Officers are appealing for witnesses after a man was seen in possession of a knife on Caledonian Road in Dalry.
A call was received around 3.30pm, on Saturday (26 February 2022). Officers attended and carried out a full search of the area, but there was no trace of the male.
He’s described as black, around 6ft with a stocky build.He was wearing a hat, black puffer style jacket with fur trim, and black trousers.
Local Area Commander, Chief Inspector Mark Hamilton from Corstorphine Police Station said: “We are keen to hear from anyone who recognises the description of this man, or anyone who was in the area at the time, or has dash cam footage or CCTV images, to get in touch via 101 quoting reference 2192 of 26 February 2022.”
A multi-million-pound scheme to ‘transform walking and cycling connections’ between Dalry and Fountainbridge will take a big step foward if plans are approved this week.
The associated benefits of this, alongside substantial enhancements to surrounding woodland, to the environment and also by encouraging travel choices, is set to contribute to our carbon neutral goals.
The council wants to create a ‘green corridor’ by planting nearly 5000 trees along the route, contributing to Edinburgh’s target of becoming a ‘Million Tree City’ by 2030.
As part of this they’ll be revamping open spaces along the route which are currently unusable or inaccessible for the use of the community and revitalising Dalry Community Park too.
On Thursday (6 August) members of the Policy and Sustainability Committee will consider the latest designs, which have been refined in response to feedback received during consultation with local residents, and proposals to begin enabling works to progress the project.
Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: This is an extremely exciting project which will deliver real benefits to the local community, and anyone travelling by foot or bike in the area, by providing an essential link in our walking and cycling network.
“Our plans to plant almost 5000 trees will have a significant impact, not only on the area’s amenity but by encouraging wildlife diversity, providing educational opportunities for local children and reducing the city’s carbon footprint as part of our wider tree-planting strategy.”
Transport and Environment Vice Convener Karen Doran said: “This project will breathe new life into these underused spots, which have the potential to become a haven for wildlife and a relaxing environment for residents and visitors.
“By both encouraging walking, cycling and wheeling and planting thousands of trees in the area, it’s helping drive us towards our carbon neutral goal.”
Proposals include:
Active travel route: Our proposed creation of a shared-use pedestrian and cycle path, including new bridge crossings over the Mid-Calder railway line and Dalry Road, would connect the North Edinburgh Path Network to Fountainbridge, where onwards travel to the Union Canal will be provided via a separate active travel project currently under development.
Green corridor: We are planning to overhaul existing areas alongside the route, including spaces adjacent to Russell Road/Sauchiebank and West Approach Road/Duff Street Lane, which have fallen into disuse. Our enabling works will result in the loss of some trees, though almost 60% of these are of low or extremely poor quality, and we’ve developed a long-term strategy for creating and managing a healthy and diverse tree population.
As part of this, we are proposing the planting of 4,795 woodland and semi-mature trees across the site, with landscaping and ecological issues managed to ensure the project results in a higher quality, more varied and better maintained woodland. As well as encouraging wildlife, the improved woodland will provide better access for amenity and education, including its potential use by Dalry Primary School for ‘forest schools’.
Dalry Community Park improvements: Redesigning the park to renew the existing playpark with equipment for all ages, resurfacing the sports pitch, installing lighting seating and wayfinding, improving landscaping and creating shared-use paths and better access points.
The latest project designs build on our consultation with the local community in 2015/16, when 95% of respondents expressed their support for the measures, and subsequent engagement carried out in 2019.
Amongst the changes we’ve made to the initial proposals as a result of feedback are the development of a tree protection strategy, improved access points and the increase of path widths to 4m, providing additional space for both pedestrians and cyclists.
If approved, enabling works are expected to start in September and will comprise of site clearance, ground investigation and excavations.
Alongside this a protected species/habitat survey will be carried out, and we will be working with contractors to explore ways of minimising the loss of trees as a result of the project.
LOVE Gorgie Farm has been spearheading support for communities in Gorgie, Dalry and Stenhouse, coordinating different local organisations to deliver key services.
Participating organisations are working collectively to provide a comprehensive range of services to the community. Acting as a one-stop shop they are sharing a request for support with the right organisation if they can’t deliver it themselves. They are also working together to identify existing gaps in support that need filled.
The first organisations to witness the benefit of this collaboration has been LOVE Gorgie Farm and Big Hearts, who have joined forces to enhance their foodbank provision to the local community. Big Hearts is a family-focused charity, aiming to improve the lives of people who are at risk of social isolation across communities.
Through this initiative, referrals going to Big Hearts seeking food provisions can automatically be shared with LOVE Gorgie Farm’s food bank, improving the support given to these individuals.
LOVE Gorgie Farm is coordinating this collective initiative since it temporarily closed its doors to the public due to the coronavirus outbreak at the end of March.
In addition to running a foodbank, LOVE Gorgie Farm has been undertaking a volunteer-led initiative to deliver free breakfast every morning to the children of the community amid school closures.
Amber Isaacs, Project Manager at LOVE Gorgie Farm said: “LOVE Gorgie Farm has been at the heart of the local community for years, and in this time of crisis, we felt that it was vital to ensure everyone in the area is being fully supported.
“By linking with other organisations supporting the most vulnerable people in the area, we have been able to not only address any gaps in support provided but have also managed to tear down the barriers that individuals had to face when accessing support.
“The support received from all the members has been exceptional and we are already seeing the positive effects of this collaboration amongst individuals and families of the area.”
Katriona Gillespie, Chair of local arts organisation Gorgie Collective, said: “It is so positive to see local volunteer and charitable organisations pulling together to support our community here in Gorgie-Dalry.
“By signposting help and sharing resources, we can make sure that help gets to everyone who needs it at the right time.”
Organisations taking part in this initiative include LOVE Gorgie Farm, EVOC, Big Hearts, Health All Round, NHS Lothian, Gorgie Collective, Lifelong Learning, The Welcoming Association, and Home Start as well as the local community councils.
People looking to access these support services should contact:
Rugby fans heading to watch Scotland in the Six Nations at BT Murrayfield Stadium this month are being advised to take note of traffic and travel information.
