We are very pleased and grateful to the team at the Neighbourhood Centre as we will be joining their Future Family Fun Day taking place on the same day. We will be there to share some of the draft designs and ideas for the park and we’d love to hear your feedback.
As a reminder, we have been working with the City of Edinburgh council to develop concept designs for enhancements across Drylaw Park. These include improvements to park connectivity, accessibility and safety, infrastructure to address surface water issues, nature enhancements and improvements to play provision.
The concept designs take these themes into account and have considered a variety of previous feedback from the community and other key stakeholders.
The Drylaw Park forms part of the Climate Ready Craigleith project which sits under the cities overarching Climate Ready Edinburgh strategy and there is more information on the developing storymap here:
I am getting in touch to follow up with some information regarding the Drylaw Park project and to invite you to our second follow up engagement session on Saturday 20th April at the Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre from 1:30 – 3:00pm at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre – DNC – The place to be! (drylawnc.org.uk)
We are very pleased and grateful to the team at the Neighbourhood Centre as we will be joining their Future Family Fun Day taking place on the same day. We will be there to share some of the draft designs and ideas for the park and we’d love to hear your feedback.
As a reminder, we have been working with the City of Edinburgh council to develop concept designs for enhancements across Drylaw Park. These include improvements to park connectivity, accessibility and safety, infrastructure to address surface water issues, nature enhancements and improvements to play provision.
The concept designs take these themes into account and have considered a variety of previous feedback from the community and other key stakeholders.
The Drylaw Park forms part of the Climate Ready Craigleith project which sits under the cities overarching Climate Ready Edinburgh strategy and there is more information on the developing storymap here:
Proposals to make Dalry greener, healthier and more vibrant are now being presented for consultation.
Plans to make the town centre a more attractive place have been designed to make it easier to access local shops, schools and services with wider pavements and better cycling provision. Ideas include features to create better spaces to spend time, with trees and nature, planting, public art, and opportunities to rest.
Improving public transport is a key focus, with measures to reduce travel times through the area put forward alongside more space at bus stops and resurfaced roads. Better cycle connections and safer routes to local schools are also presented.
Dalry Living Well Locally is one of the first projects that implements the recently announced Our Future Streets approach to provide both a more integrated transport network, and a greener, more inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone in Edinburgh’s neighbourhoods and key travel corridors.
It is part of a new 20-minute neighbourhood strategy to help local people meet most of their daily needs within a short walk, wheel or cycle from their home.
To make these changes possible, proposals include measures to reduce traffic driving through Dalry on the way to somewhere else, while retaining vehicle access for everyone. This would be achieved through a proposed filter for cycles, buses and taxis just south of the Haymarket junction, operating between 7am and 7pm.
All homes and businesses would still be accessible by car, but most traffic heading from or to the city centre would use alternative routes such as the West Approach Road instead of Dalry Road. The Council will also use this is an opportunity to review the weight restrictions on the West Approach Road.
If approved, the works would be undertaken alongside the Council’s scheduled road renewal programme to minimise disruption to everyone using the area.
There are also proposals to introduce more one-way streets in the area including along Caledonian Road, Caledonian Place, Orwell Place and Orwell Terrace, and the streets around Murieston Park.
Ideas for segregated cycle lanes connecting the town centre to local schools, Haymarket and the wider network, including the new Roseburn to Union Canal active travel scheme, are also being put forward. This includes a redesign of the junction between Gorgie and Dalry at Murieston Road to improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. It is also proposed to improve and expand the pedestrian space to the front of Dalry Swim Centre, enhancing the setting of the B-listed building. Footways will be widened where possible.
The proposals have been designed using the findings of a survey of local residents and businesses to understand the needs, opportunities, and any barriers that limit people making more active, greener travel choices in Gorgie Dalry.
The survey, conducted between November 2022 and January 2023, identified common issues amongst people who live, work in and visit the local area, including a need for:
Wider and better quality pavements, especially at busy bus stops and around local shops
More and safer pedestrian crossings, with shorter waiting times
Safer and more attractive routes to local schools
More pleasant, greener streets and public spaces with more places to stop and rest
A less car-dominated environment that retains easy access for people with mobility issues and deliveries to shops and local businesses
Safer cycle provision along Dalry Road and Gorgie Road, and secure cycle storage
Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “Like many of the town and local centres across our city, Dalry has plenty of shops, services and facilities that people need every day but it is divided a busy road with cramped public spaces.
“Residents have told us this makes it a difficult area to access and spend time, and we want to improve the way it works for people, allowing everyone to live, shop, work and move around more easily.
“The local area has one of the lowest rates of car ownership in the city, and we want to create more pleasant streets that are better connected with local services and public transport options.
“We are proposing some changes to the flow of through traffic to achieve this, so people who would usually travel along Dalry Road by car to reach destinations like the city centre will simply use other routes such as the West Approach Road instead. Everyone will still be able to drive into and out of the area to reach homes and support businesses.
“This will help walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport to become the natural first choice for most of the shortest journeys. It will help make Dalry more of a destination in its own right, rather than a place people drive through on the way to somewhere else.
“We will be listening to the local community, and I will make sure all voices are heard. I am also keen to hear from local businesses in the area. I firmly believe high-performing local businesses are at the centre of places like Dalry, and these enterprises need support and a safe and high quality environment for their customers to thrive and grow.
“Residents across Edinburgh tell me they want to be able to access work, leisure and shops easily without having to use their car because they know it’s good for them and the environment. These plans for Dalry could meet that need locally, and become something other parts of our capital may want to follow.”
Sam Valentine, Senior Grant Advisor for Sustrans said: “Working closely with the local community, these early designs present a comprehensive and ambitious vision of a place where people are able to walk, wheel and cycle with ease.
“Safer routes to school and better connections with public transport will create a more inviting space for everyone and restore peace and enjoyment to an area sorely overburdened with car dominance from through traffic. We encourage everyone living and working in the Dalry area to engage closely with these exciting proposals and help make this project a success.
In addition to the 2022-2023 public survey, the Council has organised workshops with local school pupils and engaged with a wide range of community groups. A ‘Community Advisory Group’ (CAG), including local councillors and community organisations, was established in spring 2023.
The project team has also joined local community council meetings, visited local businesses and issued leaflets to residents in the area to encourage them to share their views.
The consultation is being promoted through measures including door-to-door leafletting, lamp post wraps and a local engagement event at The St Brides Centre on Thursday 11 April between 3 – 7pm.
Following the consultation, any agreed changes to local traffic restrictions or redetermination of carriageway or footway will go through the required statutory processes.
Industry asked for views on banning the use of cages
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A consultation on banning the use of cages to house laying hens for egg production has been launched today.
Views will be sought on phasing out the use of enriched cages, which offered more room to nest, roost, scratch and rest than the previously used battery or barren cages that were banned in the UK in 2012.
In 2020 a survey showed that 88% of the British public consider using cages in farming is cruel and 77% of those surveyed supported a complete ban on the use of cages in farming.
Over 1.1 million hens were housed in cages in Scotland as of February 2024.
Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie said: “As we committed to in our Programme for Governments, we want to improve the welfare of laying hens to ensure their confinement does not negatively impact their normal behaviours.
“Significant progress has already been made in recognising the importance of animal welfare – both in government policies and the demand from the public in the choice they make when shopping. If implemented, the ban would be another example of Scotland leading the way in improving the welfare of animals by being the first UK nation to ban the practice.
“We’ve seen the European Union put forward legislation to prohibit using cages for all farmed livestock, with Luxembourg and Austria already banning them and others phasing them out.
“In the coming weeks will also call for evidence on the use of cages in the gamebird and quail egg and meat sectors ahead of consulting on phasing out cages in those sectors in due course.
“I would encourage everyone with an interest in this issue to take part to help us shape how we protect the welfare of laying hens.”
An evaluation will take place as part of making the case to the UK Government that major Scotland men’s and women’s national football team qualifier matches should be available for free-to-air broadcast.
The Scottish Government’s view is that national sporting events, such as Scotland’s men’s and women’s football qualifiers for the World Cup and European Championships, should be included in the list of matches protected for free-to-air broadcast to expand the opportunity for audiences to enjoy these games.
Scotland matches in major men’s and women’s tournaments are on the protected list, but qualifiers are not, and this consultation will examine the case to close that loophole. UEFA holds the rights to these matches and they are often sold to the highest bidder – regardless of whether that results in them being shown behind a paywall.
Any consultation would form part of broader analysis of the case for the expansion of the list of free-to-air games, alongside a consideration of the business case. The Scottish Government plans to publish further details on the consultation this summer.
First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “The Scottish Government is taking a further step towards making major Scotland international football matches available free-to-air, which would allow the whole country to get behind our national teams in important qualifying fixtures.
“Scots celebrated as our men’s national team charged their way on scintillating form into this year’s Euro Championships, and we’ll all be behind the women’s national team when their qualifiers get underway next month, but most Scots are blocked from watching the national team with the bulk of games shown on a pay-per-view basis.
“With so much at stake in qualifiers, our vision is for all fans to be able to watch their national teams as they battle to reach the world’s biggest competitions.
“With the full powers of independence, the Scottish Government would have the power to determine the list of events that should be available to broadcast free-to-air to reflect the interests of Scottish audiences, and enable broadcasters who have a public service remit to better meet these needs.
“But broadcasting policy is currently reserved to the UK Government, and only Westminster can add these matches being included in the so-called “crown jewels” of international sporting fixtures for free-to-air broadcast.
“With the UK Government refusing to act to resolve the situation for Scotland fans, the Scottish Government will launch a consultation on the issue to help progress the campaign to ensure Scotland international qualifying matches are on terrestrial TV.
“Further evaluation work will be taken forward to understand the implications such a decision would have for rights holders, including the SFA, before the Scottish Government’s case is brought forward to the UK Government.”
Should Scotland have a Disability Commissioner? This is what a Holyrood Committee is asking and it now wants to hear from disabled people and those you care, support and live with.
The Disability Commissioner (Scotland) Bill has been introduced by Jeremy Balfour MSP. The Bill would establish a commissioner, who would be expected to promote and safeguard the rights of disabled people.
The Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee will be scrutinising the Bill and want to hear views on the proposals in the Bill before it takes public evidence.
In particular, the Committee wants people to share their views on the proposal to establish a commissioner, the powers that the Commissioner would have and the involvement that disabled people should have in the Commissioner’s work.
The consultation, which opened yesterday, will be open until Friday 17 May.
Karen Adam MSP, Convener of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee, said: “With approximately one fifth of Scotland’s population defining themselves as disabled, our Committee welcomes any discussion on what can be done to ensure that their voices are heard and their rights are protected.
“Our newly opened consultation will help frame our scrutiny of the proposals in the Bill. What we hear from the public will define our evidence sessions and ultimately be reported back to the Parliament.
“We’re especially keen to hear what Scotland’s disabled community make of the proposals, which is why we are providing our consultation in a range of formats, including Easy Read and BSL.”
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is consulting on a review of Potentially Vulnerable Areas (PVAs) to protect communities from future impacts of flooding, as the number of homes, businesses and services at risk across Scotland is projected to increase by around 40% by the 2080s due to climate change.
PVAs are areas where significant flood risk exists now or is likely to occur in the future and are used to identify locations where a partnership approach may be required to resolve widespread and often complex flooding issues.
They inform Scotland’s Flood Risk Management (FRM) Plans and Local Flood Risk Management Plans and become the focus of FRM actions, helping responsible authorities to prioritise investment and coordinate actions to reduce the impacts of flooding on communities.
Identifying PVAs is an essential part of protecting people, properties, businesses, communities, infrastructure, and our environment, with an estimated 284,000 homes, businesses and services across Scotland currently identified as at risk of flooding.
This winter, SEPA issued a record number of regional Flood Alerts and local Flood Warnings to the public. A total of 720 messages were sent between 1st September 2023 and 16th February 2024. The previous record of 714 was set over autumn and winter 2015/16.
Siobhan McNulty, Flood Risk Planning Manager at SEPA, said: “Scotland is witnessing an increasing number of extreme weather events and flooding presents a growing threat to our communities.
“It is vital we work together with partners and communities to identify the areas most at risk so we can work together to increase Scotland’s resilience to flooding. PVAs are the first step in this process.”
Informing Scotland’s flood risk management process
Since PVAs were first identified in 2011, SEPA have worked together with partners including local authorities and Scottish Water to plan and deliver actions to manage flood risk in the places where it is needed most.
Based on the National Flood Risk Assessment, PVAs are updated and published by SEPA every six years as required by the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009. The designation of PVAs takes into consideration past, current and future flood risk from rivers, the sea and surface water using recorded events, observations and strategic flood modelling.
SEPA are now consulting on proposed updates to PVAs for 2024. The review will focus on smaller, community-based target areas set within wider zones of influence to provide clearer information on how flood risk is tackled in Scotland.
Once the PVAs are formally designated by Scottish Ministers, SEPA will then prepare FRM plans to set objectives and actions for reducing flood risk. The local FRM plans published by each lead local authority will then provide more detail, including timescales and funding.
Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy Màiri McAllan said: “Managing our exposure to floods and their impacts is a significant and growing challenge as climate change brings more severe and frequent flood events.
“Improving resilience to flooding is a priority for the Scottish Government, so I welcome the launch of this consultation and I encourage all parties with a potential interest to engage with it.”
Helping communities at greatest flood risk
One community that has historically suffered from flooding is Stonehaven, which has been designated a PVA since the first cycle in 2011.
Several actions have since been identified and delivered through flood risk management plans developed by SEPA and Aberdeenshire Council, with input from the Stonehaven Flood Action Group and the wider community.
These include the completion of the Stonehaven Flood Protection Scheme which is designed to protect against flooding from the Glaslaw Burn and the River Carron, and benefits around 370 homes and businesses by reducing fluvial flooding. Other actions that have been delivered for Stonehaven are a new coastal flood warning system, updated coastal flood hazard maps and the completion of the Stonehaven Bay coastal flood study.
Cllr Alan Turner, Chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee, said: “I was delighted to see the completion of the Stonehaven Flood Protection Scheme. This demonstrates real progress being made to mitigate flooding impacts in the town.
“The scheme was built following consultation and engagement with the residents, businesses, and the Stonehaven Flood Action Group. That entire process started with a PVA assessment, where coordinated actions were established through PVA recommendations.”
“A PVA designation is an invaluable aid – firstly in the understanding of potential impacts of flooding and secondly through the implementation of tangible solutions which will provide reassurance to communities.”
Have your say on PVAs
While the designation of PVAs is a science and evidence-led process, feedback from public partners and local communities is key to making sure all relevant impacts are taken into consideration.
Siobhan McNulty said: “Whether you have previously been affected by flooding or have concerns about potential future impacts for your home, business or community, we want to hear from you.
“Your views on the proposed PVAs will inform essential future flood risk management work so we can improve flooding resilience together and best prepare for a changing climate.”
Views are being sought on proposals for the sustainable use of bioenergy, including growing crops which can be converted into electricity, heat and fuels.
Bioenergy is already a key component of Scotland’s energy system and is produced by using organic material from trees, plants and food waste as a greener source to replace fossil fuels.
A new strategy sets out how bioenergy can be used to reduce emissions, and proposes using some agricultural land specifically to grow crops which can be converted into bioenergy.
Consultation on the strategy opens today and will run for 12 weeks, seeking views on the opportunities and barriers to using biomass for fuel, as well as the possible use of land to grow the perennial energy crops required for domestic production.
Energy Minister Gillian Martin said: “Bioenergy supports the Scottish Government’s commitment to reach net zero by 2045. Research shows if 90,000 hectares of these crops were planted, this could deliver an amount of energy equivalent to powering around 1.3 million homes a year.
“Realising this potential can help to deliver a just transition for our energy sector, and develop a self-sufficient and secure supply chain to enable us to generate more of this greener energy.
“It is vitally important that people engage on this consultation and give us their views.”
The Scottish Police Authority has approved plans to dispose of three police stations following public consultation.
At the SPA Resources Committee held on Wednesday, 13 March, 2024, Balerno in Edinburgh, Seaton in Aberdeen and Carluke in South Lanarkshire were all formally declared as surplus.
Police Scotland announced on 14 December 2023 proposals to close police stations across the country as part of their estate transformation strategy.
Public consultation was launched both at a local level and nationally through an online Engagement Hub, with consultations on individual properties taking place at different times. The consultations on the properties in Balerno, Seaton and Carluke all closed on Sunday, 18 February, 2024.
Balerno, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, has historically been underutilised and has not been used as an operational response station for many years. Officers deploy from Wester Hailes which is less than five miles away and has the nearest public counter.
Carluke was last fully utilised as an operational station three years ago, due to extensive water damage. Local community officers have been deploying from Lanark police station just over five miles away. Lanark is the main response hub for the area and nearest public counter. Officers have continued to effectively serve the area from Lanark with no detriment to the level of policing service delivery to the community of Carluke.
Seaton is leased space within Seaton Primary School. The station was last in operational use in response to the Covid pandemic in 2020/21. Since then, policing services in Aberdeen have been realigned and the property has not been used as an operational station for over two years. Officers previously based at this location relocated to other city stations, such as Tillydrone, which is less than two miles away.
Comments received from the public on all three properties recognised that the stations are not currently used and there was agreement that there is limited use of the buildings as a local safe place. One theme that emerged was the sentiment that local police sites represent policing and infer feelings of safety within the community.
All three properties were considered surplus to requirements by local Divisional Commanders and the SPA Resources committee approved them being declared surplus, with a view to being disposed of.
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Johnson said : “Police Scotland inherited a very large and ageing estate, much of which was not fit for purpose, with high maintenance costs and environmental inefficiencies.
“Although we have rationalised and reduced the number of our properties over the last ten years, in some cases we are still maintaining multiple buildings just a few miles apart.
“Also, with advances in digital technology and our fleet, officers are no longer tied to working from police buildings and much of their time is spent out in communities dealing with calls and helping the public.
“All buildings incur running costs and ongoing repairs and maintenance. Retaining vacant and underutilised buildings, such as these three properties, is not good use of public funds.
“I realise that that for some, the presence of a police building can bring reassurance and confidence to their local area.
“I can assure the public that our officers will continue to be active, visible and accessible in these communities. Disposing of a vacant building does not mean there will be a withdrawl of service to that area.
“Those local communities will continue to receive the same high level of service from our officers.”
The outcomes of the consultations for Seaton, Balerno and Carluke have been published and can be found on the Engagement Hub.
