Council Leader Adam McVey and Depute Leader Cammy Day hosted Acting Consul General of Ukraine, Yevhen Mankovskyi, and Father Vasyl Kren of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Edinburgh.

They were joined by Lord Provost Frank Ross, EVOC Chief Executive Bridie Ashrowan, Superintendent Mark Rennie of Police Scotland, Vice Principal of the University of Edinburgh James Smith and Council Chief Executive Andrew Kerr.

Together, they reiterated the City’s condemnation of the ongoing Russian invasion and reaffirmed support for the people of Ukraine and Edinburgh’s twin city, Kyiv. They heard from Mr Mankovskyi and Father Kren about the scale of the crisis and what their people are facing, the Edinburgh-Ukrainian community’s ongoing relief efforts and what Edinburgh can do to support.

The group discussed the logistics required to coordinate and transport humanitarian aid to and from Poland and the level of support the Council could provide to Ukrainian family members and refugees arriving in Edinburgh, including accommodation, education and other services.

It was confirmed that Edinburgh no longer held any civic links with Russian cities, having previously ended its twinning with St Petersburg, and the Council is reviewing all significant contracts to determine what (if any) Russian links exist, to consider the potential for withdrawal. The Lothian Pension Fund has done likewise with its investments.

Following cross-party criticism of the invasion last week, Council Leaders confirmed they would seek to formalise political condemnation and confirm next steps at their meeting on 15 March.

Coordination of the City’s support will also be discussed at a meeting of the Edinburgh Partnership Board the same week.

The Lord Provost has already written to the Major of Kyiv to express Edinburgh’s ‘deep sorrow’ and support while a Russian Philharmonic concert, due to take place at the Usher Hall in May, has been cancelled.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “I want to thank the Acting Consul General and Father Kren for their time during what is a particularly harrowing and difficult time for them and their country. 

“We have all witnessed the heart-breaking stories of loss and families torn apart in the media; but also of the great bravery and resistance by the people of Ukraine. We stand by everyone suffering this illegal war and the Ukrainian flag continues to fly defiantly above the City Chambers. 

“Already people across Edinburgh have responded with incredible generosity, with countless individuals and organisations continuing to provide selfless offers of support, donations and solidarity. Today, we reiterated our support for the people of Ukraine and our commitment to do all we can to help as a City. 

“We are considering practical actions to support people in our twin City Kyiv and across Ukraine and will work with groups across Edinburgh to coordinate efforts. We are united against this war and are also exploring actions to use the Council’s position to pursue further sanctions we can implement locally against the Russian regime. We’ll be asking Councillors to agree actions at the Council meeting later this month.”

Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “Edinburgh has a long history with Kyiv and is home to more Scottish-Ukrainian descendants than anywhere else in Scotland. Together we stand ready to help, in any way we can. Edinburgh welcomes Ukraine citizens to our city, and all of us will do everything we can to support all. 

“The outpouring of compassion and the sight of hundreds of residents protesting has been moving. I want to pay tribute to the incredible response from citizens and businesses from across the city and their generous offers of donations and support. We will offer our help to coordinate this across our city – now we need to harness the goodwill and do our part again to direct our time and support in the most useful way.

Acting Consul General of Ukraine in Edinburgh, Yevhen Mankovskyi, said: “We will defend ourselves and we will win this war.

“Thanks to the whole world’s support and humanitarian aid, our forces and our people, we will fight with all we have and continue to support our Ukrainian community abroad and here in Edinburgh.

“I am grateful for everyone’s support and I look forward to working together with our city partners on the challenges we currently face.”

You don’t have to wait until 15th March to support the people of Ukraine:

Council budget to ‘boost frontline services and community improvements’

‘For two years now, we have demonstrated incredible resilience as a Council’ – Finance Convener Cllr Rob Munn

A budget ‘designed to support residents through the cost-of-living crisis and invest in local communities’ has been set by the City of Edinburgh Council.

Agreed by elected members on Thursday (24 February), millions of pounds from the Council’s annual budget for 2022/23 will be spent towards shaping a more sustainable, fair and thriving future for Edinburgh post-pandemic.

A fair city?

Councillors have agreed to direct an extra £1.1m towards easing the cost of living crisis for the city’s most vulnerable and £150 for 33,000 low-income households across the city at a total cost of £4.95m. This is on top of national cash grants announced by the Scottish Government.

Alongside this, an extra £100 will be provided for every child within a low-income home (identified via free school meals qualifications) and an additional £450k will be made available by the Council in crisis grant funding.

Frontline services will continue to be protected and the Council’s rent freeze for tenants will remain in place for another year.

Together with the Council’s ongoing £2bn programme to build 5,500 sustainable, quality Council homes and invest £1.3bn over the next 15 years in a new, green, well-connected neighbourhood at Granton Waterfront, around half a million pounds will be spent to provide social care adaptations to people’s houses to allow them to live more independently in their own homes.

£112k has been earmarked to make sure every school in the city is equipped with a life-saving defibrillator, and the Council will continue to invest £454m in capital investment for new school facilities across the city over the next ten years, together with an annual £48m to help families access 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare.

The roll out of 40,000 digital devices to school pupils across the city to close the digital divide will also continue, thanks to investment of nearly £18m. In recognition of pressures faced during Covid, £1m of additional funding will be provided for Children’s Services, while a further £2m will be invested adopting the recommendations of the Tanner review.

A welcoming city?

A one-off £1.1m ‘deep clean’ will remove graffiti and address street cleansing in the city centre and local wards, while quarter of a million pounds will see a new, Neighbourhood Action Team created to tackle hot spot areas of unkept land and deal with issues like overgrowth and fly tipping.

An extra £1m will be set aside for road and pavement maintenance to improve movement around the city and £450k will help to improve park facilities, creating even better green spaces in every ward and improved lighting. Meanwhile an extra £325k will be invested in playparks and £130k in expanding provisions for food growing across the city.

There will be £200k invested towards temporary toilets in select parks – repeating successful arrangements from summer 2021 – and £60k will be set aside to provide seasonal improvements and rangers to Pentland parks. An additional £60k will be contributed towards works to complete the restoration of the Portobello Kilns.

This is alongside £150k to be spent regulating and monitoring short-term lets in Edinburgh and related issues of anti-social behaviour.

A thriving and sustainable city?

An additional half a million pounds will support Edinburgh’s Net Zero ambitions, accelerating the city’s One Million Tree City programme, and £200k will be invested in Energy for Edinburgh, the Council’s publicly owned ESCO, to allow a zero-carbon energy project to move forward.

Up to £100k will be spent through Participatory Budgeting, supporting local communities to be involved in the running of the city, and £200k will be used to support local community festivals, including Edinburgh’s Diwali and the Leith Festival.

A commitment of £60k will support the re-opening of the city’s libraries after use as Covid testing facilities and the new Meadowbank Sports Centre will open later this year.

Spend of £160k will be directed towards taxi regulation and enforcement; £180k of funding will be set aside to cover potential costs relating to the temporary Hostile Vehicle Mitigation arrangements protecting the city centre; and £50k will be used to upgrade the ForeverEdinburgh website to further drive footfall to local businesses as Edinburgh recovers from the pandemic.

Finance and Resources Convener SNP Councillor Rob Munn said: “This Budget signals a more sustainable, fair and thriving future for Edinburgh post-pandemic.

“For two years now, we have demonstrated incredible resilience as a Council and as a City, banding together to support those who have needed extra help.  We have been at the forefront throughout and as life finally – and thankfully – starts to return to normal, we will continue to safeguard our services and focus on getting things back up and running.

“Our city centre and local high streets have suffered through lockdown restrictions and due to the cost of living, families on low incomes are struggling to make ends meet. The decisions we’ve made today aim to challenge these disadvantages and help our City and communities thrive in the year ahead.

“We’ll direct £1.1m each towards a ‘deep clean’ of the city centre and local areas and improving roads, helping to make Edinburgh a more welcoming place to be, and a further £1.1m will address poverty and inequality to create a fairer future.

“These are just a few of the very welcome spending decisions we’ve been able to make and I’m grateful to members in all parties for shaping these plans, but we do need to remain prudent. Times are hard and we know that the impact of Covid on our budget will continue into future financial years and significant savings will have to be made.”

Vice Finance and Resources Convener Labour Councillor Joan Griffiths said: “This Budget is about giving Edinburgh the chance to recover and grow as we safeguard our frontline services.

“The impact the pandemic continues to have on residents, on businesses and in our communities is clear. We’re now facing a cost of living crisis and it’s vital that we prioritise support for those who need it most.

“As we recover from everything the last two years have brought, investment enabled by a modest increase in Council Tax rates will help people in every single one of our communities, with the extra money raised used to maintain critical frontline services.

“We’re determined to use this budget to help us close the poverty gap, and we’ve also committed to keeping rents frozen this year for Council tenants. We’re putting more money into crisis grants, into new schools and new homes – while spending millions on community improvements.

“All of this will go towards making Edinburgh the most welcoming, thriving, and sustainable place it can be.”

This will be the SNP-Labour ‘Capital Coalition’s’ last budget before May’s council elections.

New Council Tax rates will be brought into effect on 1 April 2022 as follows:

Council Tax Bands 2022/23

A: £919.17

B: £1,072.36

C: £1,225.56

D: £1,378.75

E: £1,811.52

F: £2,240.47

G: £2,700.05

H: £3,377.94

Further details can be found at edinburgh.gov.uk/budget-finance.

Planning application submitted to ‘kick-start Seafield regeneration’

Developers, Manse (Seafield) LLP and J. Smart & Co. (Contractors) PLC have jointly submitted a planning application for the delivery of an exciting residential development on the site of the former Vauxhall Garage on Seafield Road East.

The proposed redevelopment will act as a catalyst for the overall regeneration of Seafield and see the delivery of up to 220 much-needed new homes, including affordable housing, on a brownfield site currently used as car showrooms.

The application for Planning Permission in Principle (PPiP), has been designed to meet the aspiration of the City Council for the delivery of sustainable new residential development on brownfield sites within the City.

The Seafield area is currently dominated by industrial and car retail operations and the existing Local Development Plan envisages alternative uses, such as residential, to be acceptable in the area.

The City Council’s recently published Proposed City Plan 2030 also sets out a long-term vision for this part of the city as a substantial new urban residential quarter. The Manse and Smart proposals present an ideal opportunity for the early realisation of this vision.

A public consultation event was held in February last year and feedback from this has been incorporated into the emerging proposals and a series of positive pre-application meetings has been held with City Council planning, highways, flood, environmental and landscape officials.

It is expected that, subject to successful determination of the application, redevelopment of the property could begin in 2023 following the relocation of the car showrooms to new purpose-built facilities.

Commenting on this, Colin MacPherson from Manse said: “We are delighted to be bringing forward this planning application for Seafield. It will serve to act as a much-needed catalyst, meeting Council aspirations for the overall regeneration of the area and its desire for residential development on brownfield sites to meet the city’s housing needs.”

Public sector initiatives benefit from Business Stream’s Water Efficiency Fund

Edinburgh-based water retailer Business Stream has delivered nearly £100,000 of funding to nine public sector initiatives, including two in the capital through its annual Public Sector Scotland (PSS) Water Efficiency Fund.

The fund is part of a commitment made by the company to support public bodies across Scotland to deliver water efficiency projects designed to deliver environmental and financial savings.

One of this year’s successful candidates is Edinburgh Council, which will use the funds to purchase portable flow meters to help proactively manage water use at its sites and help drive a business case for purchasing additional automatic meter reading (AMR) equipment.

The Council will also commission a project to install urinal controls at one of the Local Authority’s secondary schools to help reduce water wastage and increase efficiency.

Edinburgh College also received funding, which it will use to undertake a full water efficiency audit at one of its sites to help identify water conservation solutions to help reduce overall consumption levels.

In addition to providing the funding, Business Stream will also support the delivery of each project.

Chief Executive of Business Stream, Jo Dow said: “As a responsible business, we are passionate about reducing our impact on the environment and helping our customers to do the same. It’s fantastic to be able to offer this fund to public sector bodies that are committed to reducing their water use and generating environmental savings.

“The judging panel members were incredibly impressed with the ingenuity of the applications and we’re now looking forward to supporting these projects to help deliver environmental and, in many cases, financial benefits too.”

A spokesperson from the Scottish Procurement Utilities team added: “Scottish Procurement and Property acknowledges the Business Stream approach to pro-active water management.

“The annual Water Efficiency Fund has identified projects which will deliver water resource savings and education opportunities. The Water Efficiency Fund supports the opportunity to reduce water consumption and provide financial savings for public sector customers of the ‘Water and Waste Water Framework.’”

The fund allocation process was overseen by a judging panel comprising representatives from Business Stream, the Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges (APUC), public sector bodies and Scottish Procurement.

In 2021, Business Stream announced that it has saved Scotland’s public sector over £1 million in water costs during the first year of its three-year contract. Just under £1.4 million of savings were delivered to the sector through the retailer’s efficiency measures, helping to save 885 million litresof water in the process – the equivalent of 354 Olympic sized swimming pools.

Edinburgh to ask for new powers to control short term lets

Councillors will be asked to approve a proposal to designate the City of Edinburgh Council area as a short term let (STL) control area at the Planning Committee next week (February 23).

The proposal follows a consultation with the public as well as industry bodies and if Committee agree it means the local authority will submit a request to the Scottish Government requesting that the new powers are implemented in the whole of the Edinburgh area.

If Government agrees with this approach, and the new legislation is implemented in the city, it would require residential property owners wholly letting a property which is not their principle home as an STL in the local authority area, to apply for a ‘change of use’ to a STL from Planning.

The majority of all respondents in the consultation were in favour of this approach (88%) supporting the principle of the designation of a STL control area and for the entire area to be included (85%).

Around a third of STLs in Scotland are in Edinburgh.  At the moment, in addition to planning applications made for STLs, to establish whether or not planning permission is required for properties where this is disputed, the Council’s enforcement team looks at each case individually, which is a very lengthy and time consuming process.

The introduction of powers to make a control area follows the Council calling for new legislation to tighten up the control of STLs to help manage high concentrations of secondary letting where it affects the availability of residential housing or the character of a neighbourhood.

Also, it will help to restrict or prevent STLs in places or types of buildings where they are not appropriate as well as making sure homes are used to best effect in their areas.

Generally renting out a room/s in your house or letting your property whilst on holiday would also still be allowed if Edinburgh became a STL control area.

The Scottish Parliament has approved legislation which will introduce a new licensing scheme, which the Council also called for, which will come into effect later this year. It will address the issues of safety, anti-social behaviour and noise. These issues have all had a detrimental effect on communities as the number of STLs has greatly increased across the city in recent years.

Councillor Neil Gardiner Planning Convener said: “I’d like to thank everyone who took part in our consultation. We worked hard calling for new legislation to help us have greater controls over STLs as we know they are an issue for many of our residents across the city. So it was great to see so many people from all different neighbourhoods taking part.

“This report highlights the growing pressures of the STL commercial market, which requires a cross-city approach to regulations. With high concentrations in central areas, there are commercial STLs in every council ward in this city.

“In some areas STLs have hollowed out communities, put more pressure on the housing market causing prices to rise, and created other issues such as anti-social behaviour and noise.”

Councillor Maureen Child Planning Vice-Convener said: “I’m delighted we’ve now got to a stage of this legislation potentially being implemented.

“If approved by committee and government, these new powers for Edinburgh will greatly complement the new licensing legislation just announced, which we also called for, as you’ll need evidence you have the right planning consent in place for your property as part of the criteria when obtaining a licence.”

New campaign offers residents advice and support with energy bills

Edinburgh residents struggling with rising energy costs are being offered advice and support with their bills as part of a city-wide campaign aimed at helping those most in need.

Run by the City of Edinburgh Council in partnership with Changeworks and Home Energy Scotland, the campaign seeks to support people experiencing, or most at risk from, fuel poverty with energy savings advice so they can save money on their bills.

As well as helping residents find out if they’re eligible for grants or funding for energy efficiency home improvements, help is also being offered to people dealing with fuel debt and high energy

prices.https://www.youtube.com/embed/fLEMCaTKgdM

In key areas of the city, home owners and private tenants are being urged to call Home Energy Scotland for support, free on 0808 808 2282 and Council tenants are being urged to call the Energy Advice Service for free on 0800 870 8800.

They can also visit www.edinburgh.gov.uk/EnergyAdvice for more information.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “This valuable campaign comes at a time when many households across the city will be faced with a choice of heating their homes or eating – due to rising food and energy bills as well as a £1,000 cut in universal credit payments for those who need support most- all contributing to this cost of living crisis.

“We want to do all we can to help make sure people most at need are able to access the advice and support available to them so that they can live in warmer, more comfortable homes.

“I urge anyone in the city struggling with their bills to call Home Energy Scotland or the Energy Advice Service so they can get the support they need today.”

Depute Leader Cammy Day added: “Rising home energy costs are leaving many people across Edinburgh worried about how they will pay their gas and electricity bills.

“We want to make sure that people know there is help and support there for them. If you’re a Council tenant, this is through our Energy Advice Service, run in partnership with Changeworks, and for people who own their own home, support is there from Home Energy Scotland.

“Their advisors have lots of excellent advice and tips to help people save money on bills so get in touch as they will be happy to share them. Making a few small changes can add up to a big difference.”

Laura Webb, Fuel Poverty and Low Carbon Operations Director at Changeworks said: “Through our work delivering the Home Energy Scotland service in the South East of Scotland and providing the Energy Advice Service for City of Edinburgh Council tenants we have seen increasing demand for support as people find themselves struggling with high bills and fuel debt.

“Our expert advisors are here to help and are already working hard to help Edinburgh residents save money and lessen the impacts of rising fuel costs.

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with City of Edinburgh Council on this campaign and encourage the people of Edinburgh to get in touch for further support.”

Last year, 790 Council tenants were supported through the Energy Advice Service with gas and electricity billing issues and with support around supplier debt. The service also gained around £170,000 of savings for the tenants.

Home Energy Scotland has also helped 24,000 homeowners and private tenants across Scotland to benefit from the Scottish Government funded Warmer Homes Scotland programme since it launched in 2015. Eight out of ten have received completely free energy efficiency improvements, with each of them also saving on average around £300 on their energy bills per year.

Home Energy Scotland is a free advice service funded by the Scottish Government. They work hand in hand with the Council’s Energy Advice Service to make sure people in Edinburgh get all the support they need from their friendly advisors.

Every weekend: Operation NightGuard

Every weekend in Edinburgh city centre #OpNightGuard is in place to prevent disorder and provide reassurance to the public.

Dedicated teams of officers are deployed on foot during the evening and night time to prevent incidents, assist vulnerable people and ensure that everyone gets home safely.We are always out and about supported by The City of Edinburgh Council who have additional staff out including taxi marshals, environmental wardens, night time teams and CCTV operators.

There are always volunteers from Edinburgh Street Pastors, Street Assist Edinburgh and other outreach services who are on hand to help and support vulnerable people.

#KeepingPeopleSafe

Construction begins on £19.4 million walking and cycling route

Work got underway yesterday on the £19.4m  City Centre West to East Link (CCWEL), a major new cycling and walking route linking the east and the west of the Capital.

Transport Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes was joined in Roseburn by Patrick Harvie, Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights, and Karen McGregor, Portfolio Director for Sustrans were joined by children from Roseburn Primary School and project managers to mark the occasion.

The project is funded by the Scottish Government via Sustrans.

When complete, the scheme will connect Roseburn to Leith Walk via Haymarket and the West End with a safe and direct cycle route, as well as significantly enhancing streets for those walking, wheeling and spending time there.

This will tie into a new George Street cycling thoroughfare delivered as part of the George Street and First New Town project.

The project, overseen by contractors Balfour Beatty, is leading the way in sustainable construction, with measures to cut carbon emissions. Site compounds will utilise ‘EcoSense’ cabins in conjunction with an ECONET power management system, which significantly reduces energy consumption and water usage.

Project officers will also use e-bikes rather than cars to travel between the site compound and works areas wherever possible, and cycle training has been provided as part of this.

Construction is expected to last around 18 months, with full details of plans available on the dedicated CCWEL website. In the first phase of the section between Roseburn and West Coates there will be some lane closures and changes to parking and bus stops, though traffic will be maintained in both directions.

Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convener, said: I’m thrilled that we’re now delivering the CCWEL, one of the largest pieces of safe walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure the Capital has seen yet.

“It’s been really exciting to visit the site and see work get underway – before long, this route will benefit so many people walking, wheeling and cycling to and from the city.

“The CCWEL project is just one of a range of bold initiatives to transform the way we travel around Edinburgh. We are committed to becoming a net zero city by 2030 and a key element of this is encouraging and supporting clean and sustainable modes of transport through projects like this.”

Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, said: “CCWEL has been years in the making, so today marks a real milestone for Edinburgh. Once complete it will provide an essential link between key parts of our existing cycle network to and through the city centre, as well as significantly improving the streetscape along the way.

“Not only will the project impact on the surrounding environment, reducing traffic, air pollution and noise, but it will help benefit people’s health and wellbeing through active travel and relaxed surroundings to spend time in.”

Minister for Active Travel Patrick Harvie said: “I’m pleased to see Scottish Government funding enable the construction of the City Centre West to East Link. It’s a vital connection which will help people to walk, wheel and cycle in Edinburgh as the natural choice, leading to better health, less congestion and a better environment. 

“I want to see many more schemes similar to this in communities across Scotland. That’s why we’re nearly tripling what Scotland invests in active travel over the next three years to at least £320 million a year.

“I’m committed to making sure those record levels of investment lead to real change in our cities, towns and neighbourhoods, delivering safe, attractive places for many more people to walk, wheel and cycle.”

Portfolio Director for Sustrans, Karen McGregor, said: “The City Centre West to East Link is a major breakthrough for active travel in Edinburgh. Not only will this deliver safe and accessible walking, wheeling and cycling routes for anyone travelling through the heart of our Scottish capital, it will play an important part in connecting communities in the city’s western and northern suburbs to make their everyday lives healthier and easier.

“The route will also link to several other ambitious projects Sustrans is working on with City of Edinburgh Council. These include the George Street and First New Town project and the Meadows to George Street scheme, which we believe will set the standard for active travel in Scotland going forward.”

Scott Ritchie, Senior Project Manager, Balfour Beatty, said: “We are pleased to be working with the City of Edinburgh Council to deliver this incredibly important scheme which will transform the way people travel, moving from a reliance on cars to active travel.

“The City Centre West to East Link route will reimagine our public spaces in Edinburgh; positively impacting local communities and residents by reducing traffic congestion and air pollution in the city centre and driving down carbon emissions.”

The route, which will be delivered in three sections, will include two-way segregated cycleways from Roseburn to Haymarket connecting via quiet streets to one-way segregated cycleways on each side of Melville Street.

Two-way cycleways connecting George Street with Picardy Place via St David Street, Queen Street and York Place will also be introduced. There will be significant improvements to public spaces along the route, as well as new pedestrian crossings, enhanced pavements and street trees.

By supporting people to travel by foot, bike and wheel, the CCWEL project aligns with our City Mobility Plan 2030, which envisions a clean, connected and net zero carbon future.

It links into several other schemes to overhaul travel to and through the city centre, including the George Street and First New Town project and Meadows to George Street, both to be delivered as part of Edinburgh City Centre Transformation.

The £19.4m CCWEL project, which includes a £13m construction contract with Balfour Beatty, will be principally funded by Transport Scotland through Sustrans’ Places for Everyone programme, with additional funding from the Scottish Government and the Council’s transport budget.

To minimise disruption, the programmed resurfacing of the A8 will be carried out alongside CCWEL construction, funded separately by the Council.

Find out more on the City Centre West to East Link website.