Tag: green spaces

Princes Street Gardens: Quaich-ing in our boots?

Culture and Communities Convener Cllr Donald Wilson says too many people are currently unable to make the most of one of Edinburgh’s finest greenspaces.

“Princes Street Gardens is one of our city’s greatest green assets and quite rightly holds a special place in the hearts of Edinburgh residents and visitors. 

“Our ambition is for this to be a place for people of all ages to enjoy, now and in the future. We are clear that the Gardens will remain a publicly owned and managed treasure for generations to come.

“However, if you’re a wheelchair user or pushing a pram, access to West Princes Street Gardens is currently extremely difficult from most entrances, meaning untold numbers of residents and visitors are effectively excluded from spending time in this magnificent green space.

“The Ross Theatre is no longer fit for purpose and there is too much concrete and not enough greenery. Community use of the facility, meanwhile, has dramatically reduced from its peak in the 50s and 60s.

“Rather than continue with patchwork improvements to West Princes Street Gardens on our own, we welcome the Ross Development Trust’s (RDT) support and funding approach, which allows us to set our sights much higher. It’s important to stress that while the Trust leads on delivering the project and sourcing funding, executive control and governance remain with the Council.

“Edinburgh has long benefited from the philanthropy of generous benefactors – the Ross Theatre and nearby Usher Hall being prime examples of this – and the Trust’s philanthropic giving fundraising strategy for the Quaich Project is looking to harness these benefits to continue this fine tradition.

“The project has already seen the Ross Fountain returned to its 19th Century glory alongside the complete renovation of the Gardener’s Cottage and, should the Trust reach its fundraising target, West Princes Street Gardens would again be transformed into a space for everyone to enjoy in the heart of the city.

“We share residents’ desire to reduce the disruption of the gardens due to major events and have already announced a cap on the number of event days in West Princes Street Gardens. It’s worth remembering, of course, that income raised through events already supports the maintenance of our green spaces and other important Council services.

“In line with our Development Agreement with the Trust, councillors and officers have been closely involved with the Project throughout and the model of seeking donations has underpinned the Project since it began, with councillors agreeing this approach in June 2016.

Any significant corporate donation proposals would of course be subject to the Council’s policy on advertising and sponsorship and would have to be sanctioned by the Council through our committee process – just as the initial £5m contributed by Norman Springford was.

“And to be absolutely clear: there are no proposals to sell off any part of the gardens or for sponsorship deals which impact negatively on Common Good Land, and there never will be. 

“The Quaich Project is providing us with an outstanding opportunity to invest in and enhance one of the most stunning settings in Scotland. We look forward to continuing our support for this – and the huge benefits it could bring to the people of Edinburgh and beyond.”

 

Is your neighbourhood made for walking?

  • Ramblers launches search for Britain’s Best Walking Neighbourhood
  • Call for people in Scotland to nominate their neighbourhood 

The Ramblers organisation is calling on people in Scotland to nominate their area for Britain’s Best Walking Neighbourhood Award. The walking charity is searching for the places that put pedestrians first and lead the way in enabling residents to walk every day for transport or leisure.

 Now in its second year, Britain’s Best Walking Neighbourhood Award celebrates local authorities, developers, individuals and communities that have made positive changes to help make neighbourhoods more walkable – from making routes and public spaces greener, to building mixed-use developments that encourage active travel, to improving the way local streets connect people to the places they want to go. 

Vanessa Griffiths, Ramblers chief executive, said: “We have a vision of a country designed for walking, in the open countryside, and close to where we all live and work.

“By making it easy for people to walk their everyday local journeys, we help them live more active, healthier lives. Not only that, we help tackle some of society’s biggest problems including growing levels of obesity, social isolation, congestion and air pollution.  Sadly, for many of us the areas we live in have been designed to favour cars rather than people, making walking unsafe, or unpleasant. 

“With this award, we want to highlight the places and people already doing a great job to make walking easier in their local neighbourhoods.

“We also want to encourage others to think about the small changes they could make to improve the walkability of their neighbourhoods and health and wellbeing of their residents, while creating more vibrant communities.” 

The Ramblers believes that one of the most important features of a walking neighbourhood is its ‘greenness’ or how well it connects people to the natural environment.

Local green spaces and routes make areas more attractive to walk and provide opportunities for physical activity as well as to relax, recharge and connect. 

People living near green spaces are more likely to be physically active [1], with research showing that those who live within 500m of accessible green space are 24% more likely to meet recommended levels of physical activity.[2]

Vanessa added: “The majority of us live in built up areas, and evidence shows that communities highly value green spaces and routes in their neighbourhood and hugely benefit from having regular contact with the natural environment.

“We are keen to hear about neighbourhoods that have improved or created new green routes, spaces or features, because we know that these make neighbourhoods more appealing for walking, whether it’s for leisure or as a means of getting from A to B.” 

DG1 in Dumfries made it to the final of last year’s award. The once a run-down and neglected neighbourhood was transformed by an injection of funding. The community developed their own innovative solutions to problems they had identified in the area. This included the creation of five civic spaces with street furniture, cycle parking, noticeboards and planters; street lighting upgrades; new street signs and the addition of places for people to stop and rest. 

A neighbourhood is any district, community or area where people live and work – it could be the heart of a big city, or a small village with just a few streets and houses. 

The finalists will be chosen by an expert panel and the winner will be decided by public vote in summer 2019. 

To nominate your neighbourhood, visit 

www.ramblers.org.uk/nominate 

and tell us about the changes that have made it into a great place for walking.

The deadline for nominations is 3rd March 2019.

ParkLife: Breathing new life into West Pilton Park

West Pilton’s Parklife group had much to celebrate at this month’s annual general meeting – the group’s first. They now hope to build on successful events by encouraging more local people to get involved. Continue reading ParkLife: Breathing new life into West Pilton Park

The People’s Choice: Cast your vote in the Green Flag Awards

Cast your vote in the Green Flag Award People’s Choice 2017

Following the huge success of Love Parks Week, you now have another chance to show your love for your park.

Help find our country’s top 10 favourite parks by casting your vote for one of the 1,797 Green Flag Award winning parks – voting is open until 30th September and the top 10 People’s Choice parks will be announced on the 11th October.

To vote simply visit the Green Flag Award website, use the map to find your favourite park and click the ‘vote’ button.

Your favourite park is worth shouting about, so make your voice heard!

 

Boost for Scotland’s bees and butterflies

Ten-year plan to stop decline of pollinating insects

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A new strategy has been launched to make Scotland a more pollinator friendly place by protecting indigenous bee and butterfly populations.

Since 1980 the number of pollinating insects in Scotland – honey bees, bumble bees, the solitary bee, butterflies and hoverflies – have declined by an estimated 51%, leading to fears of a negative impact on agriculture, food security, the economy and human health.

The Pollinator Strategy calls for:

  • the restoration and creation of flower rich habitats,
  • greater use of green urban infrastructures, such as roof top gardens
  • the development and use of pollinator friendly pest control
  • new research into the impact of climate change on bee and butterfly numbers

Speaking at The Hidden Gardens in Glasgow, Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham (pictured above) said: “Scotland’s biodiversity is one of our key assets, and the contribution the humble bumble bee and other pollinators make to this wonderful environment should not be underestimated. That is why we are committed to making Scotland a more pollinator friendly place.

“Pressures like land use change, pesticides, pollution, disease and climate change are threatening these life-giving insects, so we must act now to protect the pollinators and in turn safeguard our environment, our food and in turn our health.”

Scottish Natural Heritage has led the development of the Pollinator Strategy working closely with a range of environmental and land management organisations.

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SNH chairman Mike Cantlay said: “Growing evidence shows our native bees and insects that carry out pollination are facing tough times. Pollination is crucial for our environment – and, therefore, our own health, wealth and wellbeing.

“This strategy, a key part of the Scottish Biodiversity 2020 route map, sets out what needs to be done to ensure these bees and insects survive and thrive for generations to come, contributing to healthy ecosystems and landscapes in our country. We look forward to continuing this important work with our partners to strengthen the resilience of our native pollinator species.”

 

City parks celebrate soaring success

A record- breaking 73 parks from across Scotland have been presented with a Green Flag Award this year in recognition of their high standards and provision of quality outdoor space – an increase of three over last year. Edinburgh is the greenest city of all with no less than 30 green flags!

Continue reading City parks celebrate soaring success