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Tag: demolition
Canonmills campaigners fired up for final week
Actress Hayley Mills supports Canonmills campaign
The Save 1-6 Canonmills Bridge team kick off the final week of their campaign with a public meeting tonight.
The city council’s Planning Committee hearing is set for Wednesday, when a decision will be made on the proposed demolition of the building currently occupied by popular restaurant and organic produce store Earthy.
After weeks of campaigning and signature-gathering the team will conclude their efforts with a public meeting tonight at 7pm in Canonmills Baptist Church.
The meeting is an opportunity for the general public to hear those who will be speaking at Wednesday morning’s hearing and also offers the chance to air opinions and put questions to the team.
Speakers include campaign leader Jan Anderson, Marion Williams (Cockburn Association), urban designer Ross McEwan, Pam Barnes (Stockbridge & Inverleith Community Council) and Councillor Nick Gardner.
With the hardcopy petition at over 2000 signatures and the online campaign nearing 5000 the team was also thrilled to receive the backing of film and theatre star Hayley Mills.
Ms Mills said: “Good luck with your campaign to retain the heart of Canonmills. The loss would be a sad one for the local community and part of Edinburgh city.”
With those good wishes campaigners hope that council members will take notice and do the right thing by halting the demolition.
Hope yet for Canonmills campaigners
‘It ain’t over ’til the big ball swings!’ – Save 1 – 6 Canonmills Bridge campaigner Gemma Kicks
Canonmills campaigners achieved a partial victory yesterday when councillors from across the political spectrum called for a full public hearing to take place to discuss controversial plans to demolish buildings on Canonmills Bridge – a conservation area.
The hearing will take place on 26 August.
Campaigners will use the stay of execution to gather more support in the fight to stop the demolition. A spokesperson said: “Two key reasons for the agreement to the hearing was the positioning of the site which sits on the border of two council wards (wards 5 & 11) and two community council areas. It was therefore felt appropriate that councillors from these areas should be given a chance to share their opinions. The second reason being the vast amount of representations.”
The Save Canonmills Bridge campaign has attracted considerable public support since it was launched six weeks ago. Campaigners have gathered over 1600 signatures during weekend information stalls on the bridge at the weekends, a Facebook campaign has attracted 1228 followers and nearly 4000 people have added their support through an online petition.
The petition was presented to the committee yesterday.
In a statement, the campaign team said: “We have encountered unified support from across the local community (people of all ages and political perspectives), also from regular and occasional visitors to the area.
“We can’t overstate how much the area around Canonmills Bridge junction means to locals, pedestrians on their way to work or the Botanics, and to those frequenting the Water of Leith. We have been heartened by the repeat visits for progress updates and in encouragement to our stall.”
Campaigners shall now be gathering to agree their next moves, but it seems certain that the group will step up the campaign to ensure wider awareness of the development being proposed and to gather wider public support.
As local resident Gemma Kicks said: “It ain’t over til the big ball swings!”
A bridge too far?
Locals vow to fight Earthy demolition at Canonmills
Campaigners in Canonmills have vowed to fight the demolishing of a much-loved local resource to make way for a new four-storey development. The campaigners plan to step up their action with a weekend of awareness raising on the bridge.
Led by local resident Jan Anderson and architectural/urban designer and lecturer Ross McEwan, the current campaign has seen a phenomenal response from the community who feel that they have been left in the dark over plans for the 18th century bridge in Inverleith Conservation Area.
And being left in the dark is exactly what will happen if the demolition goes ahead – as a four storey new build is due to be put in it’s place, overshadowing the area, blocking the views of the waters and wildlife and destroying the iconic skyline for residents and tourists to the area alike.
The traditional single-storey building at 1 – 6 Canonmills Bridge has found a place in the hearts of locals and visitors to the area, serving as an attractive and popular hub for social life around a busy junction. An online petition has attracted almost 2500 signatures in just two weeks and the momentum is set to continue with a weekend of partying and petitioning on the bridge to raise awareness this Saturday and Sunday.
If the demolition of the one-storey building is approved the space will be used to erect a mixed use development of two restaurants, six flats and three townhouses. The approval of that building was granted in 2009, but the applicants did not get the necessary permissions and approval needed to demolish a building in a conservation area – and the new development cannot go ahead unless the current building is demolished.
Jan Anderson said: “We want to ensure that this time everyone is aware of the plans for the area as to date it certainly hasn’t been made clear to the wider public what is happening with this beautiful historic, conservation area. We need people to know that it’s not too late and we can still stop the demolition by writing to the planning sub-committee, the local councillors and spreading the word.”
The demolition is due to appear on city council’s Planning sub-committee agenda on either 27 July or 12 August and the locals are gearing up to spend the coming weeks ensuring that Edinburgh council realises that this particular proposal is seen as a ‘bridge too far’.