Council calling for residents views!

The Council is embarking on a project looking at the Royal Mile. This is one of the strands that emerged from the consultation process which was a key part of the Southern Arc Area Development Framework. The purpose of the study is to see if they can collectively identify improvements to the street – how it is used and managed, how the traffic flows, how the residents and business use it, etc.  

It is very important that they understand the key issues for all the different groups who have an involvement with the street. They also need to ensure that they have identified and gathered all relevant background information from those who have real knowledge of the place

Residents in and around the Royal Mile are an important group whose views we wish to collect, and they would like to invite the local community and residents’ groups and their members to participate in a focus group, on Tuesday 8th November. 

The focus group will run from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, and will be held at the Council offices, Waverley Court, on East Market Street.  If you live in or around the Royal Mile (from the castle to Abbeyhill) please help ensure residents views are heard and contact Alison Morris at CEC to book a place.

   

Hotels NOT Homes?

Why does Edinburgh Council insist on creating more hotels in the Old Town when what is needed is some HOUSING!
Last week the Evening News announced that a large redevelopment site (which was approved for mixed uses (including 80 flats) around Cockburn St and Advocates Close has been changed to a large hotel complex with serviced apartments. This was approved as a 'variation' to the existing consent rather than a new application and therefore went by fairly unnoticed and the development is now well underway.
The loss of regular housing to holiday and student accommodation is reaching crisis point!

What is the council doing to stem the loss of longer term residents and families from the Old Town? Much lip-service is given to the importance of Edinburgh being a LIVABLE city but prioritising tourist and students needs over more permanent residents cannot be sustainable.

 Over the last 10 years we have seen the Old Town streets turned from a mix of housing , quality shops, independent traders and businesses to tartan tat, tourist accommodation, sandwich shops and cafes through sloppy planning and uncontrolled 'economic developmet' (as long as the rent goes up it good!) Now the residential sector in the Old Town is headed in the same direction.

Whilst Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government celebrate the development of more council housing for Edinburgh, no support is given to even general housing in the City Centre.

Last week also saw the submission of a revised planning application for the Fire Site on Cowgate. Out with the Allan Murray designs for SOCO and in with a new plan, although it doesn't seem to have improved much. Here is an opportunity to create some good city centre housing for rent through the council or one of the housing associations in line with the council's original development brief for the site, rather than revised plan for another massive hotel.

The application is now live and you can submit your comments and look at the plans in more detail here

Canongate Venture Opens....but for how long?

At last we finally saw some enlightened thinking from the Council with respect to the use of Canongate Venture this summer. After years of enforced vacancy the building was let to a London based group for an Art exhibition during The Edinburgh Art Festival 
Tamsyn Challenger's 400 Women exhibition finishes on Sunday 4th Sept so if you haven't had a chance to visit during the fringe, you still have a few days left.

In addition to the thought provoking work displayed a visit to the exhibition also provides an opportunity to visit this important but neglected listed building and consider what other uses could be provided for in the community. Although the playground has been cleaned and locked (pedestrian gate open from 11am -7pm during exhibition) and all guerrilla gardening removed the curators have chosen to leave the internal condition as they found it showing the damage caused by neglect and enforced vacancy over the last few years.

Recent research on the cultural heritage of this local school has found that it played a key role in the development of public education policy in the UK. The poverty and poor health of the children attending in the early 1900s prompted investigations by a Commission which led directly to the Education Act of 1908 called “the Childrens’ Charter”.

In 1918 it was visited by Abdul Baha, the son of the founder of the Baha’i faith who was impressed with the dedication of the teachers.

Many local groups have already shown an interest in using or supporting the reuse of the building for cultural and community uses, including Edinburgh Old Town Development Trust, Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre, Remade Edinburgh, SOOT Edinburgh Cockburn Association Old Town Community Council 

Lets hope the Council are finally considering responding to demands for the reuse of this building expressed most recently during the consultation by the Council on the Southern Arc Development Framework which looks at the wider area around the Old Town and how to improve the environment for the whole community. 

During the last charette of this consultation suggestions for temporary projects included the use of empty buildings and the gapsite for festival fringe venues, events and markets, artisan workspaces, art projects, graffiti walls and garden festivals.

To date no decision has been taken regarding these but the opportunity now exists to express support for the retention of this community asset. 

What would YOU like to see happen at New Street - the revival of Caltongate for a new developer or the retention of Canongate Venture for community use and a range of temporary uses for the gapsite whilst a more appropriate new development can be agreed? Please leave comments and suggestions below.

Caltongate is back!

Bad news today that Caltongate is back on the cards.

Todays article in the Evening News clearly contradicts the committment made by Edinburgh Council who last year agreed at their Economic Development Committee to withdraw all assets from the Caltongate deal as

"The PDS (Physical Development Support) team will now attempt a new regeneration
approach which will see two new mixed use buildings at the corners of
Cranston Street and East Market Street as well as the revitalisation of Market
Street arches. The former Caltongate School, which is listed, would not be
demolished."

The Caltongate scheme and the associated land sales by the council have been widely critisised since its inception by community, heritage and architectural groups as unsympathetic, unsustainable and illegal! Following the report last year that an alternative approach would be undertaken, some believed that a more mature and transparant debate could be had on the future development of the Gapsite and the renewed use of empty buildings. 

Unfortunately it looks like despite the recognition that the recession is a direct result of the bursting of an unsustainable property bubble, CEC's Economic Development department are continuing with 'business as usual' so now are busy working a deal up to accommodate whichever developer the Administrators choose. It seems any alternative schemes and proposals will be overlooked as CEC Planners are too scared to chance discussion on further planning applications or support the community's calls for retaining and reusing public assets.

Women of the Old Town

Rethinking the City

Over the weekend SOOT participated in the Rethinking the City event held at Riddle's Court. 

This event kicked off on Friday evening with Alberto Magnaghi from Florence talking on the Urban Bioregion as part of the Edinburgh Lecture series. The weekend organised by FORCE (Friends of Riddle's Court Edinburgh) sought to bring people together to confront issues of the day, in the same spirt as the Patrick Geddes summer schools of the 1890's and was driven by local examples of action within the city and included presentations, talks, walks and discussion.

 On Saturday evening many returned to enjoy the Ceilidh.

In addition to the local groups involved, the mix of guest speakers (who come from very different backgrounds including land reform, accountancy, philosophy and biology) also contributed and provided greater understanding of many of the wider issues involved. The talks from Andy Wightman, Jan Bebbington, Mike Small and Dr Keith Skene were inspirational and encouraged great discussion throughout the weekend.

Unfortunately our elected representatives and senior council officials, who could also have learned alot from the lively debates and perhaps even gained some understanding of the issues of concern to the communities they seek to serve, did not attend!

PRISCILLA ELIZABETH HEATON- ARMSTRONG

Died peacefully, on Wednesday, 8th September, 2010,

at St Columba’s Hospice, Edinburgh

Prisccilla (Pru, Cilla) was known and loved by many in the Old Town community. As a member of the Old Town Community Council, Treasurer of SOOT and a Director of the Edinburgh Old Town Development Trust she made a great contribution to the lives of many who work and live in and around the Old Town.

As the guiding light behind the Coinyie House Close Gardens Project she brought residents, officials and heritage groups together to create a lasting example of creative community spirit.

She was a compassionate and loyal friend to many and her warmth, generosity and humour will be greatly missed.

Service to be held at Daldowie Crematorium, East Chapel, Glasgow,

Friday, 17th September, at 1.30pm.

Family flowers only.

Canongate Revisited

The historic Royal Burgh of CANONGATE has been home to many craft and trade guilds, artists, writers musicians and poets over the centuries, none of which felt the need to rename the area.

Caltongate is a name synonymous with bad planning, bully boy developers and corrupt councillors and should be dumped along with the plans which have now been abandoned as no such place exists.

Many still remember the area as a hub of creative activity. Most recently the Old bus depot, now demolished, was the birthplace of the Bongo Club and Out of the Blue, a home to many other arts groups, local traders and community groups. The Canongate Venture which is remembered by some older members in the community as a school (both as a primary and later as a school for building trades), it has also provided affordable workshop space for craft workers and independent businesses for over 30years.

Surely it is now time to open the doors to new tenants and community groups who can contribute to the cultural and creative heritage of the building, answer calls to relet the council flats  on the Canongate and  restore this area as hub of creative activity.

New Masterplan for the Canongate?

Latest news today from The Scotsman indicates the Council have been busy looking for alternative developments for the East Market Street Site.

The latest plans which have not  been revealed to the public or community groups suggest the demolition of the former market building, described as "an eyesore garage" (which forms part of Edinburgh's Common Good assets and generated nearly 80,000 quid as a garage last year according to the Councils recently published Common Good Accounts). This will be replaced with some MORE offices and a small supermarket -another Tescos? despite one now planned for Holyrood Road.

It is disappointing the council are not making greater use of the research which has been undertaken by many local and heritage groups, including the outcomes from the Canongate Project, which demonstrate the need for more affordable, social and family housing for the area and the real need for affordable workspace for start up business and crafts/artists AND space for good local markets and shopping! If a new masterplan is to be drafted for the area it needs to be an open and inclusive process this time!

(and not pushed through proposals by a deluded committee)

 Whilst consent exists for the Mountgrange plans it is clear any rethink by the council of the public land on East Market St will impact on any new developer interested in buying the Hole in the Ground next door. In the meantime lets get the place productive again....fill the housing on the Canongate (even for temporary residencies) and relet the empty units in the Canongate Venture and bring in some income. Why not use the bond for an arts exhibition

The council have a very poor record in creating good architecture and development in the Waverley Valley but now have a chance to make good the promises to the community and demand the administrators cooperate in a temporary art scheme for the site and plans for a truely sustainable development in the Waverley Valley

Caltongate Collapse

Great news announced today

Edinburgh Council have finally seen the light and admitted that they will "draw a line" under the whole Caltongate scheme

The scheme will now be scrapped as Edinburgh Council have pulled their assets from negotiations.

Lets hope the old school and tenement flats on the Royal Mile can now finally be brought back to use and relet to those who need them.

  News from the Guardian, Scotsman, STV and BBC was welcomed today by SOOT