Breaking news

After weeks of grey skies, bitter winds and horizontal sleet, Broughton basked briefly in sunshine on Good Friday. 

The change in weather brought numerous pallid joggers back onto the pavements for the first time since Christmas, and – out of the blue high above West Annandale Street – this unusual red squirrel skiing towards Newhaven.

Many thanks to Minie McIntosh who sent us the photographic evidence at around 6.30pm yesterday evening.

Today, normal service has been resumed with a dusting of snow overnight. 

Scientists at Edinburgh Council's Scientific Services laboratory have found that frozen beef mince supplied to the shared kitchen of Pirniehall and St David's Primary Schools contained between 1 per cent and 5 per cent horsemeat.

The batch which tested positive was withdrawn on 8 March. However, it had already also been supplied to Oxgangs PS, Craigroyston PS, Braidburn PS and Forthview PS and 'It is not possible to confirm whether or not mince from this batch was served to pupils prior to the product recall'.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded £707,705 towards the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh's rebuilding of the Botanic Cottage (Breaking news, 3.9.09; Issues 207, 216).

As you read this, Issue 217 of the Broughton Spurtle is hip-hippety-hopping through the presses like an Easter Bunny through spring fields full of gin traps.

Next month's four pages are packed with news, views and local gossip including, in no particular order: uphill battles and uncomfortable bits, upgrades in the offing and Council satisfaction, deep waters, lord provosts, slow progress and the link between models and Moulinexes.

Reader Neil Jones (@N_G_Jones) tweeted Spurtle last night with the following trenchant observation and accompanying photo.

'At last, a coherent strategy for Transport in Edinburgh.'

From Tuesday next week, Edinburgh residents in shared properties such as tenements will be able to get information and advice from the Council's new Shared Repairs Service (SRS).

Whilst the Council will retain its statutory notice powers and around-the-clock emergency repairs service, the SRS will 'signpost' owners through the maze of:

The following local planning applications, most mentioned by us in previous issues and online updates, have this week been consented. For more detail, follow the links to the Council Planning Portal.

22 York Place

Change of use from office to dwelling house

Ref. 13/00422/FUL

12 Cumberland Street North

Consent has now been granted for development of a vacant site on Beaverhall Road (Breaking news, 6.3.13; Ref. 11/03374/FUL). But it may surprise some to learn that the area has historical significance.

Forget miserable sleet, forget trams. Feast your eyes (and ears) on this Indian Benares Silver Gilt, Enamelled and Jewel Mounted Figure of an Elephant, and the description which follows:

City of Edinburgh Council has apologised for mistakenly distributing inaccurate information about plans for waste management in the West End and New Town.

In an email to residents issued at 5.15pm yesterday, Services for Communities explained that draft proposals for bin locations had been wrongly released in the form of traffic order notices.

In some cases, the proposed method for waste management – wheelie-bins or gull-proof bags – had been misidentified. In fact, work to determine which method would work better where is not complete.