regeneration – Page 20 – The NEN

Searching for the Great British High Street

High Streets Minister Penny Mordaunt today urged town and cities across Britain to get their applications in for the Great British High Street competition before it closes on 30 August.

The minister has written to all town teams and the local community to encourage them to take part in the competition, run by the Future High Street Forum, to find Britain’s best high streets. Many town teams have already entered the 7 separate categories: city centres, town centres, market towns, coastal communities, villages, parades and London.

The minister said this national competition was a fantastic way to celebrate the nation’s greatest high streets and it was essential that all parts of the United Kingdom are represented.

The winners will win £50,000 of prize money and dedicated support and mentoring from industry experts. This could range from one to one coaching to advice on creating business plans to attending workshops on digital marketing.

The government is committed to high streets as part of it long-term economic plan. It is supporting local shops and businesses with a billion pound package of investment that includes targeted business rate discounts, sensible planning changes and action that reins in over-zealous parking practices.

High Streets Minister Penny Mordaunt said: “This competition is about celebrating the work local people do to make their high streets great places to live, work and shop. Our high streets are bustling again and we want to find the hidden gems the country has to offer and share their tips for success.

So if your area hasn’t entered already then get cracking – don’t miss the chance to be named the Great British High Street.”

Job opportunities in North Edinburgh

North Edinburgh’s housebuilding and regeneration programme will offer new job, apprenticeship and work placement opportunities when it gets under way this summer – and you can register your interest at drop-in sessions at the North Local Office in West Pilton.

The drop-ins start this morning and will run every Wednesday from 10am – 12 noon. Why not call in to find out more?

What’s the latest on the Partnership Centre?

It’s been talked about for so long, but there’s still no sign of the Neighbourhood Hub, or Partnership Centre as it’s now called, opening any time soon – so what’s happening? You can find out tomorrow (Wednesday 2 April) at an informal drop-in session at North Edinburgh Arts Centre from 3 – 7pm.

The public information and engagement event has been planned to give people the chance to find out more about plans for the proposed new North West Edinburgh Partnership Centre.

NHS Lothian is leading on the development of the new £12-million Centre and members of the project team will be available to explain the latest designs and answer any questions from the public.

Peter Gabbitas, Joint Director, Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership said: “The plans for the proposed new North West Edinburgh Partnership centre are progressing well and we anticipate submitting the planning application in the next few months.

“I’d like to welcome the local public along to this open session in order to see the latest designs and have any questions answered by our project team. The Centre will enable NHS Lothian to work much more closely with the Council and in doing so put children’s health and welfare at the forefront of our services.”

The Centre will bring increased health and social care services to the local community, including new GP accommodation and additional physiotherapy, podiatry, dentistry and child health services.

The City of Edinburgh Council is currently developing the existing masterplan for the area surrounding the proposed North West Edinburgh Partnership Centre including the library, the mall, arts centre and Pennywell Road. In addition, through the Council’s 21st Century Homes programme, 34 homes are due to be completed at West Pilton Crescent by Autumn 2014.

A site start is expected during late spring/early summer 2014 on the first phase of the Pennywell regeneration, which will eventually provide a total of 719 homes for rent and sale with 356 for Council rent.

Hub South East Scotland Ltd, the Council and NHS Lothian’s development partner, has been involved in the regeneration planning for North West Edinburgh.

Paul McGirk, Chief Executive, said: “The Hub initiative is all about enabling the delivery of better, joined up services for communities. I would encourage as many people as possible to attend the event to find out more about this important development for their area.”

All welcome – there’s a free buffet and prize draw and you can also find out about regeneration progress across the wider area, too. Go on, get involved!

For further information email steven.whitton@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

tim.packer@edinburgh.gov.uk or henry.coyle@edinburgh.gov.uk

Granton Sur Mer to set sail once again?

Remember Granton Sur Mer? The imaginative scheme to establish an international garden competition, artists’ village and seafront lido constructed from sea containers? The scheme seemed to have sunk without trace, but now it appears the Granton Sur Mer initiative is afloat once again!

Granton Improvement Society is the name of the organisation taking the regeneration ideas forward and they are staging a presentation of updated plans tomorrow (Wednesday 30 October).

Society secretary Barbara Robertson said: “Trustees would like to invite you to come to a presentation on Wednesday 30^th October, of the community regeneration project for the Walled Garden www.granton-sur-mer.co.uk and surrounding sites which will be transformed into the Garden Festival, Artisans’ Village and Lido,

“This exciting and dynamic project in Granton will not only bring community benefit, employment, fun, leisure and learning opportunities to North Edinburgh but will develop into Edinburgh’s next Festival. This will certainly add to Edinburgh’s reputation as a Festival City, gold medal winner of Britain in Bloom, World Heritage City and a great, green place to live and work for all of its people.”

participants can enjoy a site visit at 11am followed by a light lunch at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, a project presentation by Studio DuB’s Gordon Duffy with an open discussion planned to end the afternoon session.

Interested and like to find out more? Contact

barbara.robertson@grantonimprovementsociety.org

or telephone 551 3050.

Complaint over LACK of council cuts in ‘forgotten estate’

Muirhouse in June - a 'forgotten estate'? — Muirhouse in June – a ‘forgotten estate’?

Usually, community groups and voluntary organisations are up in arms over council cuts to services in their area. However one Muirhouse man is on the warpath over a lack of cuts!

TRIM (Tenants and Residents in Muirhouse) member Robert Pearson has written to the local council team to demand action over the state of local green spaces – weeds, long grass and the general state of the area.

He said: “Yet again I feel it necessary to email you regarding Muirhouse, I am absolutely fed up with the way Muirhouse is being left to rot by you, Edinburgh City Council. It was you who caused the area to fall apart in the first place and now you are leaving us in a mess.”

He goes on: “Back in March this year local children join the Centipede project and planted over 2000 bulbs which spelt Muirhouse Is Home (pictured below). It looked fantastic, the children loved it and it was never vandalised. Unfortunately we are not able to see it anymore as the grass and weeds have taking over the place. Walking around the estate the green areas are all overgrown and basically in a mess; why is this happening again? Does this happen elsewhere in the city? Or does it just happen in the forgotten estate?”

North Neighbourhood Team Business Manager Mandy Rudden said she has requested information from her Regeneration and Task Force colleagues and will update Robert when this has been received.

£25m housing boost for disadvantaged communities

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and COSLA President Councillor David O’Neill today announced a £25 million fund which aims to help transform disadvantaged areas across Scotland.

The Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF), which has been developed in partnership with local authorities, will provide financial support to projects that will help to deliver large scale positive improvements to deprived areas. It will focus on projects that engage and involve local communities and those that can demonstrate the ability to deliver sustainable regeneration outcomes. The fund will be open to local authorities, urban regeneration companies and regeneration special purpose vehicles.

The Deputy First Minister and COSLA President announced the new fund during a visit to Govan Workspace in Glasgow – a project supported by the European Regional Development Fund involving the transformation of the 1670m2 derelict Fairfield Shipyard offices in Govan into 12 new workspaces for SMEs and social enterprises.

Ms Sturgeon said: “Investment in large scale regeneration projects is absolutely key for stimulating economic growth throughout Scotland. The development of this fund is a great example of how Scotland’s public bodies can work in partnership to deliver initiatives that help to create more jobs for Scottish people, while bringing our communities closer together and injecting new life into deprived and run down areas.

“Community involvement is integral to the success of the design and delivery of local economic and social regeneration initiatives. This government is absolutely clear about the contribution that regeneration makes to growing our economy and improving the life chances of Scotland’s people. I am pleased that COSLA have agreed to work with us on this initiative and that local authorities will play a fundamental role in delivery while ensuring local people are at the heart of the projects that will help to transform the spaces around them.”

Councillor David O’Neill, President of COSLA said: “Councils and their partners work at the heart of every local community and are uniquely placed to deliver regeneration outcomes with and for local communities. COSLA and Scottish Government via the creation of the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund are helping to ensure the delivery of Scotland’s regeneration strategy has the biggest economic, social and environment impact possible on local communities.

“Communities want resources focused on delivering large scale regeneration projects which can also deliver wider impacts of job creation, clearing up land as well as regenerating buildings and infrastructure. We believe the fund as envisaged will deliver long term strategic and transformational change. I look forward to seeing the outcomes of this fund at local level throughout Scotland over the next few years. Scotland’s identity is to a large extent local and so are people’s expectations, this fund will enable local authorities to deliver local communities expectations of the places they want to live in and be proud of for years to come.”

Link sausage, anyone?

Pennywell Pork Butchers is reopening next week, but there won’t be any meats, pies or sausages for sale. The shop, which closed in November last year, is being pressed into service as an office/exhibition space for the local Link Up project!

Link Up Muirhouse worker Julie Crawford (pictured below) said: “We’re only open for one week, but we’re hoping to fill the whole week with a lot of things – you can find out about the Link Up project, talk to members of Tenants and Residents In Muirhouse (TRIM), hear the local Time Bank Choir , have a look at our photographs of Muirhouse and add some more of your own to our digital archive and there will be lots of seasonal arts activities too. Why not pop in for a cuppa and a chat about what’s happening in Muirhouse and how you can get involved in your community?”

The shop opens next Monday and will open:

Monday 11am – 3pm

Tuesday 9am – 2pm

Wednesday 12 – 6pm

Thursday 4 – 9pm

Friday 10am – 3pm

Saturday 10am – 4pm

Thanks to Total Craigroyston for passing on this info!

Residents to fight City Park housing plans

Local residents will fight plans to build housing on City Park. A new Save City Park campaign group has been set up to challenge plans to build houses on the site off Pilton Drive North. The group says that the area needs it’s last remaining green space and could not cope with more traffic on roads and side streets.

Save City Park campaigners say that City Park – the former home of The Spartans – ‘is a vital part of Edinburgh’s landscape and heritage and plays an important role in enhancing the city’s environment. It is one of an ever decreasing number of green “lungs” in a city of ever-increasing development.’

The group says that a plans by Link Group to build a mixed-tenure housing development on the City Park site would destroy the quality and character of the local area and put even more strain on already overstretched local services.

Falkirk-based Link Group employs 400 staff and celebrates it’s 50th birthday this year. The company is ‘one of Scotland’s leading providers of housing and related services’. The organisation’s website continues: ‘The Link companies help to deliver innovative regeneration projects in partnership with local communities, including health facilities, environmental initiatives, training schemes and financial inclusion projects. We are committed to the welfare of tenants and to the principles of social justice and inclusion.’

Interested members of the public will have three different opportunities to see and hear what is being proposed for City Park at a series of consultation events over the coming fortnight. Next Wednesday (24 October) Link will have a staffed presentation from 4.30 – 7.30pm at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre on Pilton Drive North and on Thursday (25th October) the exhibition moves on to The Spartans Community Football Academy off Pilton Drive, again from 4.30 – 7.30pm.

Link representatives will also be making a presentation to Granton and District Community Council’s meeting on Monday 29 October at 7pm in Royston Wardieburn Community Centre – this meeting is open to members of the public and all are welcome to attend.

The City Park campaigners concerns are highlighted on their new website which can be found at http://savecitypark.co.uk

Has housing reached saturation point in East Pilton? Or is the need for more social and affordable housing more urgent than green space? What do you think – let us know!

Council seeks developer for Muirhouse regeneration

A contract worth an estimated £80m to build around 800 new homes in the Pennywell/Muirhouse area of Edinburgh has been advertised by the City of Edinburgh Council. The contract is part of the project for the second phase of the Council’s 21stCentury Homes programme which aims to build up to 1,400 mixed tenure homes for sale and rent across the Capital over the next eight years.

At least half of the homes in Pennywell will be affordable with the remainder for sale and rent in the private sector. Construction on the site is due to start in 2013 with the new homes being ready to be lived in by 2014.

Mark Turley, Director of Services for Communities, said: “This is an exciting time for the people in Pennywell. The development is a housing led regeneration opportunity which will boost the local economy by providing new jobs in the construction industry as well as supporting local businesses.

“As part of the procurement process, the successful developer is also being asked to provide training opportunities and apprenticeships for young people during the course of the construction project. This will be a hugely important contribution to the regeneration of this area.

“The development provides the Council with the opportunity to unlock private investment, provide a mix of new housing and create a sustainable development for the area. ”

The successful developer will be required to comply with the existing planning permission in principle secured by the Council as well as the Pennywell/Muirhouse Design Guide, which sets the blueprint for design quality, energy-efficient new homes, roads, footways and high quality public space.

City of Edinburgh Council

Have Your Say On Regeneration

City planners are appealing to Muirhouse and Pennywell residents to have their say on the area’s ongoing regeneration. A public exhibition drop-in session was held last Thursday evening in Craigroyston High School, where members of the masterplanning team were available to speak to residents about the latest plans for the area’s redevelopment.

For those who missed that opportunity, however, there’s still time to have a look at the plans and to make your opinions known – the exhibition will be on display in North Edinburgh Arts Centre in Pennywell Court until Friday 17 February.

Michelle Fraser, Senior Project Manager with the city council’s Housing and Regeneration team, said: “Towards the end of 2011 two masterplan options were prepared for the local community to see and comment on. Consultation events were held in November and December – thank-you if you have contributed to the process so far. Many of the issues raised have now been taken on board by the masterplanning team and this has resulted in key amendments to the preferred Indicative Masterplan Framework. A newsletter that went out out to the community to invite them to the events has a section that can be filled in and dropped off locally. Please make use of this or email any comments that you have to me and I will make sure that these are incorporated within the overall feedback from the consultation events.”

Comments can be emailed to michelle.fraser@edinburgh.gov.uk