Breaking news

Colin Smith – an independent consultant surveyor attached to the Council in order to liaise with contractors and push through Edinburgh's tramworks  – addressed the New Town and Broughton Community Council last night.

At a keenly attended meeting, he began by saying that progress had improved enormously since the dark days of January 2011. This had been achieved despite the constraints of a contract whose like he had not seen before in 30 years' professional experience.

Patrick Hutton, New Town and Broughton Community Council's outspoken Transport Convener, has been scathing in recent weeks about the state of the tramworks.

He says the simultaneous shutting of the Mound and Broughton Street smacks of bad planning, describing it as a 'pain in the posterior' and proof that 'the spirit of tie lives on'.

He disapproves of the diversion via East London St, through the chicanes outside St Mary's Primary, then Annandale St and Leith Walk in language we tremble to reproduce in full.

Two of Edinburgh's oldest and best known community news providers have won major funding from the UK innovation foundation Nesta to develop a news and loyalty-card phone application for the capital.

Environmental charity Greener Leith and the Broughton Spurtle – based in adjacent and partly overlapping parts of north/central Edinburgh –  teamed up with Edinburgh technology company Tigatag to propose a 'Local Edge' phone app. 

Mention the number 208 to most people, and chances are they will immediately think of the 3rd-century leap year in which King Vologases VI succeeded to the throne of Parthia.

Not here in Edinburgh, however, where readers the length and breadth of a former medieval barony are eagerly anticipating the arrival of their July Spurtle.

We can confirm that it is being printed at this very moment and will appear on local streets within hours.

Gullane-based PM Partnership proposes converting a Category A-listed townhouse at 18 Great King Street from office use to form 2 residential units, and to build a new 2-bedroom mews house to the rear on SE Cumberland Street Lane (Refs 12/01954/LBC; 12/01955/FUL).

Being sophisticated metropolitan types, Broughton's citizens are hardly likely to believe crop circles are the work of dancing fairy folk or visiting alien intelligences.

However, locals are short of alternative explanations for a series of mysterious designs which have appeared in the Rodney Street Tunnel between King George V Park and the Broughton Road branch of Tesco.

First noticed at the beginning of last week, 8 extraordinary symbols have been laid out using white gravel against the red hardcore to one side of the footpath/cycleway.

The Royal Scots Club at 30 Abercromby Place has been granted permission – finally –  to install 6 Vodafone/02 antennae within 4 replacement GRP pretend chimney pots, with all associated equipment contained inside an internal cupboard and ancillary development (Ref. 12/01410/FUL).

The southern end of Broughton Street and the western entry into Picardy Place will close to traffic for 4 weeks from Saturday 16 June.

Two-way traffic will be introduced around Picardy Place. Just to be clear, there will also be no access to Broughton Street for vehicles  wishing to turn left from York Place. Pedestrian crossings in the area may move but will remain functioning.

A replacement footbridge crossing the Water of Leith at Bell Place was lowered into position by crane this morning, prompting sighs of satisfaction (and relief) from engineers as it made an inch-perfect touchdown.

Flood defence contractors Lagan had earlier joked with locals about  preferring to install the structure at night in case it didn't fit first time.

The elegantly cambered bridge was manufactured in Carrickfergus by steel fabrication specialists Woodburn Engineering.

Some people are shocked at first, even repelled, by Norrie Harman’s no-holds-barred vision of real life in Way Out West, showing this month in the Union Gallery.