Update on the Milton Road East gas replacement works  from SGN as follows:

“Works on the pipe replacement within this area continue to progress well. Our new main within Brunstane Road South has been laid and will be connected into our network later this week.  Works to construct our over ground bypass are still ongoing and once complete will allow efforts to focus on the removal of our existing pipework.

Due to the ‘as found’ location of our existing pipe along the bridge deck it has become necessary to close the south footway running from east to west. The nearest safe crossing point heading over the Milton Link will be from the north footpath. Pedestrians will be directed towards the pedestrian crossing point outside the hotel. This will be in place starting Saturday 4 February and could be in place for up to 10 days.

As things currently stand and if works continue to progress at the same rate we expect Milton Road East to open earlier than expected. We will notify you of this date as soon as we are in a position to do so.”

I am grateful that SGN responded to a request form a Gilberstoun resident and put up more signage to make extra sure people know Brunstane Road South is closed and people need to use Brunstane Drive.  Good to see the work progressing!

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A number of interesting reports on the Council’s Transport and Environment Committee last week 17 January Available in full here: http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/4104/transport_and_environment_committee  Item 7.2 deals with investments in roads and footways mainly.  In addition to what is currently in the programme, local roads to get fixed are Craigmillar Castle Avenue, Westbank Street, Niddrie Mains Road, Duddingston Crescent. Harewood Drive and Hay Avenue.  The footways investment includes Milton Crescent and Milton Gardens South, Magdalene Gardens  and Avenue Craigmillar Castle Gardens and James Street.  More detail in Appendix 5.  £50,000 is coming to localities for decision making by Neighbourhood Partnership priorities.  Sums are also set aside for decisions about installing dropped kerbs, drainage repairs to failed gullies and bus stop maintenance.  That will be in addition to the local projects included in the 5 year programme already – like Brighton Place carriageway reconstruction.

Last Saturday, I helped launch a joint partnership initiative by Police Scotland in Edinburgh, Council and Scottish Government. This is what the corex board is all about at Portobello Town Hall and the display in Portobello Library.  The ultimate aim is to help free our city from the Islamophobia which threatens to divide us from each other, forgetting that we have far more in common as human beings sharing the same spaces in our community. You all get to help decide who gets a share of £40,000 by voting in the or Portobello Library or on line. You must vote for five projects (to mitigate against one organisation stacking the vote) and they are all good ideas, and the bids amount to £120,000 (!) so the choices are tough.  But you do get to know what everyone else is doing!  We had a very busy, fun networking event at the Methodist Church Hall in Nicolson Square, just to the north of the Central Mosque and lots of votes were cast and links made between projects and people.  Greta to see a local project Kids in the Street was there too doing great work in and around Craigmillar and the Alwaleed Centre who are highlighting the impact of anti-Muslim hate crime in Scotland through creative animated films.  Lots and lots more to choose your favourite five from though! Online: www.scotland.police.uk/shared-vision-your-decision  and more here: Vote for projects to eradicate Islamophobia – Police Scotland Voting closes on Monday 13 February. 

The Community Alliance Trust in Craigmillar is involved in this great initiative with Firstport.  Funding is available to individuals who live in the Greater Craigmillar area and have an idea for a project that will benefit the people living in their community. You must spend the funding within 4 months of receiving it. They will ask you for receipts and what you have achieved with the funding. Complete the form before Wednesday 1 March 2017. Good Luck!  Link is here:

https://firstport.formstack.com/forms/applyfor500

Every year, our Portobello/Craigmillar Neighbourhood Partnership decides on investment in projects to improve areas of land that are on the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) i.e. upkeep paid for through tenants’ rents.  We have invested in lots of small improvements projects over the years in areas where there is, or used to be, Council housing with the public land to go with it. The year come around again and Soon we’ll be looking at what we already invested in last year and possible new projects for 2017/18.  We have scheduled bus tour on Saturday 25 February.  If you live in one of these areas, built by the Council and have any suggestions of where we should visit, or want to come on the trip, please do let me know.  There is more detail on what we have already achieved in Portobello and Craigmillar through this local group or tenants and residents; just click this link and browse:  http://www.edinburghnp.org.uk/neighbourhood-partnerships/portobello-and-craigmillar/our-sub-groups/pc-area-board/

Portobello Community Council carried out a consultation on how to spend £35,000 the City of Edinburgh the local parks officers have available, the money coming  to the Council as a result of compensation from the Scottish Power pylon works carried out locally.  Respondents were asked to indicate their preference for one of the following: Replacement equipment for Towerbank Playpark (known as the Fishy Park); Additional equipment including an accessible swing for wheelchair users at Straiton Place Park (known as the Pirate Park) or new equipment for an Outdoor Gym on the eastern side of Straiton Place Park. The results are here:  http://www.portobellocc.org/pccpn/2017/01/26/results-of-portobello-playpark-cash-survey/

Streetlights have finally repaired at Duddingston Park and at Brunstane Gardens both of which people reported to me last week and had been out for quite a while.  Are there more that are persistent problems with refuse collection or lighting, in particular?  Do let me know and we’ll find out what the hold-up is and get them fixed ASAP. 

Bridgend Farmhouse run two open drop-in sessions on site every week and their drop-ins start back this weekend, Sunday 6 February and then Wednesday 9 Feb, 11am -3pm.  They are open to all to attend, and include free hot drinks, and homemade soup and bread. Activities this year will include; Pizza Oven and Rocket Stove Building; Raised Bed Building; Gardening; Timber charring and cladding of the workshops; a wildlife garden; and lots more. More details here: http://www.bridgendfarmhouse.org.uk/drop-in-days.html  Also Bridgend Growing Communities, next to the farmhouse, are hosting a potato day on Sunday 26 February from 11am . It’s a great day for buying all sorts of potatoes for your garden or community garden.

Many of our local parks have Fields in Trust status.  Find out how many and which they are by putting in the postcode here:  http://www.fieldsintrust.org/Field_Listing.aspx 

The first Portobello Market of 2017 is this Saturday 4 February 9.30am-1.30pm in Brighton Park. Check out the website http://www.pedal-porty.org.uk/food/portobello-market/traders-for-portobello-market-saturday-5-february-2017/ with a full list of over 20 traders.

The next Tea Dance at the Jack Kane Community Centre is on Monday 13 February. Please contact MC@jackkanecommunity.org or call 0131-657-159 for more details.  More here: http://jackkanecommunity.org/groups/older-peoples-groups/tea-dance/

There is a Craigmillar Community Council with 12 nominees out of a possible 16 who can serve as Individual Members. There can be 8 Registered Local Interest Group nominees over and above that.  As Returning Officer, I have written to those individuals, and another three people who did not meet the 4pm deadline for valid applications. They could be co-opted to serve as well as there is a spare 4 places for individuals to fill, but that is a decision for the new CCC to make. The new individual members are: Nicol Johnstone; Sharon Tomany; Mustafizur Rahman; Eric Carlin; Mark McArthur; Jennifer Glover; John Clark; John Harvey; Norrie Davies; Ishrat Measom; Marlena Lubniewska and James Old.  I look forward to working with them all, and any nominees from Registered Local Interest Groups that might also come forward. 

That’s all for this week.

Best wishes

Maureen