Back to school Wednesday - for some

Snow

Sciennes is back open.  It is among six primary schools open tomorrow.  The others are:

• Craigentinny
• Broughton
• Gillespies primary
• Bruntsfield
• Gylemuir (but nursery closed)

Other highlights:

• All teachers have to report in
• Some nurseries will reopen
• All secondary schools will be open for 4th to 6th years
• Most community centres will re-open

Get fuller details on the Council severe weather update .

Cockburn Association loses control

Evidence is mounting throughout Edinburgh that the Cockburn Association, self appointed guardians of the built and historical environment of the city, have lost their control of Edinburgh's planning system.  As the photos below show, developers are now devastating the historic landscape.

A  new generation of developers
is devastating Edinburgh's built environment!

Secret footage of new plans to breach
'Edinburgh standards'

Newington school uniforms to Malawi

When St Margaret's School went into administration earlier this year, longstanding Edinburgh outfitters Aitken and Niven were left with £15,000 worthy of stock suitable only for St Margaret's.

Well not quite only St Margaret's.  It is now on its way to Malawi as you can see here.

3pm update: schools closed again Tuesday

Tuesday:

• All council schools closed
• All Community Centres closed
• All adult education classes closed
• Bin collections disrupted - but still put out
• Some libraries still OPEN see here
• East Princes Street Christmas attractions OPEN.  See here for updates
• Social work centres OPEN (except Oxgangs)
• St Andrews Day celebrations in St Andrew's Square cancelled
• Mortonhall Cremnatorium operating normally

We have had 14 inches of snow since Friday evening and more showers, some heavy, are on the way.   Temperatures could to fall to as low as minus 5 degrees around breakfast time tomorrow - though it does depend which forecast you believe.


Weather:

• BBC
• Netweather
• Met Office

For more council updates see

• Updates
• Severe weather updates
• To get Twitter updates to your phone use Edinburgh_CC

And to sign off here's Victor Hugo's (delicatessan, Melville Terrace) new advertising idea:

Energy, climate and the Evening News

On Friday Robert Dow had a letter in the Evening News rather critical of the global impact on energy of supposed global warming. (see the third letter down here for the letter in full).

Some people have told me the Evening News published a follow up letter from me on Saturday.  Now as I didn't see Saturday's paper, and as I can't locate my letter on their online edition, time to offer my readers the text I sent in here in a post:

Robert Dow (Letters, November 26th) rightly highlights concerns about carbon trading and wind energy.

Two more fundamental issues need scrutiny.

There are scientists with unimpeachable qualifications in climate science who challenge whether human emissions make more than a trivial contribution to warming.  Their evidence is often brushed aside by policymakers in their rush to demonise carbon.

This year's shambolic enquiries into the conduct of a coterie of  influential climate scientists suggests the commercial scam to which Robert Dow refers, may be  dwarfed by the scientific scam on which so much of our public policy is based.

Cllr Cameron Rose

Snow art in the Meadows

Dog tries to wake Jack who has found a resting place. . .

. . .on a bench appropriately marked

Perhaps with all schools closed today we can expect to see an explosion of snow art in the coming days.  

The BBC weather service is currently predicting -5 degrees tonight, then -9 on both Thursday and Friday nights.  We'll see.

PS The JCB digger has arrived in our street (Sciennes) to clear a central path.

Meadows ideas (2)

Local resident Dave Ralph has a few ideas about improvements to the Meadows.  They focus on three sites:

• The Pavilion beside the Jawbone
• The store building and toilet block beside the Magnet play area
• Middle Meadow Walk at the Lauriston Place end

Dave, with his architectural background, has set up a website with some ideas and will welcome any comments and ideas you may have.  Go on.  Email him with what you think - or your own ideas.  His email is on the site below:

http://theedinproject.carbonmade.com/

Meadows ideas

'The lion' view from the Meadows 

The Meadows is a superb resource. 

• Tens of thousands use it for recreation every week and it boasts some of the busiest pedestrian routes in the city.   
• The views of Arthur's Seat and the Crags are stunning.  
• The trees are majestic.  
• The columns and pillars, with their lions, unicorns, aphorisms and samples of stone from quarries, are fascinating.  
• The space for events and activities is a godsend for the city and local people

So what more do the Meadows need?  Earlier this week I met local resident Dave Ralph who has a few ideas.  The next post (later today) will flag up some of his ideas.  Have a look and let David know what you think.

Newington Library assault postscript

In 2001 John Bermingham was sentenced to 12 years in prison for sex assaults including an horrendous attempted rape on an 11 year old near  Newington Library.

Of course our justice system doesn't mean what it says and Bermingham was released in just over 6 years.

However, the justice system may have redeemed itself slightly this week as Bermingham was convicted of breaching his release condition by being outside his house (in Falkirk) between 9pm and 7am for a period of just 15 minutes.   That breach of his release conditions has resulted in him being sent back to prison for 12 months according to this report.

Of course, under our Alice in Wonderland justice tarriffs, it is unlikely that 12 months actually means a year.

St Andrews Day Concert

Craigmillar Park Church is the location for tomorrow night's annual St Andrew's Day concert by the Edinburgh Highland Reel and Strathspey Society. 

It begins at 7pm and more details can be found here.

Charity Concert at Teviot

Tomorrow evening at 7pm there is a Charity Variety Show at the Debating Hall at Teviot Row to raise funds for Bethany Christian Trust. Bethany works with the homeless and vulnerable.

Guest performers include the Capoeira Society,

Children of Zion, Drumming Society, The Female Voice Choir, West Coast Swing Dance Society.

Full details and a map can be found here. 

(H/T Alistair Philp at the Marchmont & Sciennes Community Council blog)

Edinburgh students join protests

There was a large police presence in the Southside area yesterday as they escorted what was estimated at around 300 students who marched from Bristo Square to the west end.

More details here from the BBC.  I understand some students have called for a meeting at Appleton Tower at lunchtime today.

Reminder: public meeting tonight

A public meeting has been arranged to discuss plans for traffic, cycling and parking issues in large parts of the ward.  It will take place in the Marchmont St Giles Church, Kilgraston Road tonight at 7pm.  Plans for the various proposals will be on display from 6:30pm.

The meeting is arranged by Edinburgh Council and the Grange/Prestonfield Community Council.   You can also see much of the information at the links below . . .

• the proposal to impose a 20mph speed limit on all roads in the area (except arterial and 'feeder' routes) - more detailshere 
• proposals for a quality bike  corridor route between the King's Buildings and George Square/Potterrow - more detailshere
• Resident priority parking  - more details here

I will be in attendance (along with other local councillors) to hear views expressed.

West Blacket Assoc AGM on Monday

Speaking: Angus Mille

The Minto Hotel is the venue for the AGM of the West Blacket Association on Monday evening at 7pm (29th Nov).

All local residents are welcome.  See the WBA website. for more details and their newsletter

This year the guest speaker is Angus Miller of Geowalks, a company that organises walking and exploration trips.  I was his guest on one such walk in Holyrood Park earlier this year. Recommended.

NB  Not to be confused with the Blacket Association which meets tonight.

Hello and welcome Phoebe

Phoebe

A quiet day for posts brings an opportunity to flag up to those of you who are interested, that I also maintain a blog on climate change issues.

It is updated weekly, usually every Tuesday, and is called Climate Edinburgh.  Try this post from earlier this week.  

Blacket Association AGM

Owen Dudley Edwards

The Blacket Association AGM is at 7pm on Thursday (25th) in Earthy in Ratcliffe Terrace.

The guest speaker will be Owen Dudley Edwards and his subject will be Mr Pollock and his Halls.

Members, prospective members, friends and residents of the five streets which make up the area will be welcome. (Blacket Avenue, Blacket Place, Mayfield Terrace, Dryden Place and Alfred Place).

Searching for local information quickly

This blog contains a wealth of local information.  With new users especially in mind, here is the quickest way to find the information you want.

Choose the best search words (the following are a few suggestions) and bring up any post, or the home page of the blog.  Type your search word or words into the search box at the top left side of the blog (beside the orange B) and mouse click the magnifying glass beside it.

• garden waste
• stunt biker
• nursery closure
• parking
• remembrance
• robbery
• or try typing in your street or district

Alternatively, do a google search for your word/s along with my name such as "cameron rose garden waste".

If you want to see recent posts relevant to a specific area in the ward scroll down the homepage and on the right side, below the twitter feeds, you will see the filing categories for posts including the six areas in the ward: Newington, Blackford, Sciennes, Prestonfield, Southside and Dumbiedykes.

Enjoy!

Pakistan flood appeal

Marchmont St Giles Church

In September I flagged up local efforts to provide relief to flood victims in Pakistan.

I have received at email from Nadia Aslam of SWWSPK appealing for old/worn/torn cloths, bags and shoes to raise money for flood victims.  They can be delivered to Marchmont St Giles Church (location here) between 10:00 and 11:30am on Thursday 25th November - from where they will be collected by a textile recycling business.  

Time to clear out cupboards in a good cause.

Winter garden waste arrangements

If you are like me, your waste collection date card pinned to your notice board  will be running out.

For December, January and February there will be garden collections only once a month.   Because of a review of the system (and the expense) cards are not being distributed until the Spring.

Using only your postcode, you can find out the collection day and get an email reminder at this site.

www.greenboxday.co.uk

Actually, you can also get an email for your red (cardboard) and blue (glass, cans and paper) box at the same site.

You can get more information about recycling from waste@edinburgh.gov.uk or,  if you prefer, by telephoning 0131 529 3030.

Public Meeting: Traffic, Cycling, Parking

A public meeting has been arranged to discuss plans for traffic, cycling and parking issues in large parts of the ward.  It will take place in the Marchmont St Giles Church, Kilgraston Road on Thursday 25th November at 7pm.  Plans for the various proposals will be on display from 6:30pm.

The meeting is arranged by Edinburgh Council and the Grange/Prestonfield Community Council. There will be a chance to view the various plans before the public meeting starts.  You can also see much of the information at the links below . . .

• the proposal to impose a 20mph speed limit on all roads in the area (except arterial and 'feeder' routes) - more details here 
• proposals for a quality bike  corridor route between the King's Buildings and George Square/Potterrow - more details here
• Resident priority parking  - more details here

I will be in attendance (along with other local councillors) to hear views expressed.

Cash machine is free to use

I posted a few days ago about the initiative taken by a local store after the Bank of Scotland closed their branch in Mayfield Road.

In my post I noted that the new cash machine in A&P Saville Store in Mayfield Road was free to use.  A reader indicated there had been some confusion about whether or not it is free.

This morning I took this picture outside the premises - which is unambiguous. 

BTW, the shopkeeper provides the cash machine as a service to customers.  He does not get a payment for doing so.

PS.  I know that is not how you spell 'Savile' but that is the name of the store.

Politicians at Prestonfield

Derek Brownlee: Debater award

Prestonfield House hotel last night hosted the Politician of the Year awards.

Here are the results, with Hugh Henry the Labour back bencher winning the top award.   

Amongst the other awards the Donald Dewar Debater of the Yeart award went to my Conservative colleague Derek Brownlee.

50 physics PhDs from King's Buildings!

The Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA) is based at the James Clerk Maxwell Building in Mayfield Road - and is co-ordinating the award of the PhDs in physics at eight Scottish Universities.

So the 50 PhDs will not all be at Edinburgh University.  

If you are thinking of applying, the application deadline is 25th January 2011 and you can get more details here.

Prestonfield again hosts awards

The Herald newspaper is the sponsor

The Politician of the Year Awards will be presented this evening at the Prestonfield House hotel.

The Herald sponsors the awards and here is their article giving the short list.

New Mayfield Road cash machine

Last month this blog reported the closure of the Bank of Scotland branch in Mayfield Road along with its cash machine.

Now A&P Saville Store (at the West Savile Terrace junction) has now installed a 'free to use' machine for cash withdrawals.

It is not quite 24 hour access - but very helpful, thank you.

New MacAskill sensation (Danny not Kenny)

Danny McAskill established his worldwide reputation as an stunt biker in the Southside area of the ward. His latest video - Way Back home - goes further afield but is no less impressive.



Previous posts here and here.

Nursery closure public meeting

Around a dozen parents attended the public meeting last night on the closure of a nursery.

The nursery is the Princess Elizabeth Nursery in Clearburn Crescent in Prestonfield and I reported on the Council's plans in October.

The detailed report giving the background can be found here. The meeting was part of the statutory consultation which is required.

60 attend parking public meeting

Dalkeith Road boundary of proposals

Around 60 local residents attended the meeting at the Royal Blind School last night to give a response to the proposals for limited parking controls on the area between Mayfield Road and Dalkeith Road.

The proposals are intended to provide more opportunities for residents to park locally without completely banning non residents.   The biggest concern expressed was of the knock on effect to Kilmaurs and other areas east of Dalkeith Road and south of the South Suburban rail line..

Views should be sent to this address and I will be grateful if you copy your vies to me.

Parking Meeting tonight

Here is the notice to local residents of the meeting tonight in the Royal Blind School to discuss parking proposals in the area between Mayfield Road and Dalkeith Road.

Agenda

6.30 - 7pm Exhibition of Plans

7 - 7.20pm Presentation of the proposals

7.30 - 8.30pm Questions and Comments to Councillors and Council officers

Plans can be viewed here.

Remembrance turnout up

Around 80 people attended the outdoor Remembrance ceremony in Prestonfield Avenue yesterday.  Steady rain added to the sombre atmosphere.

The simple ceremony was led by Rev Jared Hay of nearby Priestfield Church and participants gathered afterwards in the Prestonfield Neighbourhood Centre afterwards for refreshments.

As usual the war memorial was immaculate.  It is maintained with the help of Prestonfield in Bloom.

Newington Road robbery sentence

Nordine Afia was sentenced to 32 months in prison in May 2009.  He was released in June this year after serving half his sentence (presumably in may 2009 he appeared from custody and that pre trial period was included in his sentence).

In August he attempted to raid the Choices Express store in Newington Road.  He was in possession of a  kitchen knife. At Edinburgh Sheriff Court last week he was recalled to prison to complete the previous sentence and a further 32 month sentence was added to begin next October.

The shop staff Linda Brown and Bajitar Singh survived the attack in Choices Express - but would have been spared it if he had served his original sentence in full.

More details here.

University hosts online politics fest

The Informatics Centre in Potterrow is today hosting a Political Innovation festival of discussions on the role of  social media and politics.

About 70 bloggers, politicians, tweeters, facebooks users and geeks interested in social media gathered at what was described as an unconference:  those in attendance set the agenda as they went along.  See here for more details.

The conference was led by Mick Fealty and Paul Evans of the redoubtable Slugger O'Toole stable.

Remembrance in Prestonfield

Remembering - 2009

There will be an open air remembrance at the War Memorial in Prestonfield Avenue at 11:00 tomorrow as usual.  Some details from last year can be seen here.

Other commemorations will be held in churches throughout the ward.

Complementary healthcare open day

The Jan de Vries healthcare shop in Newington Road has an open day on Monday (15th) between 9am and 5pn.

There are special offers and Jan de Vries himself will be available for appointments.   He married a Scottish wife in 1960 and his business has been active in Scotland since the early sixties.  

The website is here.

Parking east of Mayfield Road

The plans of the proposals for parking east of Mayfield Road (between Mayfield Road and Dalkeith Road) are now online and available for comment.  See them here where there is also an email address for comment.

Meadows elm trees for furniture

Meadows trees

This month six elm trees, all suffering from Dutch Elm disease, will be cut down and donated to the Scottish Furniture Makers Association (SFMA).

The wood will prepared on the Meadows and then used to make exhibits for furniture exhibition which is planned to take place in the Dovecot in Infirmary Street In October 2011.  More details here.

Elm tree awaits removal

H/T:  FOMBL autumn newsletter.

Lutton Place footway to be resurfaced

Next up for footway resurfacing is Lutton Place.  The work begins next week.

See local signs to make sure your vehicle doesn't get in the way.

Festivals flourishing in Edinburgh

Courtesy of Mariuz Piatowski

There has been some debate about the number of tickets sold at the various festivals in Edinburgh this year.

Here is another report indicating a broad increase in the numbers of tickets sold and, especially for the free performances, a rise in attendance.   The estimated increase for free performances was 16%.

As I suggested in August, we need to pedestrianise more areas at peak festival times to provide more space for the crowds - which are helping to keep Edinburgh afloat in what are still difficult times.

Where is Betty Brown?

The last known sighting of Betty Brown was on a bus in Nicolson Street at 11:55am on Friday 28th May.   Since that CCTV sighting and numerous appeals, she has not been traced.

She was born in 1954 on today's date.  More details can be found here and here and here.

Can you help? The police press release is here.

Council Waste No 99: Neighbourhood Partnerships

The Meadows, much discussed at the NP

In the last 3+ years Edinburgh Council has set up another layer of bureaucracy.   It is called Neighbourhood Partnerships.  

Like most things that are wasteful, it is based on a noble idea and results in a number of positives.  The noble idea is to engage more citizens in public decisions.  And it does provide a forum for public engagement.  Some decisions are taken by a wider range of people.  There may well be a few other benefits.  But that is about it.

Take the South Central Neighbourhood Partnership meeting which I attended earlier this week.  It represents two wards which contain 60+ thousand people.  Here is the attendance register:

• Members of the public: 13 of whom one, possibly two were not recognised by me as people who always attend these events
• Persons on the Council payroll:  13 of whom six were councillors, the remainder officials
• Other representatives:  6 who included public officials (such as the St Leonard's Police Sergeant) and others who are mainly representatives of community councils

Crags 3: Sentiment over sense

The Crags Sports Centre, which is set to close next month, was born ten years ago out of a community campaign and continuing generous public subsidies.  Initially unable to maintain viability, it was bailed out in 2006, and then run by Edinburgh Leisure the arms length company.

The Crags is predominantly a Sports Centre used by users who pay the Edinburgh Leisure rates for the privilege.   It is also used by local groups, including charities such as the Canongate Youth Project which offers a broad range of services to young people.  Of course it contributes to the community locally by providing opportunities for fitness and for community interaction.

Two questions arise.  Should the Council step in and save it?  Should it have been set up in the first place.

The answer to whether it should be saved is straightforward.   There are no resources for indiscriminate subsidies.   Fitness is to be encouraged but it is absolutely not the role of the local authority to extract money from some taxpayers to subsidise the fitness and lifestyles of others.  There may well be a case for limited and direct intervention is specific cases but a general subsidy such as this cannot be justified.

It should be noted that there are extensive University fitness facilities in the Pleasance which are available, in some measure at least, to the to the public.  In addition, £37m is being ploughed into a major reworking of the Commonwealth Pool in Dalkeith Road.  Both of these facilities are little more than a stone's throw away from The Crags.

It was a community project and campaign which created The Crags Sports Centre.  As far as I can understand, it was never of the size and scope to operate other than with a substantial subsidy.  I do not know what the business case was on which it was built.  Clearly it didn't work. Perhaps the possibility of a continuing subsidy encouraged those involved to elevate the sentiment of having a community facility above the realities of running it.

It does look to be a lesson to be learned. Perhaps the lesson is to avoid creating a millstone for future generations for the sake of  current benefits, which may in themselves be real, but which come at a greater cost than is admitted.

I suspect we have witnessed a triumph of sentiment over sense.   Part 1 of this series is here and Part 2 is here.

Crags 2: facts and figures

History  Ten years ago the Southside Community Association raised £200,000 for the construction of the Crags Sports Centre.  They worked in partnership with sportscotland (who contributed £500,000) and Edinburgh Council (who also put up £500,000).

The Centre was run by The Community Association until they found themselves in financial difficulty in 2005 when they were bailed out by Edinburgh Council and Edinburgh Leisure.  A bail out of £95,000 was provided and, while the Council retained ownership, Edinburgh Leisure took over the running of the premises.  Edinburgh Council continued to subsidise Edinburgh Leisure to run the premises.

Finance  The figures for 2009/10 show that to make The Crags viable it required a net subsidy of £112,000 - or a subsidy of £2.94 per user.   This is an improvement on the figures for 2006/7 when the subsidy was £120,000 and the subsidy per user was £3.99.

In short, The Crags has never been a viable concern and, although Edinburgh Leisure has reduced the level of subsidy they have never regarded it as capable of having a business plan which could be viable.

Part 1 can be found here.  Part 3, Sentiment over sense will follow.

Crags 1: sports centre closing December

December 23rd is the likely date for the closure of the Crags Sports Centre in Bowmont Place in the Southside.  Edinburgh Leisure will hand back the premises to Edinburgh Council at the end of the year.

The Council is looking for organisations who might be willing to run the premises, primarily for sporting or community use.  If no such arrangement is viable it is likely the premises will be available for commercial purposes.

Edinburgh Leisure receives a grant from Edinburgh Council in respect of a number of uneconomic facilities which it runs on their behalf.   Earlier this year the Council announced a a reduction in that grant.  Edinburgh Leisure have indicated they do not intend to keep on paring down their services but have adopted a strategy of removing some of the most uneconomic parts of their organisation.  Hence their announcement of the closure of the Crags.

Edinburgh Leisure is an organisation set up by Edinburgh Council to run as an arms length company with its own Board.

The short history is a the Crags Sports Centre is an instructive tale in which emotion and sentiment triumphed over common sense.  More in a subsequent posts later.

Statutory repairs: police investigate

Edinburgh tenement housing stock 

There have been concerns about the operation of the statutory repairs system for some time as reflected in this post in October.

Police are now investigating an employee after claims about an abuse of the tendering process. Details via the BBC here.

Update 2pm:  Today's Evening News has more details.

Craigmillar Park Association AGM

Marion Williams, Director of the Cockburn Association is the guest speaker at the AGM of the Craigmillar Park Association on Wednesday (10th Nov) at 7:30pm.   The venue is the Royal Blind School with access off Craigmillar Park.

Public Meeting: Resident Priority Parking

A public meeting has been arranged to discuss plans for Resident Priority Parking in the Newington and Grange areas (East of Mayfield Road).  It will take place in the Royal Blind School on Monday 15th November and the timetable is shown below.

The meeting is arranged by Edinburgh Council and the Grange/Prestonfield Community Council and there will also be a chance to view plans for the proposal to impose a 20mph speed limit on all roads in the area (except arterial and 'feeder' routes).  And there will also be a display of the proposals for a quality bike  corridor route between the King's Buildings and George Square/Potterrow.

Timetable:
6:30 - 7:00pm  Exhibition of plans
7:00 - 7:20pm  Presentation of resident priority parking proposals
7:20 - 8:30pm Questions and comments to councillors and officials

You can get further information at these links:

• Residents Priority Parking
• Quality Bike Corridor
• Proposed 20mph limit

Meadows Festival AGM

The Meadows Festival Association is holding its AGM on Wednesday 17th November in the Lauriston Centre.

Climate Edinburgh: Love your sceptic

Jim Mather

Yesterday the Sustainable Scotland Network annual conference took place at Dynamic Earth in the Southside & Newington ward.

Some readers may not  be aware of the Climate Edinburgh blog I run.  It is currently posting on the conference under the title "Love your sceptic".  The words are taken from Scottish Minister Jim Mather who was a keynote speaker.

Holyrood Park closed for bonfire night

Photo: Dave Henniker

Historic Scotland have announced they will be closing Holyrood Park on 5th November between 6pm and 11pm.

Their press release can be found here.

Open Glass Doors Exhibition

The King's Hall in South Clerk Street is the venue for a week-end exhibition.  It is a community arts festival offering the opportunity to view (and buy) a range of art, ceramics, paintings, photography, jewellery, cards and poetry.

It is open between 11:00 and 5:00pm  on Saturday and Sunday. More details here.

"There's a fox in the cellar"

At first my wife thought it was the cat rustling amongst some bags in the cellar.  But it was bigger and more grey - a mature fox.  Guess who retreated first.  There is a small hole in the rather thick basement walls which we knew Theo the cat occasionally used.  But a fox was a surprise.  Actually a shock.

It was the second occasion in 10 days when she has encountered a fox in the early afternoon.  The first was in our high walled rear garden when she opened the back door and almost stepped on it.

Now we've nothing against foxes which are common enough in the ward area - and they keep the vermin down.  But we'd rather not have one living in the cellar!

My question.  Two daylight close encounters in 10 days after 14 years without such excitement. Are there other indicators of changing fox patterns in the Sciennes area?

Reports from Prestonfield suggest an increase in garden foxes this year.