WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS!
SATURDAY 4th MAY 11am – 2pm
The future is exciting for Granton Waterfront, we want to share plans and capture ideas for your heritage buildings.
Please share your ideas at our:
Drop-in event THIS SATURDAY 4th May
Granton Station, Waterfront Broadway
11am – 2pm
Or ONLINE from the 1-29 May
Proposals which will help to protect people against the threat of ticket touts at UEFA EURO 2028 are the focus of a new consultation launched today.
Glasgow is one of 10 host cities for EURO 2028 and an expected three million tickets will go on sale for the whole tournament, allowing more fans than ever before access to a UEFA EURO tournament.
As part of the consultation, stakeholders are invited to share their insights about how effective the measures implemented during UEFA EURO 2020, which took place in 2021, were for both supporters and local businesses.
Europe Minister Kaukab Stewart said: “Glasgow has become one of the world’s top cities for staging major sporting events, and EURO 2028 will follow in the footsteps of the recent World Athletics Indoor Championships – these matches belong to everyone and it’s important we ensure tickets are accessible.
“This valuable consultation underlines our commitment to protecting Scottish people from the threat of ticket touts, ensuring fair and equitable access to EURO 2028 games in Scotland.
“I would encourage everybody with an interest in this eagerly awaited event to share their views and help to shape legislation ahead of EURO 2028 happening in Glasgow.”
The consultation period closes on 26 July and provides an opportunity for people to share their views to shape robust protection measures for those fans planning on attending the matches staged in Scotland.
We want your thoughts!
The future is exciting for Granton and we have big building and repair plans.
Please share your ideas at our drop-in or by scanning the QR code from 1 May 
YOU are invited to our second follow up engagement session on Saturday 20th April at the Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre from 1:30-3:00pm.
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:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/6c5e4815a3f54ce5be4d6f99b0dff213
Lets hope for some April sunshine and look forward to seeing you on the 20th April!
Last few days to tell us by what library services are important to you and what services you think people would like to see in the future.
It only takes a few minutes to fill in our survey:
www.edinburgh.gov.uk/futurelibraries
Survey closes on 19 April.
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:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/6c5e4815a3f54ce5be4d6f99b0dff213
Lets hope for some April sunshine and look forward to seeing you on the 20th April!
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:
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.
The consultation on the proposals is now open and will close on Wednesday 26 June.
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.
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.”
Consultation on a proposal to phase out the use of cages in Scotland’s laying hen sector.
The consultation will run for 12 weeks, until Tuesday 25 June 2024
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.”
