Planning

In an unprecedented and scathing second objection, Leith Central Community Council has written to all elected members on the Development Management Sub-Cmte in advance of tomorrow’s meeting.

On Thursday this week (26 Jan), councillors on the Finance & Resources Cmte will consider selling off Council-owned land in Eyre Place.

The 552 m² site currently serves as garden space but was, until some point in the late 1980s, a tenement.

Before that, the area had been built on since at least 1804, when John Ainslie's 'Old and New Town of Edinburgh and Leith with the Proposed Docks' was published.

COUNCILLORS TO DETERMINE APPLICATION NEXT WEEK

At the next meeting of the Development Management Sub-Committee on 11 January, councillors will consider CA Eyre Place’s application to build student housing at 72–4 Eyre Place (22/03834/FUL).

The Royal High School Preservation Trust’s revised proposals to form new premises for St Mary’s Music School at the old Royal High School on Regent Rd were approved today (22/02449/FUL).

The plans entail demolition of later ancillary buildings, new residential and practice facilities, a landscaped public garden, and a new basement under the Main Hall for foyer and associated works.

This temporary barrier is now semi-permanent at the St James Quarter's Little King St entrance/exit. It's to stop pedestrians accidentally walking into traffic.

And yet there's not a sleeping policeman in view, and no obvious speed warnings for drivers.

It all seems a bit one-sided given that the overwhelming majority passing through this area do so on foot.

On Wednesday next week, the Development Management Sub-Committee will consider Nuveen’s application to erect temporary structures for ‘a defined period each year’ in St James Square (22/02035/FUL).

City of Edinburgh Council seeks Sustrans Places for Everyone (PfE) funding to improve the junction of Broughton Road, McDonald Road, St Mark’s Path, and the entry to the forthcoming Powderhall development for all users.

The Cockburn Association, Edinburgh’s oldest heritage watchdog, has launched a Manifesto for the City in advance of next month’s Local Government Elections. You can read it in full HERE.

The 4-page document stresses a need to rebuild trust between citizens and elected representatives.

It calls for:

Spot of bother for the St James Quarter

Is the St James Quarter starting to rust?

Rather surprisingly, the answer may be yes. At least parts of it, if one local’s misgivings prove correct.

Antony Jack lives close to the Quarter’s St James Square, and has been a long-suffering observer of its progress over the years.

In recent weeks, since colder weather has set in, Jack has noticed the appearance of these reddish-brown spots on the steps of the Grand Stair.

Officials have recommended that the application to install temporary seating outside the Category A-listed 23 Elm Row be refused (21/05858/FUL). Councillors on the Development Management Subcommittee are due to consider the case on 2 March.

The applicant proposes a timber-decked outdoor seating area outside the Joseph Pearce bar and restaurant, with a pergola type structure for coverage.