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Does Leith Links really need more hotel rooms, and why are local hotels doubling in size?

Planning matters

Below is a brief summary of an issue that is of serious concern in our area. You can click through to read the article in full, and please feed back any views and comments that you may have, either via the Comments facility below, or via contact@leithlinkscc.org.uk

Does Leith Links really need more hotel rooms, and why are local hotels doubling in size?

A particular issue is arising repeatedly these days – that is, hotels around Leith Links are applying for – and usually getting – permission to double their capacity.

The Council has announced a ‘Housing Emergency’. But no recent planning applications in our area have been for actual homes. Most of the recent planning proposals concern changes to existing buildings especially those used as hotels/guest houses/HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation).

This is significantly changing the ‘mix’ of population in the area. A series of applications have come forward for hotel/guest house premises around Leith Links to greatly expand their capacity – potentially doubling in capacity – through extensions to the premises. The References section in the full article highlights Street, Links Gardens and Johns Place

So – is it just being ‘NIMBY’ for locals to object? After all, Edinburgh is a tourist city, and Leith is a great place, so Leith should welcome more visitors to spend money in the local bars and restaurants, right?

But looking closer, these are not proposals driven by tourist demand/money. The local hotels and guest houses seeking expansion in recent years are operating in the City of Edinburgh Council’s created market of supplying so-called ‘bed and breakfast’ or temporary accommodation for homeless people.

We need homes, not ‘hotel’ rooms
Edinburgh does indeed face serious challenges of supply and affordability of housing. But as demand increases, the only things that seem to be increasing in supply are purpose-built student accommodation and hotels of various kinds. Our city needs homes, not hotel rooms. In February, the Council said that of the c.5,000 homeless households, 1,203 households were being put up in bed and breakfast accommodation (usually unsatisfactory, especially for families) across the city. But at the same time, it also had more than1,500 Council-owned properties sitting empty – so-called ‘voids’ – needing repairs to bring them back into use. So, properties owned by the Council are empty, whilst the Council is paying literally millions of pounds to owners of bed and breakfasts/hotels. Is this good housing management – to own empty properties but pay for hotel rooms?

The average cost of providing temporary accommodation was £12,416 per annum per household which if multiplied by 4920 households is £61m per annum. Proprieters who specialise in providing accommodation to the Council can earn at least £12k per annum per room in one of their guest houses for someone who might, on average, stay 2 years. Mostly the accommodation has not even been vetted nor evaluated for value for money, as Councillors regularly approve ‘waivers’ from the obligation to put out to competitive tender. The ‘hotel’ proprietors are laughing all the way to the bank.

A bad situation
This situation is bad for the people being housed by the Council in unsatisfactory temporary accommodation for far too long. It’s bad for everyone who needs help with housing, especially social housing, as too many properties in this city lie empty and too much money is being spent on hotels and unsatisfactory accommodation. It’s bad for council tax payers who would prefer to see £61m per annum spent much more effectively. And it’s bad for the Leith Links area, where we are seeing a slow but steady creep of expanding hotels and guest houses – including some that take formerly residential premises that are entirely aimed at providing accommodation for homeless people, that may be poor quality for unfortunate resident, but highly profitable for the proprietor….

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Click here to download the full article (pdf)

 

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Call for urgent action – local building at risk of collapse

Responding to local residents’ concerns about their safety, the Chair of Leith Links Community Council (LLCC) has called on City of Edinburgh Council urgently to use its extensive powers to protect the public by requiring the owner of a building at risk of collapse in John’s Lane to make it safe and repair it.

22 John’s Lane is a listed Georgian warehouse which has been neglected for many years. It has been on the Historic Environment Scotland ‘Buildings at Risk Register’ since 1991, though pictures there show it had a roof at that time which is now long gone. See  22, John’s Lane, Leith | Buildings at Risk Register

The outer wall facing John’s Lane is now leaning dangerously and at over 3 storeys high, with obviously eroded mortar, a high wind could cause a collapse. Any falling masonry could cause damage or injury to passers by in this narrow lane, off Queen Charlotte Street. In addition to providing rear access to a number of homes and businesses, John’s Lane is used by a local garage business and their customers.

Clearly the owner of the building is responsible, but the Council has strong powers to act to prevent any accidents from the obvious neglect of this structure. It can issue a Dangerous Building Notice which is used by Local Authorities to protect the public when it appears that the building owner has failed to prevent the building from falling into a dangerous condition. The notice is served to require a building owner to reduce or remove the danger posed by a building.

A Dangerous Building Notice requires the owner “to make safe or demolish a building that poses a threat to public safety. Repair Notices can be served on both listed and unlisted properties, and specify those works considered reasonable and necessary for the preservation of a building, along with a timescale within which these works should be completed. Failure to comply within the specified deadline may result in works being undertaken by the local planning authority, and a charge being made to the owner(s).

The Council can also issue an Urgent Works Notice on vacant listed properties, to allow the local planning authority to undertake emergency works such as the erection of supportive scaffolding or temporary roof structures.

Leith Links Community Council reports acute concern

LLCC Chair, Jim Scanlon, said ‘I feel this is a very urgent issue because of the risks to life that the condition of the building currently represents.’

You can read the full letter sent by the LLCC Chair to the Council here [link]

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If you are concerned about a dangerous structure and don’t know who owns it, you can contact the City of Edinburgh Council Shared Repairs Service who have the responsibility for this type of issue.  Further information can be found here Unsafe buildings and emergency repairs – The City of Edinburgh Council
The email address is esrs@edinburgh.gov.uk. ‘

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Student Accommodation in Manderston Street Bingo Hall?

This is not technically in the Leith Links Community Council area, but it sits right on the boundary.

Developers are proposing to redevelop the old Bingo Hall in Manderston Street into purpose built student accommodation. (The current Bingo operators Club 3000, will move to new premises in Ocean Terminal, summer 2024.)

The building is not a historical listed building, but it is part of the Leith Conservation Area, and is an iconic building and local public institution.

Is student accommodation what we need in this location? If not, what does the Leith community need / want to see there?

Please go along to the public exhibition this Wednesday 17th January, between 4pm and 7:30pm to hear and see what the developers are proposing. And please make your views known to them, at this early stage, before they actually put in a formal planning application. This is what they have to say:

Former Leith bingo hall to be redeveloped – Public Consultation Event – Wednesday 17th January, at McDonald Road Library

Developer Longstone Limited has unveiled plans to conserve and redevelop the existing bingo hall on Manderston Steet into new student homes. This is in response to a local desire to preserve the building, located in the Leith Conservation Area, and address a chronic undersupply of student accommodation in the capital.  

The existing building is in poor condition and is extremely energy inefficient. 

The conservation and retention of the property does restrict its uses and following the building’s inclusion in the Leith Conservation Area, the potential to use the site for housing was explored.

However, the building is not well-suited to a residential conversion and a viable scheme would fail to comply with many of the Council’s planning policies for new housing (for example, dual aspect dwellings and minimum open space requirements). If housing were to be delivered, it would require the demolition of the building.

The proposed use as student homes allows for the creation of a high-quality development that complies with the Council’s student housing policies, while also retaining and enhancing the elements of the building that contribute to the surrounding Conservation Area.

The use of the space for student homes, will also serve to free up residential properties that otherwise would have been used by students, whose numbers in Edinburgh’s universities have grown by over 25% between 2016/17 and 2021/22 (Cushman & Wakefield Student Needs Assessment, July 2023).

While a public consultation event is not a statutory requirement, a newsletter promoting this has been circulated locally and can be accessed here. This consultation event will take place on Wednesday 17th January 2024 between 4:00pm and 7:30pm in McDonald Road Library, 2-8 McDonald Road, Edinburgh EH7 4LU. 

Exhibition boards detailing the project will be available at the event, as well as from the project website (www.manderston-street.co.uk) on the day of the event. 

Orbit Communications

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Some previews of their plans are available elsewhere:

https://www.urbanrealm.com/news/10814/Historic_Leith_bingo_hall_to_declare_a_full_house_.html

https://www.scottishconstructionnow.com/articles/student-accommodation-planned-at-former-leith-bingo-

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Joy to the World

Seasons Greetings

If you were writing a new Christmas Panto script and you were looking for an idea, then Leith’s Christmas tree could be it.

Our sad tale begins in Leith with tram works and a modern-day plague.

Constitution Street and Leith Walk ripped up, and then Covid strikes.

The Christmas Tree that was installed and stood proudly in the Kirkgate for many, many years had to find a temporary home, and after little or no consultation a decision was taken by council officers to place a tree in Taylor Gardens instead, with 6 lights (4 working) added to lamp standards.

It’s a nice enough tree, but really not the true location where  Leithers would expect it to be, and that is something council officials don’t grasp in their decision making process.

It was supposed to be a temporary move, not permanent, but although it may tick boxes with council officers they miss the point of how the community view things.

When I first asked our elected councillors why the tree hadn’t returned to the Kirkgate, Councillor Faccenda kindly wrote to council officers and received a reply with reasons why it couldn’t go back to the Kirkgate. But all of those ‘problems’ really could have been worked out, had there been a willingness from council public servants.

“Unfortunately due to the installation of the Tram lines we are now unable to provide any festive Lighting on Leith Walk which involves working at height. The installation on a cut Christmas Tree involves using a telehandler to lift the tree into position and then a cherry picker later to install the lights”

Where there’s a will there’s always a way of achieving the impossible?

Someone in the council also had the idea to plant a fir tree in Taylor Gardens which could become the Leith Christmas tree of the future.

 

 

In reply to Councillor Faccenda the council said about this tree (- and please don’t laugh but I suppose it’s panto time. It’s behind you!)

The decision to move the Kirkgate Christmas Tree along the road to Taylor Park has enabled us to plant a tree which will hopefully be ready for dressing with lights within the next 5 years or so. We will continue to provide an 8m cut tree here until the planted tree is ready.

Now as I’m of a certain age and don’t have a life, I’m drawn to TV programmes like Gardeners’ World and Landward, and having done a few Christmas Quizzes I can confidently say that planted tree will not be ready in ‘less than 5 years’

Quiz answer is 15 years before an average Christmas tree is ready.

So why do council officers put nonsense in emails and expect us to accept what they say without challenging them? I suppose their get-out clause legally was ‘or so‘.

They apparently know even less about trees than me and it comes across that they really don’t care,and possibly haven’t been down to Leith to have a look because they call it Park not Gardens.

They reply in a confident ‘I know what I’m talking about because I’m a council officer’ manner then they don’t expect to be called out for nonsense speak, they expect the community to just say ok,move on.

However they miss the point that it’s not just about location of a tree on a spreadsheet.

They don’t take into account how people who live in the area view it, and have shared memories of good and bad times

The historic heart of Leith for a tree has, for as long as I can remember, been the Kirkgate beside Queen Victoria’s statue. If you take a walk down there today it looks drab and uncared for, and especially at this time of year it could do with some cheer.

We keep getting told that Leith is hip and has a vibrant community and is a top 10 destination as a place to visit and stay.

You wouldn’t think that if, as a tourist, you arrived at the Foot of the Walk by tram to an area that Christmas seemed to have by-passed all because of council bureaucracy which prior to lockdown had never been an issue.

But if you get it right, people will keep coming back, and spend money in our community, and tell their friends what a great place it is with friendly and helpful locals.

It doesn’t have to be over the top flashy lights.

It just has to be welcoming, which is supposedly what we in Leith are good at.

I would like the community to support me in bringing the tree back to the Kirkgate in 2024 and hopefully with help from local businesses in the Kirkgate, to brighten the place up.

Take a trip out to Davidson Mains Street or the front at South Queensferry and you will see what some communities and businesses can achieve at this time of year.

Let me know what you think, and more importantly hit the email inboxes of your elected Leith Councillors, MP and MSP

Don’t moan, just drop them a quick email: BRING BACK THE CHRISTMAS TREE TO THE KIRKGATE

Yes, I know life is hellish at the moment for many, many people, and you can’t eat Christmas trees, but let’s give it a go for our own pride and self-respect returning.

Thanks, and have a peaceful and enjoyable festive holiday.

Jim Scanlon MBE

Chair, Leith Links Community Council

 

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Community Council Scheme and Boundary Review 2023

Overview

Community Councils are voluntary organisations set up by statute by the Local Authority to act on behalf of their areas. They are involved in a range of activities which promote and protect the well-being and identity of their communities; and help bring local people together to make things happen. They advise, petition, influence and advocate numerous causes and cases of concern on behalf of local communities.

Edinburgh currently has 46 community council areas. All local authorities must provide a Scheme for Community Councils, which outlines their governance arrangements, which also includes details on boundaries for Community Council areas. The last review of the scheme was carried out in 2019.

As the city’s population increases, the scheme needs to be reviewed to make sure that our Community Councils are the right size to fairly represent our new and growing neighbourhoods.

Why your views matter

The council has a statutory requirement to consult with affected stakeholders as part of the review. There are three phases to the consultation process. This is the first phase, where City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) wants to hear your views on community councils and any suggestions on how we can improve the scheme and boundary areas.

Phase 2 will then ask for views on any proposed changes to the scheme and boundaries. These proposals will be based on the initial feedback received during Phase 1. Phase 3 will give you the opportunity to make any last comments before the final scheme is adopted.

You can find more information on Community Councils in the related section below. You can also download the current scheme for Community Councils and access a map tool where you can see the boundaries for community councils.

Give us your views

Online Survey

 

Next meeting Leith Links Community Council, Monday 30 October, 6:30pm, online (Teams)

The next meeting of the Leith Links Community Council will be held on Monday 30 October at 6:30pm. This meeting will be online (MicroSoft Teams).

Agenda for meeting, 30 October 23
Previous Minutes (September 2023)

Miles Wilkinson from City of Edinburgh Council will attend to provide an update on the Low Traffic Neighbourhood, and to answer questions, and take feedback. Otherwise the Agenda covers the usual range of topics from Planning Applications to Bin hub locations etc.

Interested members of the local community are welcome to attend this meeting, and to raise any points of concern. Please email contact@leithlinkscc.org.uk to request, and you will be sent the link.

 

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Dalton Metal Recycling ,52-66 Salamander Street planning application

As you are aware, Dalton Metal Recycling is seeking to redevelop its scrapyard site at 52-66 Salamander Street for a proposed mixed-use development, comprising purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), residential (build-to-rent), retail/commercial space and associated works.

The site has been operated as a metal scrapyard for over 30 years. During this period much of the surrounding land has been transformed from industrial to residential, with recently constructed residential properties now encircling the site.

Dalton is now seeking to have the site redeveloped as a mixed-use development. This will provide high-quality living accommodation including PBSA and residential (build-to-rent), as well as retail/commercial space, serving to compliment neighbouring residential-led developments.

A second public consultation event outlining these proposals will be held on Wednesday 18th October 2023 from 3pm to 7pm at Leith Library, 28-30 Ferry Road EH6 4AE.

This follows an initial consultation event held on Wednesday 20th September, and will aim to update the initial proposals and incorporate relevant feedback from the first event.

A flyer promoting this event is attached, and please feel free to circulate it as you see fit. This is in the process of being distributed in the local area neighbouring the site.

A project website can be viewed at www.daltonregen.co.uk.

Consultation material, detailing the proposed development, will be available to view on the website from 9am on Wednesday 18th October.

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Next Leith Links Community Council meeting, Monday 25 September, 6:30pm,online only (Teams)

The next meeting of the Leith Links Community Council will be held on Monday 25 September at 6:30pm. This meeting will be online (MicroSoft Teams).

Agenda for meeting
Previous Minutes (August 2023)

The meeting will be held jointly with Leith Harbour and Newhaven Community Council and the main business of the evening will be a presentation from Orbit Communications, Scott Hobbs Planning and 56three Architects about the proposed redevelopment of Daltons Scrapyard ((52/66 Salamander Street, EH6 7LA) into a ‘mixed use development comprising purpose built student accommodation, residential (build to rent), retail/commercial space and associated works’

This is part of the preliminary consultation that developers are obliged to hold prior to lodging an actual Planning Application. (The Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) was lodged on 7th August and there is a 12 week minimum consultation period following that, so we can expect to see the full application around October.)

Members of the local community are welcome to attend this meeting, so please email contact@leithlinkscc.org.uk to request, and you will be sent the link.

Meanwhile, if you want a preview of Dalton’s planning proposals, you can inspect these at www.daltonregen.co.uk

 

Leith Links Community Council, Monday 25 September, 6:30pm, online – re Daltons Scrapyard plans

The next meeting of the Leith Links Community Council will be held on Monday 25 September at 6:30pm. This meeting will be online (MicroSoft Teams).

The meeting will be held jointly with Leith Harbour and Newhaven Community Council and the main business of the evening will be a presentation from Orbit Communications, Scott Hobbs Planning and 56three Architects about the proposed redevelopment of Daltons Scrapyard ((52/66 Salamander Street, EH6 7LA) into a ‘mixed use development comprising purpose built student accommodation, residential (build to rent), retail/commercial space and associated works’

This is part of the preliminary consultation that developers are obliged to hold prior to lodging an actual Planning Application. (The Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) was lodged on 7th August and there is a 12 week minimum consultation period following that, so we can expect to see the full application around October.)

Members of the local community are welcome to attend this meeting, so please email contact@leithlinkscc.org.uk to request, and you will be sent the link nearer the time.

In the meantime, you can also attend a public display presented by Scott Hobbs Planning

at Leith Library, 28-30 Ferry Rd., Edinburgh EH6 4AE

20th September 2023 (15:00 – 19:00)
and/ or
18th October 2023(15:00-19:00) 

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Death of Her Majesty the Queen: Disruption in city centre

Good morning,

Buckingham Palace announced the death of Her Majesty The Queen yesterday. A range of ceremonial events are planned to take place in Edinburgh and the Royal Household will confirm plans for events in the coming days.

We’re working with The Scottish Government and Police Scotland on plans to accommodate large crowds of visitors to the city who wish to pay their respects and attend the events.

We expect significant disruption in the city centre, and we want to advise you, and the residents and businesses in the Old Town, about road closures and changes to some services that may impact you, and your stakeholders, and access for deliveries to businesses and homes in the area.

Some of the services that will be affected include changes to parking, public transport, bin collections, some city centre school closures and diversions. Please visit our website to find out which services are impacted and how this will impact you and your stakeholders. We will keep it updated with the latest information as it becomes available. Please check it regularly for updates.

City of Edinburgh Council

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