regeneration – Page 21 – The NEN

Granton’s Walled Garden – update

Hi all,

A quick update to say the deputation to the City Chambers went really well with a decision made to review the outdated ‘minded to grant’ planning permission for the 17 luxury townhouses.

I didn’t expect local councillors to be so surprised by this garden’s existence, age and rarity, or the fact that it was a council arms-length company’s responsibility. Heartening indeed was their decision to review the individual planning application by WEL from 2003, in light of new planning policies meant to protect the Historic Environment and Scotland’s Cultural Heritage. Hopefully this time they will refuse it in recognition of the value of this garden as incredibly rare and valuable heritage greenspace.

STV News wrote a good covering article on our deputation (link below):

plea-to-save-grantons-forgotten-walled-garden-put-to-council

Next meeting

Thursday 12 March

6-7.30pm at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre.

Please send in any agenda points you wish discussed.
Hopefully some of you can make this date and time.

Kirsty Sutherland,

Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden

PS: Can everyone fill in a membership form if you haven’t done so already, postcode is handy to identify areas support is coming from, full address isn’t needed unless you wish to receive correspondence by post rather than e-mail.

For more information check out Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden on FaceBook

Granton Community Council rejects marina plan

Granton & District Community Council Meeting has opposed the latest plans to redevelop Granton Marina. At their February meeting the community council agreed that the revised plans will not best serve Granton residents and they also called for improved community engagement.

Their response to the application reads:

“This community council notes the planning application by Granton Central Development.

Whilst we recognise that the Granton harbour area does require to be developed for the betterment of the local community we do not consider that the current application does this. In particular we are concerned about:

Density and scale of the housing that does not provide a sense of place
Lack of green space for children to play
Insufficient transport modelling with a focus on car use
Centralisation of retail outlets

We believe that achieving an environment in which people are encouraged to participate in the community and enjoy the city’s streets has a number of secondary long-term benefits of immense importance – for example, increased economic activity, better health from more active lifestyles and enhanced sense of personal safety and community. The current application does not do this and we agree to formally object to the current plan.

We further call on the Planning Department of CEC to arrange a Charettesplus community planning event. Charretteplus builds upon the traditional charrette model of engagement, promoted and supported by the Scottish Government through their Charrette Mainstreaming Programme. Charretteplus delivers more, to a greater number of people and provide the whole community input on what they would like to see in their community.”

The meeting discussed a wide range of issues as well as the marina planning application – on a busy agenda 20mph zones, the waterfront development and the city council’s budget were all discussed; see below for the Secretary’s report.

Secretary Report_Feb2015_v01

Dave Macnab (Secretary)

Granton and District Community Council
http://grantonanddistrictcommunitycouncil.com/

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrantonDistCC

Community Regeneration: what is it all about?

Blue sky thinking: Granton Improvement Society calls for real community planning

The idea of “community regeneration” certainly is not new but at this time in Scotland, with new Scottish government legislation on Community Empowerment, the time is now better than ever before for communities to take more control of assets. We can shape our community involving all who live, work and play within it. Now that would be real community regeneration!

Politicians talk about regeneration but do they deliver? What does that mean for the residents of North Edinburgh? We have a badly needed housing development in Muirhouse but without complementary services. The rest of the locality is left to decay with budget cuts making it harder for politicians (the council) to regenerate the larger area.

The people of the area know what is needed to regenerate their environment and it is not just housing. The Granton on Sea project can be the corner stone of such development. A project that provides benefits across a wide spectrum of issues that have been unresolved over the past 20 years – even though the area was designated as a major regeneration area within the City of Edinburgh.

A community regeneration project requires the assets of the community to be in total, outright ownership of that community: this is not in place.

Why then, when Scottish government policy is to transfer assets to communities have EDI, chaired by Councillor Frank Ross who is also convenor of the Economic Development committee, denied the project Granton on Sea the opportunity to begin one of Scotland’s largest and most ambitious regeneration plans?

The EDI Finance Director and Waterfront manager both recommended that Granton Improvement Society be given a two year period where it would fully develop the project with the Lottery’s Growing Community Assets unit. After eighteen months it would begin to provide employment, training, tourism opportunities, visitors and more economic benefits to North Edinburgh.

How will the project bring benefit?

The acquisition of the land by the Granton Improvement Society will see the development of 54 luxury houses stopped and replaced with an International Garden Festival and create artisan studios in green space on the adjoining plot of land.

The proposal will provide upwards of 100 permanent full time and part-time jobs, training and education in horticulture and other professions and trades. It will be an opportunity for local people to start up business in affordable workspaces. The unique visitor attraction of the International Garden Festival where each year it is different will ensure returning visitors to the project. That influx of tourists both national and international will see their spending retained in the local economy.

The real main benefit that the Granton on Sea project will bring is a local charity The Granton Improvement Society, whose main objective is the regeneration of the North Edinburgh area. It will manage the income from the artisan village and the Garden Festival for the benefit of other projects throughout the North Edinburgh area.

What do we need from you, the community?

This community has waited for regeneration benefits for decades with the community being told that the benefits are coming, this has clearly not happened. We are not giving up! We are asking you to join the Granton Improvement Society and create a place for people to live work and play!

Application forms for the Granton Improvement Society can be downloaded at

https://grantonimprovementsociety.wordpress.com/

and are available from the secretary, email

info@grantonimprovementsociety.org

Letters: where have all the bathrooms gone?

Dear Editor

In the latest edition of NEN, Edinburgh Council brag about the regeneration of Pennywell/Muirhouse with the building of the new houses, which is good – but as a long-standing tenant I would like to know where the new kitchen and bathrooms for which we have been waiting years have gone?

Thomas Scott (by email)

The future of Granton Harbour?

A steady stream of interested local residents called in to Granton Youth Centre to see the latest plans for Granton Marina earlier this month.

The latest plan is to create a ‘unique coastal community’, featuring:

1500 new homes (with parking provision for each one)
An international-standard five-star marina and Spa Hotel with 113 bedrooms and a restaurant/bar seating 125, plus coffee shop,
A health spa with indoor swimming pool and jacuzzi
Conference facilities
A marina and boatyard with 400 berths
30,000 sq m of retail, leisure and business space
‘Best of Scotland’ indoor market
Fashion outlet mall
A food court and restaurants
Covered walkway to and from car parking
A multi-storey car park
The Granton spur section of the tram line (with a tram stop) is also factored in.

Views on the day were divided. Some welcome the idea of long-overdue investment in an area with undoubted potential, while others have major concerns over the traffic implications.

One Lower Granton Road resident said: “We’ve seen plans like this before and they’ve come to nothing so I won’t be holding my breath. Personally I don’t think many local residents would have too much difficulty with what’s being proposed but for one major drawback – traffic.

“First the heavy lorries when the site is being constructed, then the sheer volume of traffic a development of this nature could bring is a real worry. We could see thousands of additional cars – visitors and residents – on local roads.

“Roads and traffic have been a problem down here for years and can’t cope with the volume of traffic as it is – these proposals would make it a hell of a lot worse. Planners will have to consider ways of resolving that, because if they don’t this development is a non-starter.”

Developers will examine comments made on the day and produce a report before moving on to the next stage of the planning process. There’s clearly a lot more talking to be done.

Housing Minister visits North Edinburgh

‘ a fantastic example of how housing can transform a community’ – Housing Minister Margaret Burgess MSP

Housing Minister Margaret Burgess MSP joined Edinburgh’s Housing Convener Councillor Cammy Day for a tour of the 719 house Pennywell construction site earlier today.

Pennywell is one of Scotland’s largest housing-led regeneration projects and is set to provide 356 social and mid-market rent homes, along with 363 new properties for private sale. The extensive development, which is being built by developers Urban Union, is a result of a major investment of £42 million by the City of Edinburgh Council and includes £7.9 million grant funding from the Scottish Government.

Housing Minister, Margaret Burgess, said: “Making sure everyone in Scotland has access to good quality housing is a vital part of the Scottish Government’s drive to secure economic growth, strengthen communities and tackle inequalities.

“Of the 719 houses being built, I am delighted to see that 356 will be affordable homes and that the area will benefit from £7.9 million of Scottish Government funding on top of the significant investment from the City of Edinburgh Council.

“These new homes will replace poor quality housing and will give the area a new lease of life. In addition to this the project is delivering community benefits by supporting apprenticeships.

“It is an honour to launch the Pennywell and Muirhouse Regeneration, which is one of the largest housing led regeneration projects in Scotland, and is a fantastic example of how housing can transform a community.”

Housing Convener, Councillor Cammy Day, said: “Pennywell is a fantastic development and will greatly enhance the area. We are committed to investing in high quality, energy efficient, affordable housing and this is the perfect example of how this can be achieved.

“The project has already created jobs for local people and I am confident that Pennywell will be an asset, not only to its residents, but as part of the overall regeneration of the north of Edinburgh.”

The construction of the new homes will bring 60 new jobs and apprenticeships to the area, along with 180 work experience placements. Cllr Day and the Minister met with local resident Courtney Rankine during the visit, who gained employment as an administrator on the project.

Local people have also been heavily involved in shaping plans for the public spaces within the development and the overall master plan for the area.

After a tour of the construction site – and a flying visit to Muirhouse Community Shop -they then visited Lindsey Wilson, a tenant of a new Council property in nearby West Pilton Crescent. Like the homes under construction in Pennywell, her flat is a modern, energy efficient home and gave the Minister an insight into how the completed properties on the development will look.

Both West Pilton Crescent and Pennywell are part of the Council’s 21st Century Homes project, which aims to create high quality social housing by developing brownfield sites across the Capital.

Lindsey (pictured below with 17 month old son Dylan) said: “My new home is amazing! I was given notice to leave my private let and I was staying in temporary accommodation before I got this place. This is luxury compared to my private let – it is so much bigger, cleaner and warmer. I was spending £40 per week on my pre-payment meter in my last house but now I’m only spending £11, which is fantastic.

“My housing officer has been great and is always there if I have any issues. The kids love the playground and see the green space as their garden! I have just got a job down in Morrison’s – I start tomorrow – and things are really working out well for me.”

In response to the high demand for affordable homes in Edinburgh, 21st Century Homes will deliver 1,400 new properties for rent and sale throughout the city. The first to be built by the project were in the Gracemount area, where 87 homes were created, along with 12 shared equity properties.

Phase two of this development is now underway and coincides with the construction of 94 new Council homes in West Pilton Crescent and Greendykes. Plans to expand the project in other parts of the Capital by a further 400 houses are also currently being considered.

Janice Russell, Director of Urban Union, said: “Pennywell Living is one of the largest projects of its kind in Scotland, and we are pleased to share its progress with the Housing Minister today.

“The development is about much more than just bringing high quality new homes to the area. We are working in partnership with the Council to create a sustainable community that people want to live in. We are committed to delivering jobs and training opportunities, public open space and an art works strategy which will provide a range of activities and events for community involvement.

“By creating a sense of place we hope to attract a vibrant mix of people to the area, encouraging pride in the community and ultimately driving genuine regeneration in Pennywell.”

City Centre regeneration plans go on display

PUBLIC EXHIBITION FOR £20M CITY CENTRE REGENERATION PROJECT

Initial proposals for a £20m regeneration project in the Register Lanes area on the south east corner of St Andrew Square will go on display at a public exhibition today.

The exhibition at the Voodoo Rooms will present early stage ideas for the area, which will include the regeneration of the currently neglected backstreets off and around West Register Street, and will comprise a complementary mix of high quality office space, hotel, serviced apartments, retail units and restaurants.

Initial plans include the restoration of 42 St Andrew Square, the former RBS headquarters and home to one of the finest examples of an art deco banking hall, which is now on the ‘at risk’ register.

The overall aim is to develop the buildings, which range from Victorian gothic to 1960s functional, as part of one comprehensive scheme that works successfully alongside the plans for the St James Quarter and the objectives of the Register Lanes Study.

Chris Stewart, CEO of Chris Stewart Group, said: “This is an important site and we welcome all views as we shape our ideas and designs. We want to create a vibrancy for the area. To do that, we are looking at a mix of new uses for the buildings; uses that we expect will deliver an economic boost for local traders, together with considerable environmental improvements for the benefit of local residents and visitors to the city.”

Chris Stewart Group has a track record for completing complex transformational projects. The company recently completed the Advocate’s Close development in Edinburgh’s Old Town, which has been awarded the RIAS ‘Best Building in Scotland’ award and has just begun works at Baxter’s Place, in Edinburgh, which is to become a Marriott hotel.

The exhibition will take place in the French Quarter, Voodoo Rooms, 19a West Register Street, EH2 2AA, between 3 -8pm on Thursday 27 November.

Have your say on Granton Harbour proposals

Granton Harbour – Community Consultation

Come along to a community drop-in event and have your say on proposals for the Granton Harbour area. Proposals include new homes, retail and leisure.

Representatives of Granton Central Developments will be there to talk through their plans for the area and listen to any view that the community have before submitting their plans to the Council for planning approval.

The drop in will be held on Wednesday 3 December in Granton Youth Centre, 3-11 West Granton Road, between 3pm and 7pm.

If you would like further information on this event, please contact:

Michelle Fraser, Programme Manager North Edinburgh

8 West Pilton Gardens EH4 4DP

Telephone 0131 529 3150

Email: michelle.fraser@edinburgh.gov.uk

talking about regeneration

Muirhouse residents invited to take part in regeneration focus group

Ashley McDonald is a final year Geography student at the University of Edinburgh. As part of her final year study, she is undertaking research on the regeneration taking place in Muirhouse and she’d like to hear from YOU!

If you live in Muirhouse or Pennywell and you’d be interested in taking part in a small focus group to discuss your opinions on the regeneration and the area’s future, email Ashley for further details at: amcdonald1168@gmail.com

Ashley has booked Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre next Tuesday -(25th November) from 6.30pm – 8.30pm.

Partnership Centre plans forge ahead

Plans for the new £12 million health and social care hub in Muirhouse have taken another major step forward

The planning application for the North West Edinburgh Partnership Centre has been approved by the planning committee at the City of Edinburgh Council.

The new centre, a joint development between NHS Lothian and the City of Edinburgh Council, 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.

Peter Gabbitas, Joint Director, Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership said: “The North West Edinburgh Partnership Centre is another good example of the benefits of bringing health and social care services together on one site and in doing so putting people’s health and welfare at the forefront of our services.”

Cllr Ricky Henderson, Health, Social Care and Housing Convener, said: “We are committed to providing high quality health and social care within communities, and working in partnership with organisations such as NHS Lothian on projects like the North West Edinburgh Partnership Centre is a great way to ensure this happens.”

Hub South East Scotland Ltd is delivering the project and has appointed GRAHAM construction to build the new centre.

Paul McGirk, Chief Executive of Hub South East Scotland, said: “This is an exciting step in the development of the North West Edinburgh Partnership Centre and we look forward to continuing our successful partnership with both NHS Lothian and the City of Edinburgh Council to make these plans a reality. We’ve been involved in this project from the beginning, so it’s exciting to reach this major milestone and we look forward to continuing our successful partnerships and making these plans a reality.”

Ground works will start this month to prepare the site for construction of the new Centre which is anticipated to begin next year.

The works will involve digging up and working on pipes and cabling within certain areas of the site. The works will not impact on surrounding properties and while there will be activity on parts of the site over the coming months, none of these works relate to the actual construction of the facility.

These works will also involve the creation of a new entrance to the shopping centre service yard from Pennywell Gardens, demolition of two buildings (Pennywell Dentist and Pennywell House), closing Muirhouse Crescent and diverting existing utilities (gas, electricity, water, telecoms) within the site.

The project team is now working towards aiming to finalise contracts in January 2015. Work is then scheduled to start on the new Centre in early 2015 and it will open in autumn 2016.