Breaking news

Work to demolish 2 buildings at 47–9 Annandale Street is well under way.

Already, 80 percent of the flooring clearance appears to be complete.

The buildings will be replaced by a 4-storey office block which will serve as the new Bus and Trams HQ with basement parking and access to the adjacent depot (Issue 161).

Locals will have a second chance to see pre-planning application designs for the old Martin & Frost site at 130 McDonald Rd.

Architects will present plans at the start of the next New Town and Broughton Community Council meeting on 12 April (7.15pm, Broughton St Mary's Parish Church, Bellevue Crescent).

Hackland + Dore have drawn up the proposal for Foremost Properties (Scotland) LLP (Issues 169, 172). They envisage a mixed commercial and residential development which Spurtle expects to report on in Issue 181.

The deadline for responses to City of Edinburgh Council's proposed amendments to Traffic Regulation Orders on parking has been shifted to 31 March.

The New Town and Broughton Community Council's interim response can be found in 'Extras' (12.3.10).

The Royal Botanic Garden's East Gate on Inverleith Row, closed since 29 February, is expected to open again on 29 March. There is additional temporary access through the North Gate during the interim. The John Hope Gateway remains open as usual.

The gate has closed during exterior refurbishment of the East Gate Lodge, where improved visitor facilities are being installed.

Spring is nearly here, and some people's fancies are lightly turning to thoughts of pinching things from your back green.

With low-risk, easy-pickings garden crime common throughout Scotland, Lothian and Borders Police today issued simple tips to deter thieves.

The closure of Drummond CHS during the Easter Holiday means a new date and venue for the New Town and Broughton Community Council's next monthly meeting.

It will be held at 7.15pm on Monday 12 April in the Garden Room at Broughton St Mary's Parish Church, Bellevue Crescent. There's good disabled access down the ramp to the right of the building.

The meeting will begin with presentation of pre-planning application designs for 130 McDonald Road.

On 15 March, City of Edinburgh Council will launch a Building Restoration Grant Scheme to meet up to 75–90% of costs incurred in restoring or reinstating traditional architectural features in Leith.

Priority will be given to properties in Constitution, Great Junction, and Bernard Streets, with maximum possible awards of £15,000. The idea is to encourage small to medium-scale improvements to the appearance of features such as doors, windows, railings, slate roofs, and walls, plus shopfronts not covered by a complementary scheme already in existence.

Henderson Global Investment’s £850m redevelopment of the St James Centre appears to be stalling over issues concerning Picardy Place (Issues 176, 178).

However the developers remain upbeat on their new website, claiming that demolition could still begin in 2012, with new shops opening in 2016 and completion of the project in 2017. See: www.stjamesquarter.info.

TIE's partial reopening of Broughton Street to traffic turning left from York Place has been delayed.

Workmen hit an unspecified snag, but expect to have overcome it by 10 March.

Full re-opening of the street is still expected by the end of this month.

Nationally recognised local author Sue Palmer will  talk to local parents on 17 March.