An item of "Breaking News". Will appear on the Breaking News page and the front page.
LOVELY LEITH STREET CLOSURE COMING SOON
Developers, contractors, investors and City of Edinburgh Council are combining to win hearts and minds in advance of the 10-month Leith Street closure, starting on 2 September.
Their relentlessly upbeat brochure is now doing the rounds, which you can find attached at the foot of the page. It has been produced by touchy-feely Together for Edinburgh, ‘working in partnership for a better Edinburgh’.
TIME TO RESIST GIGANTIC GYRATORY
Plans for the future road layout of Picardy Place are at long last emerging into the light.
Unfortunately, what we now see is something very like the gigantic gyratory so many people have dreaded for so long.
The plans have been drawn up by consultants working for the developers, and although the Council has been involved there’s been no conversation with the public until last month.
Stone Acre Gayfield Square Ltd seeks planning permission to demolish the former garage, workshop and gallery spaces at the north-west corner of Gayfield Square and build residential apartments in their place (Ref. 17/03392/FUL; 17/03393/CON).
The new block would consist of 11 flats: two studios, one 1-bedroom, six 2-bedroom, two 3-bedroom.
It’s all go on Dunedin Street.
No sooner has Alien Bloc opened its doors to the bouldering brave (Issue 265, p.3) than in a separate development, Signature Pubs Ltd seeks to erect an extra flue through the wall of their ‘workshop building’ at Nos 8–10 to facilitate the operation of a new micro-brewery (Ref. 17/03586/FUL).
Over 30 people gathered outside Drummond Community High School this afternoon to protest against the Fringe presence inside of the Shalom Festival.
Organised by the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the demonstrators stood for 4 hours outside the school gate to make their points concerning what they regard as Israel’s unjust policy towards Palestinians.
They say the Shalom Festival glosses over injustice at home, and whilst celebrating Israel’s peaceful cultural diversity does not have much (if anything) to say about Palestinians’ experience.
NEW GALLERY IN FINE FORM
Since the Union Gallery left Broughton Street, locals have had to look elsewhere for contemporary Scottish art close at hand.
A new addition to the choice of nearby venues has been the Lennon Gallery on Hamilton Place, which opened in February.
Normally, it is a showcase for the multifarious output of its owner Alan Lennon who sculpts, paints and produces photomontages.
COUNCIL SAYS WORK HAS NOT BEGUN ON SANDY HILL
A Council official from the Enforcement Team today announced that recent removal of earth from the Sandy Hill development site does not represent a breach of planning control.
Writing to Leith Walk Councillor Lewis Ritchie, the official said that following a site visit yesterday, he accepted the contractor’s explanation that excavations were necessary to ‘provide a stable platform for plant and machinery’.
Spokes, the Lothian Cycle campaign, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and is in optimistic mood.
In its summer Bulletin (No. 128) it hails the recent local-authority election result since the SNP, Labour and Greens are committed to dedicating 10% of the city’s transport revenue and capital budget to cycling. Matched funding comes from Sustrans.
August is not one of the wetter Edinburgh months. It just feels like it. Somehow the 50mm of rain which water us during the Festival are moister, plumper, and more drenching than the 70-80mm that drop on us from a great height in October through January.
So, no folding your Issue 265 into a novelty sou’wester tomorrow. You’re stuck with news – 4 pages of it, good, bad and intriguing but all of it exclusively about Broughton. And the bits just beyond. And some other stuff.
GOOD TIMES ROLL ON WAVERLEY MARKET
Galashiels-based Keasim Ltd have applied for planning permission to create a ‘Festival Village’ on the vacant, 0.4 hectare roof terrace above Waverley Mall (Ref. 17/03159/FUL).