Forth Ports has submitted a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) to The City of Edinburgh Council for Harbour 31, an exciting mixed-use development on a 10-acre waterfront site at Leith.
The development has the aspiration to create a vibrant new neighbourhood for Leith. The plans for the waterside location include: 700 – 800 residential apartments, a hotel, local retail, flexible workspaces and offices and leisure facilities. The site sits on a dockside location and fits well with the Council’s Local Development Plan as being housing-led, mixed use development.
The development will see the regeneration of land adjacent to the newly opened FirstStage Studios, providing a place to live and work, for both creative and green jobs, as the Port of Leith transitions to become Scotland’s premier renewables hub. The site will also benefit from the new tram extension due to open in mid-2023.
Carole Cran, Chief Financial Officer of landowners Forth Ports Group, said: “At Harbour 31 we plan to create a vibrant new quarter to live and work, as new creative and green jobs come to Leith.
“With the option to walk to work or an easy tram ride into the city centre, this new neighbourhood will be a focal point of Leith’s continued regeneration.”
An online public consultation will take place on 23 June 2022 from 3.00pm – 7.00pm via www.harbour31.com, where further details of the proposed development can be found.
Following the outcome of the public consultation, a full planning application will be submitted.
Ambitions to roll out model to more sports clubhouses
TWO senior figures at one of Scotland’s top community rugby clubs have launched a new remote office venture, transforming under-utilised clubhouse facilities and offering salvation for home-workers.
“Breakout” has re-imagined the vast top floor of Currie Chieftains’ Malleny Park clubhouse, creating a stylish, safe and comfortable workspace, able to be used by anyone working outside the office.
The idea emerged during lockdown, with Mark Cairns, Head Coach of the Balerno-based club realising that the long-term future of work was changing, with many homes unsuited to home working, with many put off by the stress and environmental impact of daily commutes.
At the same time, the club had been hit by the pandemic, with the clubhouse – like thousands across the country – sitting dormant.
Edinburgh-based Mark, CEO of Breakout, is also the founder of Coach Logic, a sports analysis and communication platform, and like millions of others has worked from home for much of the pandemic.
The 37-year-old father of two, said: “In all honesty I was getting fed up with my home slowly becoming my office. I was finding it difficult to switch off from work, when I realised the club could be a great working space.
“We hope to inspire more spaces like this. There are a lot of sports clubs with underused spaces, which are normally utilised in the evenings but almost never during office hours.
“Many are in semi-rural and suburban locations, surrounded by families but requiring a sizeable commute to city centre workplaces.
“Hopefully these clubs can see Currie leading by example. We think we can slowly but surely, make a positive change for a lot of communities.”
“Our values and mission are very clear – we want to impact people’s work life and environment one space at a time and we think introducing the Breakout idea to the world is a step in the right direction.”
Fergus Scott, current captain of Currie Chieftains first team and general manager of Breakout, said: “Mark and I have put in a lot of hard work to make the co-working space a reality.
“We have received a lot of support from the local community as well, as more people are having to work remotely from outside the office, so the idea of having a space like Breakout is massive for them.”
The Breakout co-working hub has also partnered with coffee specialists, Forth Roasters, to offer quality sit-in and takeaway coffee and snacks on site.
Andy Russell, managing director of Bureau, which has provided contemporary furnishings and is primed to work with Breakout at future sites, said: “People have always seen co-working spaces as a city centre-based business.
“But the pandemic has enforced a new trend of remote work environment, which made the opportunity for suburban co-working spaces to emerge, and there isn’t better space than your local sports club.”
The Breakout team are now on the lookout for the next sports venue which they can transform into the next remote co-working centre.
The Melting Pot is encouraging people in Edinburgh to leave working from home behind and reap the benefits of hybrid working
The Melting Pot, Scotland’s first co-working space, is opening the doors of its new much-bigger work hub set up to meet changing working needs as we enter the “new normal”.
Delivered in partnership with Foundation Scotland, the space will officially open on Tuesday 4th May and is set up to host charities, social businesses, campaigners and freelancers that are leading Scotland’s recovery.
The recently renovated, three-floored city-centre space on Calton Road was previously the home to the renowned “The Venue” nightclub. It will now become the perfect space for workers to escape the monotony of full-time homeworking and instead work, learn, connect and collaborate with others in a safe environment with all needs catered for.
The Melting Pot’s Founder and CEO Claire Carpenter said: “We are thrilled to be opening the doors of The Melting Pot’s new home in Edinburgh’s city centre, we can’t wait to see our community putting it to good use.
“The team and I have been working hard to get everything ready. The new desks are set up, the social spaces are comfy, the wifi is strong, the tea and coffee all well stocked and even the printers are working! Everything is COVID safe; we have taken care of it all.
“Forced remote working has been a double-edged sword. On one hand it quickly introduced people to the benefits of working flexibly – we have all proved that we do not need to be tied to the same desk 9-5.
“The pandemic accelerated access to remote working and the positives that accompany it. However, full-time working from home has had a detrimental impact on our mental health; we have missed our usual social connections, felt frustrated at living and working within the same four walls, it has reduced opportunities for collaboration, and this has all had a negative impact on our motivation. Our communities have suffered.
“However, there’s no need for us all to return to the rigid traditional structure as we move out of the crisis.
“What we do at The Melting Pot is offer people the opportunity to mix it up, to get the best of both worlds. Organisations, colleagues and individuals can hire spaces for a day or two a week – whatever suits them.”
“They can come into our space to meet others, learn, connect and share, and then on other days choose to work from home. We offer a variety of affordable options that give members the opportunity to work from our space in a way which suits them best.
“We are encouraging anyone that is interested to visit our website and find out more. We still have spaces left, but they are filling up quickly. I look forward to seeing everyone in there together soon.”
In recognition of the growing demand for hybrid workspaces, The Melting Pot has ambitions to extend its support to communities beyond its Edinburgh hub.
They plan to create coworking hubs across the country to reinvigorate Scotland’s workspace infrastructure and ultimately aid the recovery from the COVID crisis.
The Melting Pot still has memberships available, although the new space is quickly filling up.
