Friends to hold first AGM

A year of growth for Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden

gardenAGM

AGMposter1revs

Hi folks,
I can’t believe it has been a year, and it is time to take stock of the year’s events and achievements, and look forward to what we could do together.
  • Latest news, chance to discuss ideas and ask questions, and find out about events upcoming with our Scotland’s Urban Past project being supported by Historic Environment Scotland.
  • Apples and a few other surprises from Eve’s Apple Shack!
Hope to see you at our upcoming AGM – help us raise awareness of our campaign to save the last of Scotland’s Lost Gardens.
Kirsty Sutherland, Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden

 

Made in Granton

Community group plans peoples’ exhibition

madelvic car

We are holding a one-day ‘History of North Edinburgh’ event, an exhibition of things, film and photos in the former office of the Madelvic electric car company in Granton Park Avenue (off West Granton Road) on  Saturday 24 October from 11 am- 3pm.

The theme is the people, industry and workplaces of North Edinburgh.

Did any members of your family work in the Madelvic factory all those years ago? Or more recently in Parsons Peebles, the Wire Works, Salvesens, the Gas Works; what about trawling, whaling, fish merchants, on the trams or other industry in North Edinburgh? Both men’s and women’s work of course!

We need you! We are looking for copies of any photos, stories, memories, artefacts, interesting things to share in an exhibition. We are hopeful that this will go on to create a permanent museum of North Edinburgh.

If you have anything you could contribute to this please contact us as soon as you can …

Barbara Robertson barbara-robertson@teleosvet.co.uk  07825154114

 or Willie Black   w.black@blueyonder.co.uk  07515686421

or madelviccommunity@gmail.com

granton:hub
at the Madelvic

Do the seaside survey

Please see below for details of a new survey on Marine Tourism and Recreation and details of how you can take part:

cramond waterfall

Dear member, 

The first results of the marine tourism and recreation survey are in and they look promising. In the first four weeks we have had almost 1000 responses across 20 activities. Most people have listed more than one activity and so that means we could have approaching 4000 records of where people use the coast and what for. Great news for tourism and recreation in the new world of marine planning as they can be more confident that their interests and views will be taken into account in future decision making.

This is great news but there is no time to relax!!

Returns on activities vary, we are looking for more responses from niche interests such as long distance swimming but also from more popular activities such as angling, rowing, visiting historical sites, motor boat cruising and windsurfing.

Although we have done a lot to promote the survey, through social media (there is both a  Facebook page and a twitter feed), through partner organisations and thousands of direct emails, postcards and letters, the personal touch is without a doubt the best way to spread the word and that is where I ask you to help make this the best survey of the sector ever.

newhaven

Please can you send on the survey to anyone you can think of who may have been to the coast or used the sea for recreation? They could be a family friend who you only ever see on facebook building sand castles, it could be your daughter whose friends are mad about dinghy racing, it could be your colleagues who get together to go for a walk from time to time and occasionally go to the coast or it could be your organisations core business! Please make sure that everyone you can think of has had a chance to have a look at the survey.

Of course there is also the business survey. Anyone who runs a business which relies in some way on the marine environment should fill this one in. A one man band, a bed and breakfast in a coastal town, a marina, boat yard or tour operator!

All you have to do is click here – http://www.marinerecreationandtourism.scot/survey/

 Thank you.

Sarah Brown

Project Manager, Firth of Clyde Forum

www.clydeforum.com

07774 160931

STOP PRESS: 

Scotland has just been voted the ‘World’s Best Cruising Ground’ in the prestigious Sailing Today Awards

Edinburgh: it’s time to get it right

Granton Improvement Society’s SHAERON AVERBUCH bemoans Edinburgh planners’ lack of vision … 

shaeron

Last Thursday (14 May), I went to see the proceedings made by the Edinburgh Planning Committee regarding the final approval of the Local Development Plan (LDP).

It was very impressive to see how many residents groups and community councillors were clearly against the proposed plans for further housing allocations in their areas. This was for good reason in the main, although all acknowledged the undeniable need for housing to meet the rapid city growth. However, none of the parties – with the exception of the Willie Black who represented the Granton Improvement Society – wanted the new homes in their areas, mostly because there was not the road infrastructure to deal with the extra traffic that this would incur, particularly in the Brunstane and Barnton areas.

The other resounding fact raising concern by the majority of the groups presenting a deputation against the LDP was in regard to the majority of proposed new housing eating into the remaining green belt areas, particularly in the west of the city and again the Brunstane and Cammo areas. Gilmerton and Moredun also seemed to have great reservations.

Questions were raised by the various deputations asking why the brown field sites could not be utilised for housing instead. Willie Black of the Granton Improvement Society was vociferous in his demand to welcome further development for the area he represented and another representative from a different ward again emphatically stressed that the Edinburgh Planning Department, after a very lengthy assessment process, had granted permissions to Forth Ports PLC when set up as such to undertake a vast amount of housing under a phased development plan and why was there not further actions on this.

A further clear question asked by members of the various deputations was around whether it was correct that Councillor Frank Ross should be present on the Planning Committee when he was also on the board of so many of the cities development holding companies.

A series of other legal questions were raised by a Mr Kelly, Professor of Law at Edinburgh University as to whether the LDP was on par and could meet the scrutiny set out in the guidelines of the Scottish Governments SES Plan. More on this can be found online.

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In another capacity as a member of the JUMP (Joined Up Master Planning) Group I would like to take the opportunity to add my personal opinion and that is that the City itself has identified the north area of the city as having the most scope for further regeneration.

Housing is a significant part of that. However, so much has already been compromised along the Edinburgh waterfront and there is nothing that has given anything back to existing communities or to compensate for loss of heritage, green space and natural habitats. No one can deny that what has happened in Leith Docks and Newhaven is only part of a longer term phased plan.

This is one reason why the previously mentioned Granton Improvement Society had proposed a three part plan for the historic walled garden at Granton, hoping instead to preserve the garden and establish an international garden festival, outdoor swimming facilities and artisans village to complement the other activities and create a destination on an otherwise derelict and forgotten area of the city.

This three part project would wash it’s face financially, genuinely offering jobs and training opportunities for young people and others and as a social enterprise, give back a percentage of the profits to support or start other projects in the area. So what’s not to like? https://grantonimprovementsociety.wordpress.org

Perhaps in the newly adopted LDP the City could take the bull by the horns this time round to ensure that – when further development does take place in the Waterfront area that it is done sensitively and that other planning criteria might possibly be introduced and applied, ie., aesthetics, design and scrutiny of building materials and a very strong cultural plan that also encompasses or encourages the creation of natural habitats and public access to enjoy recreational activities. Schools, shops and visitors centres are also required.

We need to demand more from our City Councillors, who not only hold the purse strings and the permission to transfer assets to communities should the situation arise. Well at least that is what all we community groups are hoping for under the new Community Empowerment Act legislation. Will this even scratch the surface of Edinburgh’s tough, tougher and toughest, overtly anti-community empowerment SKIN!!

My final comment is that Edinburgh is a world class city with UNESCO world heritage status. The Edinburgh Waterfront area and those linked to it must be recognised to be capable of international merit and to be valued more by local people.

The City of Edinburgh NEEDS a Cultural Plan. It should be applying to be City of Culture and to have an EXPO in the North Edinburgh Area. The City should be looking at other world class small cities with waterfronts and waterways and doing all it’s power to literally catch up with competitors and show a new stronger identity delivered through added value, people power, contemporary culture, ecological  sensitivity and an understanding of urbanism requirements for the 21st Century and beyond.

Lets stop Edinburgh getting it wrong and start getting it right!

Shaeron Averbuch, Granton Improvement Society

A new future for historic Madelvic House?

madelvic

Open Day: Saturday 9 May @11am.

Madelvic House, Granton Park Avenue,

Edinburgh, EH5 1HS

OPEN DAY POSTER 9TH MAY

We are a community group in Granton looking for people to attend an open day in Madelvic House. 

The building dates back to 1898 as the offices of the Madelvic Motor company; the first custom built car factory in Britain. We are developing ideas for the building to offer the local community somewhere to relax and come together.

The current plan is to develop a creative hub with resident artists on the upper and gallery/event space on the ground as well as a  café and craft area where we can offer activities for the community.

Come support us to make this happen! Or if you can’t make the event but would like to know more about what we are trying to do, please contact Wendy Wager, chair of the group at

email: madelviccommunity@gmail.com

Granton & District CC to discuss revised marina plans

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I cordially invite you along to our March meeting on Monday 30 March at 7pm at Royston and Wardieburn Community Centre. 
We expect to have a representative of the Marina Development in attendance – with their revised plans.
Hope to see you there.
Regards
Dave
Secretary, Granton and District Community Council

Community Regeneration: what is it all about?

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

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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.

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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