POLICE enquiries are continuing to locate 35-year-old Khasha Smith, missing from Calder Grove in Edinburgh. Officers have been distributing and pinning up posters in the local area.
Khasha’s family is extremely concerned for her and are hoping the posters remind people she’s still missing and that we are still looking for information which could help us find her.
As enquiries have progressed, police have established that the last known, confirmed sighting of Khasha was Tuesday, 10 October, 2023.
Khasha is around 5ft tall, with a slim build. She has blue eyes and long, blonde hair. She also has tattoos, one which is visible on her right wrist and says ‘Forever’.
She often visits the Gorgie, Broomhouse and Wester Hailes areas.
If anyone has seen Khasha or has any information on where she may have gone, please call Police Scotland on 101, quoting reference 3915 of 5 January.
The research has been conducted by the discount retailer in partnership with The Happiness Guy
Aldi’s Gorgie Edinburgh store has been revealed as the happiest in Scotland, following research by The UK’s Cheapest Supermarket.
The popular discount retailer worked with distinguished wellbeing expert, The Happiness Guy, to investigate the happiness levels of staff across its Scottish stores.
The survey looked at factors such as proximity to the outdoors, relationships with colleagues, tendencies to feeling joy and excitement, as well as sleeping habits to determine the happiest store in Scotland.
Aldi has 104 stores in Scotland located in all corners of the country, from Aberdeen to Hawick. The retailer, which prides itself on creating positive and supportive places to work, is set to be the highest paying supermarket in the UK following its second pay increase of 2023.
Its Gorgie store is situated on Gorgie Park Road in the west of Edinburgh. It first opened in 2009, and employs 18 staff who work hard to help shoppers pick up great deals at Aldi’s famously low prices.
Richard Holloway, Managing Director, Aldi Scotland, said:“At Aldi, creating a positive working environment where our employees feel supported and appreciated is as important to us as our commitment to bringing customers amazingly low deals on quality food and drink.
“We saw strong levels of job satisfaction across all our stores, and lots of indications that our colleagues have formed real, deep friendships with one another.
“Our Gorgie Edinburgh store is located in a bustling part of Edinburgh. A stone’s throw from the Capital City and surrounded by vibrant restaurants, cafes and bars, there is always something happening here, making it a popular area for people to live.
“Gorgie has a really solid community and our Aldi store has become an integral part of the neighborhood. We welcome a lot of the same faces on a daily basis and our staff have a really good rapport with our regular customers. While I’m sure it’s our incredibly low prices that first attract people through our doors, I am confident that it’s the high levels of customer service that sees customers coming back again and again.”
Gordon McCrorie, The Happiness Guy said: “Each of us has our own unique formula for happiness which will include things like feeling grateful, spending time with loved ones, doing things that matter to us and looking after ourselves.
“Taking responsibility for influencing our own happiness might just be the thing that improves the world we live in the most.”
The discount retailer, named UK’s cheapest supermarket for 2021 and 2022 by consumer experts, Which?, currently works with over 90 Scottish suppliers, stocking 450 Scottish products. In 2022, Aldi was awarded Scottish Sourcing Business of the Year at the Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Awards.
This year two Dispersal Zones are being set up in North West Edinburgh to combat antisocial behaviour and disorder over the bonfire period. The zones will be in operation between 2pm and midnight from Thursday 4th to Saturday 6th November.
Under the Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004, police have a Power of Dispersal within the designated zones authorised by Superintendent David Robertson.
This means that Police can instruct any people in groups of two or more who are congregating and behaving in an antisocial manner to disperse, and if they do not live there to leave the zones, and then not to return for up to 24 hours.
If they do return, they can be arrested.
Nine dispersal zones will be set up across the city in known ‘hot spots’. As well as West Pilton and Muirhouse, zones will be established in Portobello, Loganlea, Gilmerton, Moredun, Southhouse, Gorgie and Saughton.
News of the establishment of Dispersal Zones will come as no surprise to local residents – the real surprise is that these dispersal zones will be in place over one weekend only.
Police are appealing for information after a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle in Edinburgh.
Around 7.55pm on Friday, 3 September, 2021, police received a report a 70-year-old man was struck by a car in Gorgie Road, near Robertson Avenue, in Edinburgh. Enquiries so far have established that two cars, a silver Jaguar and black BMW, were travelling east at this location when the pedestrian was struck.
Emergency services attended and the man was taken to hospital. Both drivers initially stopped, but the driver of the silver Jaguar, left the scene before police arrived.
Constable Denise Gall, of Dalkeith Road Policing Unit, said: “We are appealing for anyone with any information to get in touch. In particular, if anyone has a dash cam device, please check your footage as your images could assist our investigation.
“Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 3131 of 3 September, 2021.”
Developer S1 Developments is giving the public a chance to have its say on proposals for an exciting new student residential development at Edinburgh’s former Tynecastle High School site.
The development will regenerate a site that has currently lain vacant for over a decade and fallen into a state of disrepair. A full assessment has been undertaken by S1 and due to a number of constraints, the best use of the site is judged to be for car free student development, with the original category B-listed school building on McLeod Street retained and restored.
Proximity to North British Distillery, who previously owned the site, Tynecastle Stadium and the Western Approach, with issues around light, smell, noise and traffic make student accommodation a more effective use of the site than residential accommodation.
A single user operator, such as a student one, is able introduce control measures that will ensure that amenity and safety can be maintained with issues such as noise, smells and air quality easier to mitigate through a single point of control eg through the ventilation system and acoustic design.
It also affords opportunities to install site-wide green energy provision under the control of a Building Energy Management System (BEMS) to minimise energy consumption and improve sustainability.
Council guidance also points to the benefits of purpose-built student accommodation in freeing up flats for families with children and reducing issues of antisocial behaviour.
The developer submitted a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) to the City of Edinburgh Council in February informing that it intends to submit a planning application for the redevelopment of the site following a public consultation event.
The Scottish Government has suspended in-person public consultation events due to COVID-19.
Full details about the proposals will be made available to the public at 9 am on Tuesday 18th May on the dedicated project website: www.oldtynecastlehigh.com.
An online consultation will take place between 3 pm and 7pm on the same day. Consultants will be available during those hours to answer any questions and receive feedback through a two-way chat system.
Feedback can also be submitted via the website, and information will be made available in paper format if requested.
If you cannot access the exhibition boards on the day of the event, please contact Orbit Communications at hello@oldtynecastlehigh.com or Telephone: 0131 202 3259 or at 4 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 1JE and these can be provided.
Dan Teague, Director at S1 Developments, said:“We’re delighted to be giving the public the chance to have a say on our development proposals for the site of the former Tynecastle High School.
“As S1 Developments we develop sites to suit the location and following a full assessment of the constraints it is clear to us that student development is the most appropriate use to secure the redevelopment of the Old Tynecastle High School and develop the site in manner which is compatible with the neighbouring uses.
“Discussions have also been held with local stakeholders and community groups to also look at potential to form a new community space.
“The original school building has fallen into a sorry state since it stopped being a school in 2009. Whilst the redevelopment is challenging, we are hopeful that the proposed use brings with it an opportunity to save and renovate the original school building and continue its educational use, serving students in higher education.”
Police in Edinburgh are appealing for information following a series of robberies and housebreakings which are believed to be linked.
These include a robbery within a property at Ferniehill Grove around 7.55pm on Sunday, 28 February.
Five unidentified men forced entry to the property, stealing personal items and electronic equipment. All of the men are described as being 25 to 30-years-old.
One is descried as being 6ft tall and of a heavy build. He was wearing a dark blue ski mask, dark blue Reebok hooded top and black/grey trousers.
Another man is described as being 5ft 8in tall and wearing a red ski mask with light bits, a dark hoody and tracksuit bottoms.
The remaining three men are described as being of skinny build and wearing a dark blue ski mask and dark clothing.
They are believed to have made off from the address in a grey or silver Vauxhall Insignia car.
The incident is being treated as having potential links to two recent incidents in the city. The first happened around 3.30pm on Sunday, 21 February where a report was received of three suspects, all wearing dark clothing and ski masks, forcing entry to an address on Saughton Road. They made off in what was described as a blue Vauxhall saloon car.
The other incident happened around 5pm on Wednesday, 24 February on Sinclair Place, Gorgie, where two suspects wearing dark clothing and face masks were disturbed while attempting to force entry to a property on Sinclair Place.
Detective Inspector Kevin Tait of Edinburgh Division CID said: “Our enquiries into each of these incidents are ongoing and, while we are keeping an open mind, we believe they are potentially linked.
“We would urge anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity to get in touch with us, particularly if you have seen a grey, silver or blue Vauxhall saloon car acting suspiciously in the areas. We would also be keen to speak to anyone who may have dashcam or private CCTV footage.
“Anyone with information can call 101, quoting incident 3519 of 28 February or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
The next steps will be taken toward introducing new Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) to help alleviate parking pressures around Edinburgh, if approved by councillors this week.
On Thursday (28 January), Transport and Environment Committee will consider the results of an informal consultation on proposals for new controls in Leith, Gorgie and Shandon, as well as details on the operation of measures. Designs for parking controls have been amended following consultation and, if approved, we’ll commence the legal processes for introducing them.
This is the first of four phases of implementation of parking controls around the city, developed as part of the Strategic Parking Review, which was originally approved in 2018. The review has taken a holistic approach to parking pressures across Edinburgh, assessing the city on a street by street basis.
This has led to the identification of areas where parking controls may be required to resolve challenges facing residents, in particular from non-residential parking.
The report also updates on timescales for phase two (Roseburn, Corstorphine, Willowbrae and Saughton), phase three (Southside and Fettes) and phase four (Newhaven, Trinity, South Morningside, Portobello, Stenhouse and Saughton), which have been impacted by COVID-19.
Transport Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “This review responds to the concerns of residents across the city, many of whom have told us that they want to see controls introduced to help limit the impact of non-residential parking.
Thanks to an in-depth, citywide analysis we have been able to identify the areas most in need of restrictions. Of course, the way we travel has changed immeasurably over the last year, but the introduction of new CPZs will be extremely beneficial to managing parking pressures when we eventually return to some sense of normality.
Not only do these controls help residents to park near their homes, but they can encourage those travelling into and around the city to consider alternative, sustainable modes of transport.”
The city council began the Strategic Parking Review in 2018 in response to comments from residents, community councils and ward councillors across the city, which demonstrated increasing support for new parking controls to limit non-residential parking.
An in-depth review split the city into five areas, further subdivided into 124 investigation areas, helping to generate heat maps for each location showing relative parking pressures by street. As a result, a series of new parking controls were approved in 2019, to be implemented in four phases.
On Thursday, committee members will also be asked to agree proposals to commence the legal process for introducing limited parking controls in Sighthill Industrial Estate to help manage parking demand there, as well as restrictions on the availability of permits for new or redeveloped properties.
The report details an approach to consultation for future phases in light of COVID restrictions, with virtual drop-in sessions, detailed plans online and opportunities to feed back on proposals via websites, interactive plans and questionnaires.
Consultation on phase two of the Strategic Parking Review is expected to begin in February.
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.
