Dear All

The fabulous Thistle Foundation in Craigmillar is holding a Tea Dance and T for Thistle this Wednesday, 10 August at 2pm in the Garden Suite. There’s live music to dance to, home-baking and tea and they will be drawing a raffle with 33 prizes. A strip of 5 tickets costs £1 and you can buy them from Thistle reception any time up until next Wednesday, or on the day. More here: https://www.thistle.org.uk/events

It’s always lovely to come back to work and three weeks of emails – and forget passwords, thereby locking down both I-pad and I-phone within two days. Doh!  Apologies to anyone trying to get through to me by mobile phone or emailing in the evenings.  Now fixed, and my Council life has now returned to whatever passes for ‘normal’.

I’ve caught up with great stuff in my inbox and on social media, not least all the wonderful partnership work, learning and teaching going on at Castlebrae Community High School, reported here: http://www.castlebrae.org.uk/cb/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Newsletter-Summer-2016.pdf  Not long before the new terms starts again. Can’t wait – eh?

Portobello High School are sector leaders too.  Through the AlcoLOLS Project, pupils are learning that they don’t have to drink a lot of alcohol to be popular. Police said there had been a noticeable reduction in teens "getting leathered" in public parks, while the amount of alcohol seized by police officers in the Portobello High School catchment area slumped from 8-12 litres each weekend in 2012 to between just one and three litres in 2014-5. As now widely reported, Queen Margaret University (QMU) specialists in dialogue decided to tackle the ideas that "popular" people drink and that talking about getting drunk was normal or funny, while non-drinkers kept quiet about their abstinence. See the really great Evening News coverage of their ground-breaking partnership work here:  Significant reduction in amount of alcohol seized by police – Edinburgh Evening News

You may be aware that a group of local residents – Save Belfield – have are exploring ways of securing the property was formerly the Old Parish Church and Halls in Bellfield Street a for the use of the whole community and surrounding area. The buildings are now up for sale.  A Community Buy-Out is being actively considered we need your help.  Can you – as an individual or community group – help advise what you used the premises for, how many people attended, how regularly you met and what cost would you consider fair for the hire of the premises.  At this stage, the Save Belfield group are gathering as much information as possible and looking for local support to secure this property for the good of all the people of Portobello.  It is an asset that has been well used in the past and there is a vision to secure it for the locality and expand it for other activities.  E.g. possible museum, arts venue. Contact e mail: friendsofbellfield@gmail.com  More on Website: www.bellfield.scot and Face book page: Save Bellfield. 

Dads Rock run free play groups for Dads and Grand-dads and male carers of kids under five.  The local one is at The Venchie on Saturdays 11-12.30pm.  Poster here: pic.twitter.com/L4Lt7q8ySe  More details on the Dads Rock website at: www.dadsrock.org.uk/playgroups

After a bit of a rocky start, the consultation on Portobello Character Appraisal is now on line properly and will remain there until 31 August to allow as many people as possible to have a say on this very important piece of local planning guidance that us helps shape new development in the Portobello Conservation Area. See here:  https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/portobello-conservation-area-your-views-on-the-dra/consult_view

I was pleased to see that the gap site in Portobello’s Bath Street is to be filled soon, although it was a pity the community garden couldn’t have stayed there for all this length of time rather than being bulldozed!  More about the new development here: http://www.urbanrealm.com/news/6273/Work_commences_on_Portobello_residential_infill.html

I picked this up as good news from the weekly Planning List on my return….

….however, I have heard that the property has been sold – and not to Out of the Blue for community arts use – so we don’t know what will become of the building now, I’m afraid. 

We locals all know our seaside is wonderful, but it has Portobello is listed here among the UK’s 10 best urban beaches here:  http://travel.aol.co.uk/photos/britains-best-urban-beaches/415974/?ref=21435548

Our family had a discussion on holiday about water dangers in rivers and on beaches and I learned a bit about rip currents.  These are a natural hazard along our coasts.  Not sure about Portobello (?)  but here’s how to spot them bit.ly/2ayBh3C pic.twitter.com/BVUC6xSXrh

Look out for Scottish Beach Volleyball Tour on 13 and 14 August in Portobello beach.  It’s a great spectator sport – and quite fun to try out.

Scottish Water is running a ‘Keep the Cycle Running’ campaign to remind us about the potential bad impact of flushing things like wipes and cotton buds down the toilet and waste cooking fat down the sink.  Key messages are: Help protect Scotland’s beaches and rivers – don’t rush for the flush http://bit.ly/1cUNsxP It’s a no brainer, use a container – know your kitchen checklist. Find out more: http://bit.ly/1cUNsxP  How to save up to 6 litres of water a minute – turn off the tap while you brush your teeth: http://bit.ly/1cUNsxP

There is a Journey Lines Project Exhibition on 2-9 August at A449 Architects, 266 Portobello High Street as part of ArtWalk Porty..

More here: https://mobile.twitter.com/A449LTD/status/758023803670786048/photo/1. Journey Lines just got started in the last few days with and installation at Brunstane Station. Full programme was announced 1st August. pic.twitter.com/lrqvEW897T

The City Council is also consulting on new proposals for safer cycle routes between this Niddrie and south Edinburgh.  More here: Cycling and walking improvements between Niddrie, Moredun and Gilmerton – City of Edinburgh Council – Citizen Space

Local road-works ongoing are: SIR HARRY LAUDER ROAD Various locations Scottish Power – maintenance works on electricity pylons. Off-peak temporary traffic lights and lane closures as required until 30/08/16; MILTON ROAD At Bailie Place Installation of new toucan crossing (Portobello High School)Lane closures (two-way traffic to be maintained). Bailie Place closed until 18/09/16.  As a result of the latter, it seems well-used bus stops have been lost to the Magdalene/Baillies community, much to the chagrin of some local people nearby. I am hoping we can get a solution to this, once the works are complete.  We worked to get those stops and don’t want to lose them altogether.

The legal speed limit in streets across much of Edinburgh’s city centre and rural west area is now 20mph, the first phase in a planned rollout of lower speeds across the city. The new speed limits are designed to increase safety for all road users in Edinburgh as well as creating a calmer, more people-friendly environment in residential and shopping  streets. A majority of city residents support the change. Further information and a detailed map of the 20mph network is available at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/20mph or visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/edin20mph.  The East area 20mph speed limit, including Portobello/Craigmillar Ward, will ‘go live’ in February next year.

Portobello Market is on again on tomorrow, Saturday 6 August. Gates open at 9.30am in Brighton Park, just off Brighton Place and the market runs until 1.30pm. More than 20 traders with the full list on the website: http://goo.gl/rZqWRL Map: Brighton Park – https://goo.gl/bDOQjD Local trader BG Cycles is on site offering a free bicycle check, and entertainment from the Caleerie Buskers with a selection of traditional tunes and reels to enjoy whilst shopping. If you can, please Like and Share their Facebook page: PortyMarket The next market will be Saturday 3 September..

Our local financial cooperative, Castle Credit Union in Craigmillar has joined forces with North Edinburgh and with a credit union study group based in Leith and is trading as Castle Community Bank with public counters in Craigmillar (next door to Tesco and opposite Craigmillar Library) and in Wardieburn, in shop premises we own collectively. Castle Community Bank are now online, with a new web-based platform, and can offer a safe place for savings and access to affordable loans 24/7.  Find out more on the new website:  http://castlecommunitybank.co.uk/

Just as I went away on holiday, the Scottish Government Reporters published the result of the Inquiry into the Edinburgh City Local Development Plan (LDP).  The highly controversial ‘New Brunstane’ site, west of Newhailes, was included – which is a very disappointing outcome indeed. The Save Brunstane Greenbelt Campaign (SBGC) continues with a potential legal challenge to the LDP in the coming months, as the Evening News reported on 7 July.

As a result of the above decision, the Council has updated its strategic environmental assessment of the Local Development Plan.  The update assesses the modifications recommended in the report of examination for the Plan, which is now available to view at the website below. The modifications recommended by the examination report include the addition of five new housing sites. All of these already have planning permission granted by Reporters at Appeal.  The Plan’s Environmental Report is now available for a fourth period of consultation. It can be viewed at: Planning and Building Standards Reception, Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh between the hours of 9.00am and 5.00pm Monday to Thursday and 9.00am to 1.00pm Friday; on www.edinburgh.gov.uk/localdevelopmentplan (see ‘Second Proposed Local Development Plan’)  Written comments are particularly invited on the updated sections of the Environmental Report. Comments should be submitted electronically to localdevelopmentplan@edinburgh.gov.uk  or by post to: Local Development Plan Team, Business Centre G.3, Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh, EH8 8BG by 5pm Monday 22 August 2016.  The modifications are due to be reported to the Council’s Planning Committee on 5 September then published in mid September. The Plan is due to be adopted in October or November 2016.

The street naming section of the Council’s planning department are always on the look-out for the best names for new streets based on the history of the neighbourhoods and its local heroes. Local people came up with some names, but they also found a rich seam in the website of the history of the local mining company.  This has led to the choice of Longwall, Maigait, Glennie, Middleton, Paton, Scanlan, Shavelin, McCartney, Corrigan, Kilgours, Bill Douglas, Helen Crummy and Wantonwalls for street names in new development coming to the south of 104 Newcraighall Road.   I can send you the full details of where all these names come from, if you’re interested. I already sent it to those of you on my ‘Newcraighall Residents’ list.

The Council’s street naming people are looking for names for new development in the Greendykes area, all with links to the local history and people who lived there. Any ideas?  Do let us know or email direct streetnaming@edinburgh.gov.uk

See all those fabulous family photographs you have?  They might well make wonderful contributions to the Edinburgh archive of photos of life in Edinburgh and be part of the historic photographic archive of our city and its people collected by Edinburgh Libraries.  See more here: Edinburgh Collected :: home

The Travelling Gallery bus is back in Portobello on Tuesday 16 August from 10 am to 6 pm, outside Portobello Town Hall.  Launching as part of Edinburgh Art Festival, Travelling Gallery is pleased to present the exhibition Alt-w: Blush Response, in partnership with New Media Scotland. As part of the Festival of Architecture 2016 the Alt-w Fund has commissioned a series of new works for the Travelling Gallery by artists based in Scotland and working in digital media.

I learned a bit about this brilliant, relatively new voluntary organisation People Know How at a member’s meeting of the Equality and Rights Network (EaRN) there at Ocean Terminal last month.  Well worth a look on their website:  http://peopleknowhow.org/

This brilliant video shows the great work fabulous LOOPs (Local Opportunities for Older People) volunteers are doing to combat isolation in older people, getting people out of the house and linking them to the activities they would enjoy in good company. Watch here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GhV_iHv8EY&sns=em

The Council has recently created an online searchable communal bin map of all the refuse bins in Edinburgh and an easy way of reporting issues with them.  Let us know of any inaccuracies or problems by clicking on the link. The map is now live and available at: www.edinburgh.gov.uk/binmap. You can use this map to find communal landfill and recycling bins in your area.

Finally, I have heard that the Thistle have taken part in  Radio 4’s Listening Project – which I love to hear.  They say:

I can’t wait to hear those conversations!

That’s all for now.  Have a great weekend!

Best wishes

Maureen