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

Women of The Old Town

Tonight at 7pm the Scottish Storytelling Centre will host the premier of SOOT's community film 

Women of the Old Town

This community documentry will be supported by another community documentry 

Ways of Seeing the Suffragettes

A film made by adult learners from North Edinburgh for Gude Cause last year.

Friday talks and workshops

On fridays as well as visiting the SOOT art Exhibition

there is also the opportunity to find out more about the benefits of creativity in learning

and have a go at some recycled art work.

The SOOT art exhibition will  launch  tomorrow at 2.30pm at Blackfriars Community Rooms,
Coinyie House Close Gardens
(access through gates from South Grays Close or New Skinners Close, off Blackfriars St)
The exhibition will be on during the Old Town Festival  which was launched today at Riddles Court

Our exhibition includes banners  produced by SOOT and Space 44,
junk art/mask stuff,
A study of uses for the New St gapsite- workshop with students from ECA,
Posters created by the community
Photographic studies of people around the Old town,
A display of the Reggio Emillia approach to learning
And a display of the development of theCoinyie House Close gardens where residents have recently completed a major environmentlal improvements project.

People of the Old Town Exhibition - Tuesdays and Fridays 2.30pm - 5.30pmAlso
on Fridays Illustrated talk 2.30pm-3.30pm and puppetmaking for all ages
4pm-5.30pm -ALL at Blackfriars Community Rooms, Coinyie House Close
Gardens (behind St Ann's school, Cowgate)
Women of the Old Town film screening 7pm Monday 21st at 7pm at S...cottish Storytelling Centre, High St (Royal Mile)

The Caltongate Jig

The Scotsman have revealed that a deal is being negotiated between Edinburgh Council and Mountgrange's administrators Deloitte, with Allied London over the redevelopment of the Caltongate scheme.

The good news is Allied London are said be considering how to amend the plans to avoid the demolition of 2 Listed buildings and McRae tenements as they do not see the provision of a 5 star hotel as being integral to the redevelopment. However, it does not appear that much consideration has been given to the sale and demolition of the public buildings and Common Good Land on East Market Street which is now under investigation by the European Commission. 

The prospective new developers have indicated they would rather see the development more focused on 'government and commercial' uses (this sounds like offices,cafes and supermarkets). Still no talk of providing the much needed family homes then?

The residential character of Edinburgh's Old and New Towns is a fundamental characteristic of the place and something valued by visitors and citizens alike yet little is being done to ensure we continue to have a mix of residential properties in the City Centre. Throughout the planning process for the Caltongate development the urgent need for affordable and family housing was raised and ignored. More recently, during the consultation on the redevelopment brief for Argyle House and King Stables Road, the local community again raised the need for more affordable family housing and development to support the existing residential needs in the area, yet the focus still appears to be on commercial development and temporary accommodation (for students or visitors).

When is CEC Economic Development going to wake up to the changes happening elsewhere.
Many other councils have now recognised the value of communities developing public assets. Why sell them off in the hope that a sweet deal will encourage a speculative private development to start when the assets can meet an identified community needs simply by renting or transferring management of them to housing associations, community trusts and other third sector organisations?
Is it not about time Edinburgh caught up and started taking a more enlightened approach to economic development and allowed more resilient redevelopment plans to be considered.