Enhancing the environment in Murrayfield

MAJOR £3 MILLION PROJECT TO START NEXT MONTH

Work on a major £3million project to protect an iconic Edinburgh watercourse from rags, wet wipes and other sewer related debris gets underway next month.

From Sunday 8 June 2025, Scottish Water will be working on the A8 Corstorphine Road in Murrayfield, upgrading a storm overflow that protects homes and businesses from flooding.

Senior Project Manager Ethan Gillies Denning said: “Sewer related debris in the Water of Leith has been a recurring problem after spells of heavy rain.

“The outfall is designed to divert excess rainwater into the watercourse, but unfortunately it isn’t screened.

“While less than one per cent of the waste water comes from toilets, if people have flushed wipes or plastic items, they can end up in the natural environment which is a real problem.

“This project will help to prevent anything larger than 6mm making it out of the sewer network and into the river.”

The A8 Corstorphine Road will be reduced to one lane under two-way traffic lights between Ormidale Terrace and Murrayfield Gardens for approximately six months.

This is to allow new screens and spill chambers to be installed to the existing outfall which is located under the road surface.

Scottish Water’s Improving Urban Waters programme is a £500million package of additional investment to improve water quality through increased monitoring and reporting, and targeted infrastructure projects to significantly reducing sewer-related debris and spills.

Working closely with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) Scottish Water identified priority storm overflows for improvement or replacement.

Under the banner ‘Draining the Rain, Enhancing the Environment’ over 70 improvements will have been delivered by the end of 2027 benefitting watercourses across Scotland. More are in design for delivery beyond 2027.

The infrastructure programme is being carried out by Scottish Water’s alliance partner Caledonia Water Alliance.

Have your say on improvement plans for Granton Medway

TWO CONSULTATION SESSIONS NEXT WEDNESDAY 26 JUNE

The City of Edinburgh Council has appointed AtkinsRéalis to look at potential opportunities for improvements to two areas of open space at Granton Medway.

The first site is the area of land between the two rows of housing blocks to the south of Granton Medway. The second site is the larger area of grassland siting to the north of Granton Medway.

At this early stage we are looking to gather local knowledge from the residents to help us inform both developments and shape the improvements for the communities who use them most. These improvements are looking to address accessibility, safety, biodiversity, flood water management, and general landscape improvements.

To facilitate this, we will be holding 2 separate consultation events on Wednesday 26 June for residents to drop in and talk to the team together with the city council’s Housing team at the following venues and times:

Granton Medway Orchard Garden: 11am – 2pm at The Salvation Army Community Centre, 36 Wardieburn Drive, Edinburgh, EH5 1BZ

Granton Medway Community Park: 4pm – 7pm at the entrance to the park on Granton Medway (Outdoor)

Talking about improvements in West Pilton …

Community Council to hold mobile meetings!

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Sometimes it’s not too easy to get people to attend meetings, so West Pilton West Granton community councillors have come up with a plan: if residents can’t always come to meetings, we’ll take the meetings to them!

Community council members will be meeting local residents in their own back-greens tomorrow to discuss community ideas for environmental improvements.

They have leafletted the stairs in the blocks they will be visiting in West Pilton Gardens, West Pilton Avenue and Ferry Road Avenue (the section to Pennywell Road) and you may also have spotted the eye-catching mobile noticeboard outside the North Local Office in West Pilton Gardens earlier this week.

West Pilton West Granton community council chairman Willie Black explained: “Money has been made available to improve the environment of the backgreens, so we are inviting residents to share their views on what should be done.

The backgreen meetings will give the folk who live here to join us and their neighbours to chat and decide on how the money should be spent, not just in the backgreen but across the area.”

The backgreen meetings will take place on Sunday at 11am (West Pilton Gardens/Avenue) and 1pm ( West Pilton Avenue/Ferry Road Avenue).

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There will be an update on the proposed local environmental improvements at next week’s Community Council meeting. Also on the agenda is the new bin collection and recycling arrangements.

The cleanliness of local streets and green spaces and problems with fly tipping remains a concern for local residents and council officers will attend the meeting to explain how the new arrangements will work.

The meeting will be held in West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre on Tuesday at 7pm. All welcome.