Tag: Pennywell

City council’s Twenty Minute Neighbourhood Strategy updated

A key strategy has been updated to help people across Edinburgh live well locally in places that are healthier, greener, more vibrant and inclusive.

The Council’s initial 20-Minute Neighbourhood Strategy was approved by the Policy and Sustainability Committee on 10 June 2021, outlining a vision for a city where everyone can meet most of their daily needs within a short walk, wheel or cycle from their home. A further report on 30 November 2021 gave an update on how the Strategy was being delivered.

This strategy has now been refreshed to provide the latest information on key projects that are being progressed, alongside the overall direction and delivery of the concept in Edinburgh. 

Through the 20-minute neighbourhood approach, the Council is working in partnership with local communities across the capital to help to deliver its strategic priorities of creating good places to live and work, while meeting its targets of ending poverty and becoming net zero by 2030.

The 20-minute neighbourhood approach in Edinburgh focusses on making it easier for people to access daily services and facilities in their local area. It is now being implemented through several key ‘building blocks’:

•    Working with local communities
•    Supporting people to access the services they need locally
•    Providing multiple services and facilities from a single location
•    Delivering mixed-use regeneration and development
•    Making our town and local centres greener, more inclusive and more people-focussed
•    Supporting local economies and businesses
•    Improving sustainable and active travel access to services and facilities

Councillor Val Walker, Culture and Communities Convener, said: “We want to support people across the city to live well locally, and this latest update to our 20-Minute Neighbourhood Strategy shows how we are working to deliver this approach in different parts of Edinburgh. 

“The 20-minute neighbourhood concept is one that many communities already enjoy: ensuring services and facilities are close to residents, enabling walking, wheeling and cycling to be the natural choice for shorter journeys. 

“Now, we are starting to see how all residents throughout Edinburgh can fully enjoy this approach and live in a cleaner, greener and more thriving city that supports communities and brings people together. By putting local people at the heart of everything, each person living in the city can choose to participate in all community, cultural and heritage activities.

“The updated strategy outlines how our support for local living can give more people more choice within their neighbourhood, while also making it easier to travel further to access the services and facilities they need on public transport and by active travel. 

“We know people have strong views on this concept, and we believe engaging and collaborating with communities across the city to understand their needs is essential. That’s why we’re involving communities at an early stage of design projects as a key priority. If we work together, everyone can benefit from healthier, well-connected and thriving neighbourhoods right across the city.”

Read the full 20-Minute Neighbourhood Strategy here.  

Current key projects

These updates show different examples how the 20-minute neighbourhood concept is currently being embedded into key projects across the city.

Following initial engagement with communities earlier this year, proposals are currently being developed to make it easier to access Gorgie Dalry, Portobello and Craigmillar town centres by walking, wheeling cycling and public transport while improving the quality of local streets and public spaces.

Further information on these projects is available on the 20-Minute Neighbourhoods section of the Council’s website.

Pennywell & Muirhouse

The regeneration of Pennywell and Muirhouse is a long-standing objective for the Council and its partners.  Work completed to date includes a new School, medical centre, retail centre, improved public realm and new homes. There will be around 1000 new mixed tenure homes of which over 50% will be affordable.  730 new homes have been delivered to date across several sites in the area.

A community hub is also under construction at the local centre. The hub will have an early years centre, library, skills hub, six affordable homes and space for North Edinburgh Arts. 

The hub is being delivered in partnership with North Edinburgh Arts and aims to promote culture, learning, work and wellbeing within the local community. All staff operating from the hub space will follow a ‘No Wrong Door’ approach to make sure citizens can access relevant services in the space or be signposted where necessary.

The NEAT Connections project will deliver improved active travel links to the new local centre, schools and services. 

Granton Waterfront

The Granton Waterfront regeneration will deliver a new coastal town with an ambitious 20-minute neighbourhood vision over the next 10-15 years. The regeneration will deliver around 3,500 new net zero carbon homes (over 35% of them affordable); a primary school, commercial, creative, and community space, and a new coastal park. 

The project will create new employment opportunities, meaning residents of this fast-growing area will be able to access work locally. Partner organisations will deliver substantial new cultural and educational assets over the regeneration timeframe.

Early Action housing projects are well underway at Western Villages, Silverlea and the Demonstrator site at Waterfront Avenue. In March 2023, the Granton Station Square building opened and provides affordable workspace for artists and creative industries. 

New active travel and public transport infrastructure will be created throughout the regeneration area, including new cycle paths and a mobility hub.

Liberton

Planning permission for a new Liberton High School has been granted, with a GP practice and community facilities a key part of the design. 

The creation of a community campus will deliver a range of services and activities and aims to create a place where multiple services and partners can be accessed that contribute to health, wellbeing and learning of young people and the wider community. 

20_Minute_Neighbourhood_Strategy___August_2023Download

Cleaning up the Capital

Local volunteers, housing associations and teams from the Council’s Housing, Parks and Greenspace, Waste and Cleansing departments came together for community clean ups in North Edinburgh and Wester Hailes over the last fortnight.

Together they collected over 125 bags of rubbish bags of rubbish, 13 van loads of waste and dumped items and seven skips during their big clean. Greenery was cut back, 200 bulbs were planted, and the Union Canal towpath near Wester Hailes was cleaned with the help of young people from St Augustine’s RC High School.

They were also joined by local police officers and supported by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

Many of the items collected had been illegally dumped by flytippers.

During the clean-up teams also removed dumped items in stairwells which could have been a fire risk and gave local residents advice on the best ways to dispose of their unwanted items.

The weeks of action follow the success of a similar event in Craigmillar earlier this year.

Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convenor Councillor Jane Meagher said: “So many community groups, organisations and local volunteers were involved in the Wester Hailes and North Edinburgh clean ups, and they’ve done a tremendous job. The before and after results are clear to see and I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who took part.

“Council officers work hard all year round to keep common areas and green spaces clean and tidy but clean ups are a great way for communities and partners to come together to tackle issues with litter and flytipping.

“Wester Hailes and Pennywell are both areas that we have prioritised for capital investment over many years. It’s great to see so many new, modern affordable homes built alongside schools, health centres, shops, and green spaces that people can enjoy as part of our 20-minute neighbourhood strategy.

“These events are being coordinated by Places for People, Prospect Community Housing, and the Council’s housing operations team, supported by officers from waste and cleansing and parks and greenspace.

“We also thank our commercial partners Mitie, GasCall, Robertson Homes, ISS, Belac, ID Verde and Premier One for their important role in supporting these initiatives.”

Cllr Jane Meagher: Facing up to Edinburgh’s housing challenge by building smart new homes

Councillor Jane Meagher, the city council’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, writes:

After a slowdown during the pandemic, it’s great to see so much work underway to build the new affordable and sustainable homes our growing city needs. 
 
Last week I had the pleasure of marking the site start for our newest housing development – Western Villages at the new Granton Waterfront. Spanning a site the same size as the New Town, this regeneration of the waterfront really is going to create a brand new coastal community. 
 
This is growth which will benefit those who already live in the area and the city as a whole and I have to say, it’s incredible to watch the start of construction. There is a team of people working extremely hard so that, over the next decade, we’ll see drastic change and thousands of people move into beautiful new homes.

They will join a 20-minute neighbourhood where they can shop, socialise, and access support. With our partners we’re investing millions in the area, including the fantastic gas works holder, which will become an amazing spectacle; a home for events and a glowing beacon for North Edinburgh below everyone who flies into the city. 
 
I am strongly committed to doing what I can to secure more affordable homes for Edinburgh. Over 150 households bid for every Council and housing association home that becomes available so that’s why we’re driving forward with building new affordable homes on sites across the city.

Close to Granton, in nearby Pennywell and Muirhouse, new homes and a new civic centre are taking shape. We’re also investing in improving existing homes with major works underway in both multi storey blocks and low-rise housing.   
 
As the city grows, the demand we are seeing for affordable and social homes is only going to increase. That is a reality we must face, not least with the country in the grip of a cost-of-living crisis and fears of recession on the horizon.

It’s why it’s critical the Council and its partners press ahead with a truly ambitious and forward-thinking housebuilding strategy and it’s why we must continue to make the case for increased investment in this programme to the Scottish Government. Our capital city, after all, is per head the lowest funded local authority in Scotland.
  
The way we’re building homes is also changing, with innovative measures being used to reduce energy. Western Villages is a great example of that, as Scotland’s largest net zero development. We want the whole city to become net zero carbon by 2030 so we are committing to ‘build smarter’ and create new homes which are greener and use eco-friendly technology.

This construction work is also helping to boost and create new jobs and apprenticeships which will further help us to support people into employment and keep our economy resilient, which is particularly significant after the impacts of Covid. 

The future is challenging, but together with developers and others we are doing everything within our powers to make it fairer on residents and on our environment. We’ll keep working to tackle our housing pressures and deliver these affordable and sustainable new homes.

This article first appeared in the Edinburgh Evening News

NEAT Connections – Stakeholder meetings in Muirhouse tomorrow

The NEAT Connections project has organised two in-person Stakeholder meetings tomorrow (Friday 29 April).

The first one from 1 to 2pm and the second one from 3 to 4pm.

These meetings will be held in the Old Kirk and Muirhouse Parish Church, 42 Pennywell Gardens, Edinburgh EH4 4PE.

That evening, we will also hold an online meeting from 19:30 to 20:30. You find the link to the Microsoft Teams meeting below.

The aim of these meetings is to inform community stakeholders about the NEAT Connections project and the upcoming engagement activities.

We hope that this information will support you to mobilise your members and the local community to join the engagement activities over the coming weeks to improve walking and cycling infrastructure and green spaces on and around Pennywell Road.

The agenda:

1. Background and aims of the NEAT Connections project            

(Barry Clarke, Senior Project Manager – Active Travel, the City of Edinburgh Council)

2. Engagement activities and results so far                                       

(Barbara Kerr, Project officer – Communities, Sustrans Scotkland)

3. Ideas for improvement                                                                    

(Gert Rijsdijk, Senior Transport officer – 20 Minute Neighbourhoods, the City of Edinburgh Council)

4. Upcoming Engagement activities                                                   

5. Time for questions

Microsoft Teams meeting:

Click here to join the meeting

Gert Rijsdijk

Senior Transport Officer | 20 Minute Neighbourhoods

Contract confirmed for Muirhouse Community Hub

A £15 million contract for a new community hub at Macmillan Square, in partnership with North Edinburgh Arts, was approved by the Finance and Resources Committee yesterday.

As part of the City of Edinburgh Council’s ongoing multi-million pound regeneration programme in North Edinburgh, Councillors agreed the project will now enter the construction phase which will be carried out by Robertson Construction Group (Robertson), following its successful completion of the demolition of Muirhouse Library.

The first of its kind in the city, designed by Richard Murphy Architects, The Hub will be a place to learn, work, meet people, hone new skills and have fun. The state-of-the-art shared building will accommodate an early year’s centre for 185 children, a new library and will provide additional space for North Edinburgh Arts and will ensure that it continues to be at the centre of a creative, connected and inspired community.

The community hub is the focal point of one of the most significant urban regeneration projects in Scotland, tackling poverty and inequality in the area. It will be the flagship building at Macmillan Square which is currently being developed to provide a new square, 154 affordable homes and 13 retail units.

Over £200 million of public and private sector investment has been committed to revitalising the area for the wider community and this investment has already delivered Craigroyston High School, Pennywell All Care Centre and over half of the expected 1,000 new homes.

The North Edinburgh Regeneration project is recognised as a model of good practice in urban regeneration having won national awards for design, place making and community engagement. The new hub benefits from £2 million Scottish Government Regeneration Capital Grants funding.

Complementing the Council’s new library, early years centre and affordable housing, the new hub will see arts and learning brought together under one roof in a striking new building offering the community in North Edinburgh an extensive range of services. This will include new enterprise, workshop, learning and creative studio space, alongside an expanded café, youth area and shared atrium.

Work to demolish the former Muirhouse Library started in October 2021 and following today’s decision construction on the new hub will start in April this year. The project will also include a comprehensive package of additional community benefits shaped by the local community and delivered by Robertson.

City of Edinburgh Council Leader, Adam McVey, said: “The new building is an important part of the £200 million regeneration of Pennywell and Muirhouse that’s already seen significant investment by the Council and its partners, including Scottish Government, to build new Council houses and affordable homes and a community with strong local facilities in line with our aspirations for 20-minute neighbourhoods.

“Jointly led by the Council and North Edinburgh Arts, this is a good example of community empowerment showing how great value can be added to an area while supporting our landmark priorities as a Council to end poverty in Edinburgh by 2030, as well as enhancing wellbeing and equality for our residents.

“Key aspects include the new local library which we hope will act as a community living room, open and accessible to everyone. The new building also creates the opportunity to work closely with the new nursery to have as much interaction with the children, parents and staff as possible – providing tailored events and sessions especially for those using and working in the nursery.”

Council Depute Leader, Cammy Day, said: ““The North Edinburgh Regeneration project is a major success story for the area, for the city and for Scotland and it’s so exciting to see this final element hitting a major milestone.

“This joint project with North Edinburgh Arts will create a unique facility at the heart of the community.  The new Early Learning and Childcare Centre will provide quality and accessible early years spaces for local children. 

“This will allow us to meet our commitments to making early years provision more flexible, to fit family needs, and deliver 1,140 hours a year of free early learning and childcare for all three- and four-year olds and eligible two-year olds.

“As part of the wider regeneration of this area we’re delivering 1,000 affordable homes as part of our pledge to deliver 20,000 affordable new homes in the city by 2027, which will make a substantial difference for people seeking a safe and permanent place to call home in Scotland’s Capital.”

Chair of NEA, Lesley Hinds, said: “This new capital project will allow the organisation to flourish, alongside Council provision, and bring a first-class facility to Macmillan Square.

“NEA is a special place for the community of North Edinburgh and has been a trusted community anchor providing emergency food and support throughout the pandemic. Thanks also to the Councillors, MSPS and MP who have continued to support NEA both in the Council and in the community and it is this enthusiasm shown by our community which has kept us going through some difficult times. We’re looking forward to building on this support to bring a truly inspirational place to the heart of Muirhouse.”

Regional Managing Director, Robertson Construction – Central East, David Cairns, added: “Having worked closely with City of Edinburgh Council over the last 24 months to assist bringing Macmillan Square forward, we are delighted to be to the contractor of choice to make this innovative vision by the Council a reality.

“The building will undoubtedly be a fantastic facility for the community when complete and our planned programme of community benefits during the construction phase will bring further benefits to the area socially, economically and environmentally long after the building is completed.”

The new library will give an opportunity to create joint activities with the other services – providing summer activities, expanding bookbug and storytime sessions, to creating more adult learning opportunities. In addition, the local library will be a trusted and welcoming community space, a place people feel comfortable using as individuals or as a connected group: a place of connection.

The community hub will offer young people a place to develop skills, confidence and self-esteem, a safe and inspiring place for local families and children, and a place where older people will feel part of a connected and supportive community.

This accessible, welcoming and much needed community space uses environment-friendly build and innovative design techniques. The re-developed and extended venue reflects current community aspirations, whilst being flexible enough to respond to future changes in demand.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic NEA offered over 35 hours of creative workshops each week, most with a family focus, alongside a wide range of other events from singing groups to circus skills workshops, exhibitions, community theatre, film clubs, and festival events.

The venue is also home to Muirhouse Link Up, the Pennywell Pantry, North Edinburgh Drug and Alcohol Centre, and the Tinderbox Orchestra, all working to serve the most disadvantaged children, families and individuals in the North Edinburgh area. The extended NEA will also provide extra office space and facilities for community organisations.

Whilst the hub is under construction the library will operate from nearby Edinburgh College in Granton.

Certain events will continue to be provided in the Muirhouse area. For further details about opening hours and what’s on visit the City of Edinburgh Council’s Muirhouse Library page here.  

Arts Centre is on the move

The North Edinburgh Arts building will be closed from 5pm today (Friday 17th December) for a festive break, and won’t be open to the public again until the planned Macmillan Hub is complete.

Due to this ongoing redevelopment our 2022 programme will run from partner venues across North Edinburgh, with West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre offering us a temporary home.

We’ll be announcing more details soon, sign up to our monthly newsletter to get all our news directly.

Sign up for our newsletter at: https://bit.ly/3mbNAGe

For more information about our development plans, visit:

www.northedinburgharts.co.uk/development

£2 million for Macmillan Hub

Grants to revitalise Scotland’s neighbourhoods

Regeneration projects in some of Scotland’s more disadvantaged and rural communities will share more than £25 million of funding.

One of these is the Macmillan Hub in Muirhouse, which has been allocated £2 million, while nearby West Shore Studios on Granton Waterfront receives £1.73 million.

The Regeneration Capital Grant Fund will support 22 locally developed place-based projects that tackle inequalities and promote sustainable and inclusive economic recovery from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Whilst helping revitalise town centres and neighbourhoods, these projects aim to support up to 3,000 jobs, training and volunteering opportunities and reduce local carbon emissions.

Projects to benefit from a share of this fund include:

  • initiatives that transform historic buildings into new shared business spaces, including work to turn a disused historic building in Renfrewshire into the country’s first theatre designed for young people
  • a new £4 million technology hub in Shawfield, Glasgow, that will provide low carbon space for engineering development, medical, and digital research industries
  • a new £2.3 million Skills and Innovation Centre in Kelloholm, Dumfries and Galloway, that will create community project space and offices for third sector and small businesses
  • funding of £2 million to unlock investment worth £14.6 million to create a new hub in Muirhouse that will provide a nursery, library, workshops for new businesses, an expanded cafe plus six affordable homes and a revamped community arts centre
  • a new £750,000 centre in South Uist to promote Gaelic language, culture, music and dance

Welcoming the funding, city council leader Adam McVey said: “This funding comes as a fantastic endorsement for the work we’re doing to create equal and sustainable communities in North Edinburgh. Coming just before Christmas at a very difficult time for communities still struggling to cope with the effects of the pandemic it is very welcome news indeed.

“It will help enormously with our multi-use hub adding to our major success story in regenerating North Edinburgh. It’s so exciting to see this joint project with North Edinburgh Arts getting this recognition and endorsement.  As well as a cultural hub, the funding will help provide an accessible library and quality early years care at the heart of the community.”

Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “In recent years our North Edinburgh regeneration project has brought massive positive change and a more equal and sustainable future for the communities living in the Pennywell and Muirhouse areas. It’s great to see further investment completing our regeneration at MacMillan Square.

“The pandemic is very much still with us and I’m so pleased communities in North Edinburgh have some inspiration and great news for the New Year. This further investment for our creative and community hub at Granton Waterfront enhances our £1.3bn wider Granton Waterfront project and follows on from our work with communities building new homes and facilities nearby.

“I’m pleased to see the new hub being delivered for us by Edinburgh Palette in Granton Waterfront is receiving the recognition it deserves.

Lesley Hinds, Chair of North Edinburgh Arts, said: “North Edinburgh Arts (NEA) is a multi-award winning project with strong community support and we are thrilled to be awarded funding from the Scottish Government.

“This funding means NEA can move forward with the MacMillan Hub project, in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council, to provide much needed space and services for the local area. NEA recently finalised a Community Asset Transfer which brings the NEA building, land and garden into community ownership and allows for the expansion of our work, essential now more than ever, as we recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We now look forward to securing the additional resources needed to build on this important award. I want to give my thanks to the NEA Board, staff, officers at the City of Edinburgh Council, Richard Murphy Architects and, most importantly, the community of North Edinburgh for their continued support.”

Community Wealth Minister Tom Arthur said: “The last few years have been tough for us all but many of Scotland’s communities have been more impacted than others. The latest projects to benefit from the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund are working to tackle inequalities and create vibrant town centres and neighbourhoods. 

“By securing investment from this £25 million fund, these innovative projects demonstrate the powerful role those in our communities can have in helping to transform their town centres and neighbourhoods by investing in their future. The Scottish Government will do all it can to support projects that help create the fairer, greener and more prosperous Scotland we all want to see.”  

COSLA’s Environment and Economy spokesperson Councillor Steven Heddle said: “Once again, the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund has created the opportunity to deliver jobs, tackle inequalities and create better places across Scotland.

“The exciting projects announced today showcase the best of partnership between local authorities and our communities, delivering economic and social renewal as we rebuild from the devastating effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The diversity of projects supported is testament to the success of identifying local solutions to enable people to live well locally.

“In the face of the climate emergency, it is essential that the most vulnerable in society are not further disadvantage by climate change and I am especially pleased to see the additional focus on achieving a just transition to a net zero society.”

Matt Lammie, Chair of Kirkconnel & Kelloholm Development Trust, said: “This grant support for the new Kelloholm Skills and Innovation Centre is fantastic news and a great boost to the community of Kirkconnel and Kelloholm, in what has been a difficult year.

“Our whole community has worked hard to bring the Skills & Innovation Centre project forward and it will make a real difference to regenerating our area, connecting us to the wider world, and most important of all it will help our young people to get the skills that the need so that they can live, work and prosper here where they were brought up rather than having to move away.”

Pennywell regeneration up for award

The City of Edinburgh Council’s affordable housing development in Muirhouse has been short listed in the ‘Best Social Housing Initiative’ category in the MJ Local Government Awards 

The city council has also received a nomination in the Innovation in Communications category.

The MJ Achievement Award winners will be announced at a gala event at London’s Hilton Hotel on Park Lane on 27 June.