West Pilton/West Granton Community Council has organised a special community meeting to discuss vandalism in the Granton Mill area.
The meeting will take place on
TUESDAY 25 NOVEMBER from 6.30 – 8pm
in Craigroyston Community High School
Police, council officials and councillors have been invited to the event and a council Community Safety officer will report on what steps are being taken to tackle the problems.
The meeting also offers an opportunity to meet with other concerned residents and tenants who are working for the betterment of the area, and community council secretary Willie Black hopes Granton Mill’s residents will attend, get involved and make a difference.
“Why not come along to the meeting and have your say? With your help we can all make Granton Mill a place where everyone can be proud to live and work”, he said.
For further information contact Willie Black (Secretary) on 07515686421 or email w.black@blueyonder.co.uk
JAMES McGINTY reports on Muirhouse Salvesen Community Council’s annual general meeting:
The Community Council held their Annual General Meeting in Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre on 20 October. Eight people were present to hear Chairperson Roy Douglas welcome everyone, gave the apologies for the four councillors and introduce guest speaker Christine Mackay, manager of the Total Craigroyston project.
Mr Douglas then stated that “during the meeting we would be looking at the year past and the year ahead.” The Chairperson later laid out in the form of a document the aims and goals of the Community Council and listed the achievements for 2013/14.
He highlighted the community council’s input to the Pennywell & Muirhouse Master Plan and new Health Partnership Hub and the support given to local groups and organisations in the Muirhouse.
These groups and organisations to benefit from the Council’s support were:
The Financial Report was then discussed and approved.
Guest speaker Christine Mackay (above) then gave an in depth report on the Total Craigroyston project and conducted a question and answer session centred on this far reaching and ambitious Project.
WPC Helen Lyon (above) gave a police report, highlighting the area’s problems and the steps towards alleviating them.
All in all, a very well structured and transparent AGM, but we would ask members of the community to come along and give more support to what is your own communities’ council – especially as more powers are being handed down from the City of Edinburgh Council.
James McGinty
Muirhouse & Salvesen Community Council
Granton & District Community Council meets on Monday 27 October at 7pm in Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, Pilton Drive North.
Guest speaker is Total Craigroyston project manager Christine Mackay. All welcome.
For further information visit http://grantonanddistrictcommunitycouncil.com/
Regeneration’s back on the agenda as conference hears of ‘growing optimism’
It was one of Europe’s most ambitious regeneration programmes – an opportunity to clean up a massive brownfield site, create new communities and link Edinburgh’s city centre with the sea. Hotels, new homes, schools and small businesses were to be built on the old industrial waterfront, all served by a modern, efficient tram network. There was even talk of a floating island – but then came the recession …
That was six years ago, but the economy is recovering at last and there’s growing optimism that Edinburgh’s waterfront can now fulfil it’s undoubted potential.
Forth Neighbourhood Partnership and local community councils organised a community conference at Edinburgh College on Granton’s waterfront last weekend to inform local residents about what’s happening now and what plans are in place to regenerate the waterfront area. Around sixty delegates attended the ‘Buiding New Futures’ event and heard speakers outline plans that could see North Edinburgh transformed over the coming years.
It’s well known that Edinburgh has a severe housing shortage, and with growing pressure on Edinburgh’s cherished green belt the opportunity to build new homes on brownfield sites must be seized. Speakers from National Grid and the city council outlined plans to build thousands of new homes along the waterfront, and highlighted prospects of local employment opportunities as the regeneration gathers momentum.
A major house building initiative is already well underway in the area: as part of the 21st Century Homes programme, the Council is about to let their first new homes in a generation. Work is also underway on the former Craigroyston High School site which will form the first phase of plans to build over 700 new homes for sale and rent over the next eight to ten years in Pennywell and Muirhouse.
People living in these new homes will need services, of course, and health provision in the area is already under strain. NHS Lothian Partnership Development Manager Steven Whitton outlined the latest plans for a major new health facility, the North West Edinburgh Partnership Centre – that’s only a working title, mind, there’s got to be a catchier name than that!
The £12m Centre in Pennywell (above) will focus on child health and family support services and will house a new GP surgery, community nursing and midwifery services, dentistry, podiatry, physiotherapy and child health services. The centre will also provide facilities for social work and some voluntary sector organisations and is expected to open in September 2016.
Given the sheer scale of the regeneration project – the many different elements of the area’s development and the number of partner organisations involved – it was impossible to cover all aspects in minute detail, but the conference provided a timely update to local residents and Forth Neighbourhood Partnership plans to work with the local community councils to ensure that neighbourhoods are kept informed and involved as work progresses.
Forth Neighbourhood Partnership’s chairperson Councillor Cammy Day (pictured above) said: “I was pleased to see a great turnout at the event, and the diverse groups of people who are keen to take part in shaping their new and existing neighbourhoods.
“The conference provided a fantastic opportunity for the community to get to know more about regeneration taking place and to meet with key landowners and developers. This is not just about much-needed affordable homes, but the creation of jobs and training opportunities, leisure facilities and attracting investment into this area.
“This event isn’t a one-off either, I will be establishing a local development group where the community, council, developers and landowners in Granton Waterfront can get around the table, discuss plans at an early stage to shape and influence proposals, where possible, to meet our needs. It was a great start to what I hope will be a long-term partnership between the community and all those involved in regenerating this part of North Edinburgh.”
West Pilton & West Granton community councillor Willie Black, who was involved in organising the event, said: “The conference gave the community the opportunity to hear all the major players outline their plans for the regeneration of the waterfront and beyond – and to have their say. Everyone who was there though it was useful, but where now? A new regeneration forum group is to be set up and over the next few weeks community organisations will be invited to join and help build on the conference.”
Granton Improvement Society’s Barbara Robertson said: “Our stall attracted a lot of interest, particularly in the proposed Garden Festival and artisans’ village, and we’re pleased Cammy supports our project and wants to see it included in the area’s regeneration. The success of the conference showed the enthusiasm of the community to be involved in planning the regeneration of their area and paved the way for a new forum for the community to have their say.”
Some cynics will say ‘we’ve heard it all before’, but what about the next generation? Members of North Edinburgh’s Young People’s Forum attended the event and their feedback was very positive. Among their comments: ‘Feels like most of us if not all of us now know more about what is happening in the area’, ‘it’d be great to have more events like this to feed back on plans and what has been done’ and ‘feel more involved in what is happening and with what is going on in the area’. One suggested: ‘it would be good to say what has been done in relation to what the community has asked for – like a ‘you said – we did’ kind of thing’. Oh, and not so many big words next time please!
Building New Futures? Maybe this time …
The New Town and Broughton Community Council meets on the second Monday of the month from 7.30pm until 9.30pm. Local residents are very welcome to attend and raise issue with the Community Council. The dates are:
Monday 13 October 2014
Monday 10 November 2014
Monday 8 December 2014
All meetings are held at the Drummond Room, Broughton St Mary’s Church, Bellevue Crescent (enter by ramp, suitable for wheelchairs, down at right hand side of church).
For further details and for a contact form see our new website
ntbcc.org.uk
It’s now less than a week away, but there’s still time to book your place at Building New Futures, Forth’s regeneration conference:
If you live, visit or work in the north of the city, you may be aware of regeneration activity underway. Here in the Forth Neighbourhood, a number of projects have started or are under development. The Forth Neighbourhood Partnership and local Community Councils feel that this is a good time to bring together as many of those involved with managing or developing local regeneration to engage with the wider Forth community.
The Forth Regeneration event will take place on Saturday 27 September in Edinburgh College – Granton Campus from 10am – 2pm.
The event has been designed to be interactive and allow people the opportunity to fully understand and influence, where possible, current regeneration activity and future proposals. Information and discussion groups will take place around:
· New homes and improved public space in Pennywell/Muirhouse and health facilities;
· Proposals for Granton Waterfront;
· Wider investment across Forth, identifying challenges and opportunities.
An overview of the Second Proposed Local Development Plan will help set the scene before we head into discussion groups around the above three key areas.
A light lunch is available. Please let us know if you require any childcare arrangements.
Use the link below to book a place. If you have already booked, there is no need to re-book – please forward to anyone you think may be interested in attending.
Scott Donkin | Partnership & Information Manager | North Neighbourhood | Services for Communities | The City of Edinburgh Council | 8 West Pilton Gardens EH4 4DP | Tel 0131 529 5001 |scott.donkin@edinburgh.gov.uk
An opportunity to find out more and have your say on the area’s regeneration …
If you live, visit or work in the north of the city, you may be aware of regeneration activity underway. Here in the Forth Neighbourhood, a number of projects have started or are under development. The Forth Neighbourhood Partnership and local Community Councils feel that this is a good time to bring together as many of those involved with managing or developing local regeneration to engage with the wider Forth community.
The Forth Regeneration event will take place on Saturday 27 September in Edinburgh College – Granton Campus from 10:00 – 14:00.
The event has been designed to be interactive and allow people the opportunity to fully understand and influence, where possible, current regeneration activity and future proposals. Information and discussion groups will take place around:
· New homes, improved public space and health facilities in Pennywell/Muirhouse
· Proposals for Granton Waterfront
· Wider investment across Forth, identifying challenges and opportunities.
An overview of the Second Proposed Local Development Plan will help set the scene before we head into discussion groups around the above three key areas.
A light lunch is available. Please let us know if you require any childcare arrangements.
To book a place, please use the link below. If you have already booked, there is no need to re-book.
Scott Donkin
Partnership & Information Manager | North Neighbourhood
Community council salutes arts legend
Edinburgh-born artist and colossus of the Scottish arts scene Professor Richard Demarco is giving a lecture at Edinburgh College this week at an event celebrating his contribution to cultural life. The Portobello Demarco Lecture on Thursday night (11 September) is being held by Portobello Community Council to honour one of the area’s most famous figures.
The free lecture will take place at the CRE:8 auditorium at Edinburgh College’s Milton Road Campus on Thursday at 7.30pm.
Edinburgh-born Demarco will talk about his remarkable life and achievements within the Scottish and international art worlds, of which he has been a crucial figure for more than 50 years.
Throughout this time, the 84-year-old Traverse Theatre co-founder has organised scores of plays, exhibitions and events, including a long-standing association with the Official Edinburgh Festival. His work has earned him a number of national and international honours. Earlier this year, Demarco was presented with the annual Edinburgh Award, which honours people who have made major contributions to the city. This followed his European Citizen of the Year 2013 Prize last August, given by the European Parliament for his exceptional achievements.
Professor Demarco said: “My lecture in Portobello will focus on how the history of art and science in the decades which followed the Second World War must consider the future of education so that art is not divorced from such a history.”
Jon Buglass, head of the Centre for Creative Industries at Edinburgh College, said: “We’re delighted to host the lecture and play our part in honouring one of our cultural greats, someone who has arguably done more to promote the arts in this country than anyone else in recent times.
“Professor Demarco is an inspirational figure whose influence on our country’s artists and the way that we present art is enormous. I’d urge our students and anyone else with an interest in arts to learn from his vision. Without his commitment to supporting our country’s talent our cultural landscape would be very different and far worse off.”
Geoff Lynn, chair of Portobello Community Council, said: “Portobello Community Council is delighted to be able to play host to such a venerated and colourful figure as Richard Demarco. His early life growing up in Portobello, his dedication to the artistic and cultural life of this city and beyond. It should be a great evening.”
The event is free but booking is essential. Tickets can be booked here.
