The owners of The Dome in Edinburgh have said they hope the planning committee approve plans for a new roof for their Rose Street Garden this week to ensure income for the famous venue and help them meet rising upkeep and maintenance costs.
Owners of The Dome say having the Rose Street Garden unable to trade due to do unpredictable weather conditions is putting a great strain on the business. A roof would allow the Garden to be used in all weathers, maximising customers space following the Covid-19 pandemic and helping The Dome meet upkeep and maintenance costs that are increasing on an annual basis.
But Council planners have recommended that the Development Management Sub Committee reject the application, despite no objections from community councils or members of the public and 27 submissions supporting the move indicating they believed it would be a positive addition to the building.
The Dome management are puzzled planners that Historic Scotland (HES), have recommended refusal when a similar application was granted in 1999 with no objection from HES.
Commenting on the report from the Planning Officers, The Dome management said: “The Dome is an iconic Edinburgh building and an attraction in its own right.
“Our application for a retractable glass roof to the rear of the property is similar to one approved in 1999. It means we can make better use of the space on Rose Street and adapt to the changing demands of our customers who more and more want safe outdoor space.
“Approving this roof will allow The Dome to continue as one of Edinburgh’s Premiere venues and tourist attractions. We hope the planning committee would give consideration to the points we have made above.”
Historic Environment Scotland, who operate over 300 Historic Scotland visitor attractions across the country which together help tell more than 5,000 years of Scottish history, have recorded a strong season for visitor numbers. Over a four month period – from April to July – 1,964,118 visitors flocked to attractions throughout the country, from Shetland to the Borders, an increase of more than 169,000 on the same period in 2015. Continue reading Castle is king of visitor attractions – by a Royal Mile
Historic Environment Scotland are asking the people of Edinburgh which figures from history they would like to see celebrated with a Commemorative Plaque.
Nominations are now open for the national Commemorative Plaque Scheme.
A deputation representing The Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden will attend today’s Planning Committee meeting with renewed optimism thanks to an imminent report from Historic Scotland.
Friends group organiser Kirsty Sutherland explained: “Just two days before our Friends Group deputation to the City Chambers we learned from Historic Scotland that they have almost completed the review of Granton Castle Walled Garden – and the great news is that they want to upgrade its status to B-listed!
“We hope this groundbreaking news will help convince the city council’s planning committee members to support our Friends Group aim of safeguarding this historic garden from a luxury housing development.”
The recent Historic Environment Act and planning guidelines issued for Historic Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Edinburgh all recognise the significant contribution heritage landscapes & greenspaces make to our communities sense of place, cultural identity & understanding of history.
Friends Group members and supporters feel that one of the oldest walled gardens in Scotland deserves to be safeguarded, cherished and restored.
Kirsty added: “We’re really excited by the Historic Scotland news – I’m bubbling over! It’s a bit like David and Goliath, trying to stop a multi-million pound business from building houses in the garden.We’d like to thank everyone for their support – the more people that speak up and send in a wee message of support, the better.”
Archaeological dig unearths ‘treasures’ at heart of housing estate
World Heritage Site status following Drylaw discovery?
The ring of Brodgar, the standing stones of Callanish, Stonehenge – these world famous ancient sites have aroused wonder and speculation for centuries. Why were they built? Were they religious temples, astronomical navigation sites, burial grounds or even fantastic art creations by intelligent creatures from another world?
Channel Four’s ‘Time Team’ believe they may have unearthed some answers following an archaeological dig in North Edinburgh.
Late last year, scientists were alerted to some unusual ground activity following a prolonged period of torrential rain in the Drylaw housing estate in North Edinburgh.
Historic Scotland’s Barnaby Welton-Trowell explained: “The heavy rain had washed away layers of topsoil on a small roundabout, revealing a primitive stone circle which we believe may be thousands of years old. It’s a remarkable find, and it appears that the stone structure was built as a repository for important relics that span the ages. Drylaw’s standing stones will undoubtedly become as well known as any of the world’s most famous sites”.
A preliminary examination unearthed some fascinating artefacts.
Mr Welton-Trowell continued: “We first came upon ancient plans for a tram network, which we believe could date back to Roman times. Etched on a stone tablet, they were drafted by a man called David the Begg – we are currently researching him and believe he may have been one of a group of wise seers who once lived in the Lothians. The Begg’s blueprint even included a cost – five magic beans, which must be around £25 billion in today’s money – so you can see that transport and infrastructure schemes were just as expensive way back in antiquity. However the stone tablet was only the beginning – you can imagine our excitement as we had literally only really scratched the surface. What other treasures could we find?”
The stone tablet – an early forerunner of today’s hi-tech iPad – was sent for carbon dating, but Channel Four’s Time Team got wind of the discovery and rushed to Edinburgh. Now working with Historic Scotland and the local city council, the TV archaeologists have already made some startling discoveries on the Drylaw dig – and expect many more.
Tony ‘Baldrick’ Robinson (pictured above) said: “We are always amazed at the things our investigations can throw up and our Edinburgh visit has been particularly rewarding. Among the artefacts unearthed so far are an antiquated scrap of parchment which we believe may be Saxon or even earlier – clearly it is very difficult to decipher the hieroglyphics on the ancient manuscript, but one of our experts believes it may refer to the victory of ancient Hibernians in a battle in the West, where they won a momentous victory at something called the Scottish Cup. It is clearly very old and may well be very significant – it was always believed that this was the stuff of legend, a fairy tale, but it may actually have really happened after all”.
A tray of modern-day bridies
Also discovered was a fossilised piece of foodstuff. Tony Baldrick continued: “We had always imagined our forefathers were farmers, living on a fairly basic diet of grain and vegetables. However we have dug up what we believe may be an early Pictish bridie. If it really is – and we are very hopeful, as it was placed in a Gregg’s bag, perhaps as part of a religious ceremony as an offering to the gods – we may have to rethink the diets of our ancestors. Perhaps the pie, bridie and sausage roll were just as popular with the Stone Age Scot as they remain today. Carbon dating will reveal all – it will certainly give the scientists something to get their teeth into!”
VisitScotland senior marketing executive Ruaridh Culloden said the find offers a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ for the area. He said: “After a series of top level brainstorm and focus group sessions our team has come up with some wonderful ideas to really put the site on the tourist map.
RING of Brodgar: ‘No Drylaw’
“We’ve yet to visit the site, but we would envisage a Visitor Centre – probably on the site of one of the local pubs, either the Dew Pot or the Furry Boat, and a gift shop on the site of the current Drylaw church. We’d also like to flatten Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre and use the space to develop a fun theme park there.
Mr Culloden added: “It’s also very important that the Standing Stones are easily accessible so we would like to establish a big coach and car park where Ferryhill School is currently located, perhaps with any overspill directed to Easter Drylaw Park, where was also plan to build a hotel. So as you can see, we’re certainly not short of great ideas on how we can build on Drylaw’s heritage – quite literally”.
A spokesperson for Drylaw Telford Community Council said: “The interest generated has been amazing – we’ve had communications and inquiries from as far away as Trinity and Cramond. The roundabout was really just a bit of an eyesore, to be honest, so the events of recent weeks have taken us all completely by surprise. The stones have certainly put Drylaw on the map and it seems that our neighbourhood is going to be transformed. It’s simply unbelievable.”
Drylaw Telford Community Council has raised safety concerns over the Doo’cot (that’s the old Listed structure, not the boozer!) with officials at the city council’s local North Office.
During the summer holidays local children, some of them older teenagers, have gained access to the old Doocot structure and have been climbing through the building, using trees and shrubbery that are growing through the heart of the structure. Some are jumping off when they get to the top, and residents fear that children will be injured – or worse – if they land on rusty railing below.
Drylaw Telford Community Council chairman Alex Dale has taken the safety issue up with the local North Office – along with another potential problem – Japanese Knotweed. This invasive plant is very difficult to remove, and residents believe that teh invader is gaining a hold in gardens surrounding the old Doo’cot.
“I have passed this information on to the local council office and the response has been very prompt. I understand that there has been some confusion about who is actually responsible for the old Doo’cot – it’s hard to believe it when you seen the state of it, but it’s a Listed building – but that’s been resolved and the council will be taking action. That will be a relief to local residents.”
a trail of knotweed at the old doo’cot?
More good news for Wester Drylaw residents is a council rethink on local street lighting. Following concerns raised by the community council earlier this year, council officials looked again at the quality and positioning of street lighting in the area.
“John McFarlane and his Lighting team have come up with an action plan, fitting 70w bulbs instead of current 45w metal halide bulbs in three sections of Wester Drylaw Place”, Alex added. “Around end of November or early December they shall consult with all residents on which would be their preferred option and before the end of the year the preferred option will be fitted throughout Wester Drylaw Place. We hope that all residents will participate in the consultation when asked in order to achieve the best result for all, and make Wester Drylaw Place a brighter and safer place for the community.”
Drylaw Telford Community Council has raised safety concerns over the Doo’cot (that’s the old Listed structure, not the boozer!) with officials at the city council’s local North Office.
During the summer holidays local children, some of them older teenagers, have gained access to the old Doocot structure and have been climbing through the building, using trees and shrubbery that are growing through the heart of the structure. Some are jumping off when they get to the top, and residents fear that children will be injured – or worse – if they land on rusty railing below.
Drylaw Telford Community Council chairman Alex Dale has taken the safety issue up with the local North Office – along with another potential problem – Japanese Knotweed. This invasive plant is very difficult to remove, and residents believe that teh invader is gaining a hold in gardens surrounding the old Doo’cot.
“I have passed this information on to the local council office and the response has been very prompt. I understand that there has been some confusion about who is actually responsible for the old Doo’cot – it’s hard to believe it when you seen the state of it, but it’s a Listed building – but that’s been resolved and the council will be taking action. That will be a relief to local residents.”
a trail of knotweed at the old doo’cot?
More good news for Wester Drylaw residents is a council rethink on local street lighting. Following concerns raised by the community council earlier this year, council officials looked again at the quality and positioning of street lighting in the area.
“John McFarlane and his Lighting team have come up with an action plan, fitting 70w bulbs instead of current 45w metal halide bulbs in three sections of Wester Drylaw Place”, Alex added. “Around end of November or early December they shall consult with all residents on which would be their preferred option and before the end of the year the preferred option will be fitted throughout Wester Drylaw Place. We hope that all residents will participate in the consultation when asked in order to achieve the best result for all, and make Wester Drylaw Place a brighter and safer place for the community.”
