Tag: Connecting Communities

Connecting Communites: Council partners with community councils to seek views on regenerating Seafield

A six-week consultation is asking residents, businesses and other interested groups how they think Seafield could be transformed and regenerated into a vibrant new 20-minute neighbourhood.

The consultation is being run by the City of Edinburgh Council and Seafield: Connecting Coastal Communities*.

The local community is being invited to attend two events where they can give their views in person. Those attending will be asked what they like best about the area just now, what kind of housing they would like built there in the future and how the existing promenade could be improved.

The consultation is also seeking to get views from the local community on what other facilities they would like in the area such as health centres, schools and shops as well as how public transport could be improved. 

There is an online consultation survey for those who are unable to attend the following events – 

Thursday, 27 April between 3pm – 8pm at The Ripple Project Cafe, 198 Restalrig Road South, Craigentinny. 

Saturday, 29 April Between 12:30pm – 3:30pm Bellfield (Celebration Foyer) 16B Bellfield Street, Portobello.

Cllr James Dalgleish Planning Convener said: “This part of our precious coast in Edinburgh has been highlighted as an area which can be greatly improved and regenerated in our draft City Plan 2030, currently with Scottish Ministers for approval. 

“We’re at an early stage looking at how we can use sustainable 20-minute neighbourhood principles at Seafield, a new way of thinking for us in Edinburgh. We want to make Seafield more sustainable, with improved access to quality services.

“This is the start of a conversation with the local community to empower them to help us to make this happen. A 20-minute neighbourhood in Edinburgh is about living well locally, giving residents the ability to meet most of their daily needs by walking, cycling, wheeling or taking public transport. Residents will be able to live, shop, work and travel more easily and enjoy well-connected spaces with and improved greener public transport. 

“I’d encourage everyone with a link to Seafield to come along and tell us how what kind of homes and other facilities they would like to see built at Seafield for future generations to come. If you can’t make the events please do fill out our short survey as it’s really important we hear from as many people as possible about this important regeneration project for the city.

“The next stage is for the Council to share a draft vision for feedback before consulting on a draft masterplan for Seafield this summer. This will then be presented to the Council’s Planning Committee for approval.”

*Seafield: Connecting Coastal Communities is a group made up of the following community councils:

  • Craigentinny and Meadowbank
  • Portobello
  • Leith Links
  • Leith Harbour & Newhaven

Housing associations ‘an untapped resource’ in delivery of health and social care

A new report has concluded that housing is an untapped resource which could help Health and Social Care Boards engage better with older people, delivering more effective services as a result.

In the report published today, one of Scotland’s leading housing associations outlines the importance of going beyond traditional methods of engagement.  Instead, it highlights importance of understanding the emotional needs of people and the networks which exist within communities.  This information helps achieve better outcomes such as increasing happiness and reducing loneliness and isolation.

Hanover Scotland has published the report, Connecting Communities, after completing an action research project to understand how the organisation, staff and residents can work with local communities to help people live the lives they want.

It comes just a few weeks after a report by Audit Scotland highlighted that “More work needs to be done to engage with local communities when making changes to health and social care services.”

Hanover believes the methodology and findings of its own research could provide a template for use in health and social care and wants to see housing organisations more closely involved in the process in future.

As part of the research, a group of Hanover staff were trained to use a relationship-centred approach as developed by Professor Mike Nolan at the University of Sheffield.  This describes the need for a sense of security; a sense of continuity; a sense of belonging; a sense of purpose; a sense of fulfilment and; a sense of significance.

Using these principles, the Hanover research team, led by the Chief Executive, was able to gain an insight in to the networks and connections that exist in local communities and what prompts positive emotional responses from people.

The relationships that have been formed and the information gathered will be used to shape Hanover’s future work and demonstrates how housing organisations could be a gateway for health and social care bodies to improve their own engagement and deliver better outcomes.

The four conclusions of Hanover’s report were:

  • The home is fundamental to the wellbeing of people and the sustainability of communities. Housing is key to all efforts to integrate and improve health and wellbeing.
  • Engagement with older people when shaping services must improve and consider the emotional motivations and needs of individuals to better understand the networks and support which exists within communities.
  • Housing organisations are an untapped resource without which it will be more difficult for IJBs to achieve better health and social care outcomes as outlined by Audit Scotland.
  • It is essential that housing organisations be offered the opportunity to be fully included in the ongoing integration of health and social care.

Helen Murdoch, Chief Executive of Hanover Scotland, said: “Housing organisations are the gateway through which health and social care bodies can provide outcomes to help people live the lives they want.

“For 40 years, Hanover Scotland has pioneered progressive models of housing and care that support older people to enjoy full and active lives and I am very proud that our team was able to undertake this research throughout our anniversary year.  It has taken us across Scotland to speak to people and to a global conference where we were invited to share some of our early findings.

“What our detailed discussions with our residents have given us is a deep understanding of what kind of service they want from us and how we can go about doing that.  As a result, this research is going to shape Hanover’s services for years to come.

“We do not pretend to have all the answers but it seems clear to me that were housing organisations included more closely in the integration of health and social care in the future, we could use this kind of model to improve engagement with local communities and deliver better, more effective services across the country.”