We Asked - 550 Leithers Answered

Regular Greener Leith readers will know that all summer Greener Leith has been running a consultation project called the Leith Links Ask, that aimed to give as many people as possible a say in the future of Leith Links. A staggering 550 people voted for their three favorite proposals for improving the park and so now we're pleased to be able to share the results:

1. Childrens Play Areas (263 votes)
2. Leith Gardens (246 votes)
3. Pavilion Cafe/Restaurant (244 votes)
4. Wildflowers & Mini Nature Reserves (217 votes)
5. Infrastructure Improvements (173 votes)
6. Football and Rugby Pavilion (166 votes)
   
7. Tennis Centre (146 votes)
8. Golf and Leith Links (85 votes)
9. Lawn Bowls (61 votes)
10. Cricket Facilities (47 votes)

People who voted on-line were also asked to indicate whether they felt each project was a 'high priority,' a 'low priority' or 'shouldn't go ahead' at all. 

It is perhaps no surprise that the children's play facilities topped most people's list as a key area that needs to be improved. Lots of people we spoke to wanted to see the development of a 'magnet' play area like the one on the meadows and when you compare the play facilities in the Meadows and the other main city parks, with what is on offer in Leith Links, it is easy to see why.

Overall, we think most people will be quite surprised to see that there seems to be more public support for non-sporting projects, given that sport is one of the main uses of the park at the moment. The Leith Gardens proposal came a close second to the childrens play area, and support for more wildflowers and mini nature reserves was also quite high. This shows that people do want to see a more diverse park, with areas of more formal planting and more wild areas.

Despite the fact that Bijou, a cafe on the edge of the Links obviously has a dedicated following of loyal customers, we were also interested to see the level of public support for cafe on the Links itself.

Turning to the sports projects, the proposals to develop a modern shared changing facility for rugby and football on the links recieved the most votes overall. However, there were slightly more people who thought that it was a 'High Priority' to bring back tennis to the links.

The only project that really seemed to polarise opinion were the proposals to make more of the parks historic links with the sport of golf. More than a third of people thought that this project should not go ahead at all, with another 39% of people viewing it as a low priority. People we spoke to during the consultation voiced safety concerns over the prospect of a permanent pitch and putt course on the Links.

You can download the full report by clicking here.

What happens next?

These results are really just the starting point in a much longer process that will no doubt  involve feasibility studies, funding strategies and the like. Greener Leith will discuss these results with the key council Neighbourhood Partnership & Parks staff, as well as other local organisations like the community councils. We hope to play an ongiong role in ensuring that the projects with most support are taken forwards. We would particularly like to explore the scope for establishing a non-profit 'Greener Leith' cafe on the links that could act as a focus for the park.

We will also be campaigning to ensure that developers of new housing around the park are forced to pay a contribution to upgrade the park facilities. With Forth Ports likely to get planning permission to take forwards the regeneration of the docks soon, it is likely that Leith Links will come under more and more pressure from the increased population in the area.  Greener Leith has been invited to address the planning committee meeting that will consider the Forth Ports outline planning application, so one of the first places we'll be highlighting the results of the Leith Links Ask could be with the councillors on the city planning committee.

A Summer Day In The Park

Congratulations to everyone behind the 'Summer Day in the Park,' event that took place today. As you can see from the photo the rain held off, there was a really good turn out - and even copious quantities of bunting.

The Friends of Montgomery Park have also produced a draft plan to improve the park, and they're having a second round of public consultation on it to make sure that it's exactly right. The redesign includes proper hard landscaping for market stalls, new entrances, and much improved play facilities. We hope to bring you more details shortly. 

Julienne Thurrot, the Chair woman of the Friends explained why the group had decided to take action in the Evening News this week:

"I’d been living in Canada for years beside a really nice park and I thought ‘Why don’t we have a park like that, we’ve got the space for it?’ I spoke to people and found there was a lot of support."

She said volunteer litter-picks had made a difference to the space already, but the real changes were still to come: “Local people are very fond of the park and I just think it will change the atmosphere. The play equipment that’s there at the moment is old but it’s well used."

Share Your Greener Leith News on Twitter

We're not sure how many of our readers use the on-line bookmarking service Delicious. Users of the site will know that keeping your favourite pages stored on-line is quite handy. Rather than have them stuck on one computer, you can access them from any computer with an internet connection. Not only that, Delicious allows you to 'Tag' any web page, and share it with other people.

We have already established a public Greener Leith 'photo pool' on the website Flickr, where anyone can submit photos of things they think are related to Greener Leith. Now, if you find a web page that you think is relevant to Greener Leith readers, you can tag it with 'GreenerLeith' on delicious and the page will automatically be shared with people who follow Greener Leith on Twitter, where we've established a sort of 'Greener Leith News Extra' for bits and pieces that don't quite make it to our main news page.

Confused? Don't worry - You can try Twitter, Delicious and Flickr out for yourself - they're all free!

JUMP Into Direct Action

JUMP, The campaign group calling for a radical rethink of the current Forth Ports Outline  Planning Application, are calling on Edinburgh residents to join a  demonstration against the proposals, when planning officials visit the docks on a site visit on the 13th of August.

The campaign has found out that the planning committee are due to leave the city chambers at 1.30pm, bound for the Forth Ports  HQ at 2pm. Therefore they're calling on everyone to meet them at the Prince of Wales Dock gates at 1.45pm.

According to their bulletin, JUMP remain firm in the facts that:

The Outline Planning Application stage is THE ONLY OPPORTUNITY TO CONSIDER THE TREATMENT OF THE SITE AS A WHOLE and the impact of the overall vision and infra structure choices for the Leith Docks site will impose on Leith and the City of Edinburgh if not correct at this stage.

JUMP believe that if the Planning Committee are minded to grant permission then this should be for CHANGE OF USE ONLY at this stage. This would allow for a review of the situation and the opportunity to set the site up for an Open International Competition. Under the current economic climate this could be beneficial to the landowners Forth Ports PLC allowing them a further development stage which could optimise their assets in the long term and deliver an exemplary design solution fit to meet the needs, desires and standards of a developing International City in the 21st century.

Directions to the Princes Dock Gate:

Via the Shore waterfront – walk through the decorative gates just past Malmaison Hotel and straight on into the Leith Docks. Turn right, cross over Ocean Drive road and gather at the turnstile gates marking the entrance to Forth Ports HQ.

From the Commercial Street Entrance -  continue into Leith Docks turn left along Ocean Drive until you arrive at the small roundabout and turn left to gather at the turnstile gates marking the entrance to Forth Ports HQ.

Furthermore, JUMP have also found out that the planning committee is scheduled to consider the proposals on the 27th of August in a meeting at the City Chambers. Greener Leith has submitted a formal objection to the development proposals, and we have asked the council to consider whether we will be permitted to make a representation to this meeting.

Polling Stations Have Closed

The Leith Links Ask has been running all summer gathering votes from anyone concerned on the future of Leith Links. We estimate we've had at least 500 people vote in the project, so the time has now come to close the polls.

Whilst we tally up the results and get ready to announce the results, you can still watch the video clips, over at www.leithlinksask.org

What did you vote for?

Greener Leith Supports Zero Waste Legislation

Greener Leith was one of the first community groups in Scotland to run a 'bag for life' campaign. Since then, we've been keen to support any measures that will help us to cut our use of disposable plastic packaging. This is for two reasons. Firstly, it's because disposable plastic packaging is a wasteful use of a non-renewable resource - oil. And secondly, plastic packaging often ends up as persistant litter, blighting our public spaces and harming wildlife.

Greener Leith has just sent in our submission to the Scottish Government consultation on Zero Waste. Key points of our submission include calls for:

• Local authorities to provide recycling facilities in high use areas, like busy shopping areas.
  
• Supermarkets to provide, and pay for, packaging recycling banks on their sites. This will provide an incentive to them to cut excessive food packaging.
  
• The introduction of a nationwide 'reverse vending' scheme for certain types of packaging. This will reward people for recycling and cut litter problems.
  
• The introduction of a tax on single use plastic bags, to cut their use, and cut litter.
  
• Tax incentives for businesses that adopt a business model that requires no disposable packing to supply food, like Demijohn on Victoria Terrace.

You can read our submission in full here.

Police raid Botanics for Redbraes Open Day

Caught greenhanded! PC Simon Daley (that's him on the right), raids the nursery of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh – with a lot of help from nursery supervisor Pete Brownless (that's him in the middle).

It's all in a good cause, of course. After months of digging, building and planting, Simon is helping Redbraes Community Garden prepare for a party on their first Open Day. (And, just in case you are reading this because you haven't anything else to do this afternoon, why not join them for the barbecue between 3-6pm.)

When I popped in a few hours ago, I found a newly made path leading to a hive of activity. With a hint of rain in the air Simon was busy putting up a gazebo while volunteers were digging a new border for all those plants from the Botanics.

Redbraes Community Garden are celebrating the results of months of hard work, not to mention the success of winning £10,000 from the Big Lottery Fund Breathing Places Fund and support from Edinburgh city council. But though money matters it's people who make gardens grow.

Led by Simon, the local community policeman, volunteers of all ages have been hard at work behind the houses of Redbraes. On an almost hidden site running down to the Water of Leith they have been turning a hard landscaping plan into reality: with raised beds for growing vegetables, an outdoor classroom, a wildlife area and a bonfire circle.

As garden designer Becky Govier says, "We have a great team of volunteers. This is the first community garden I have designed and I have found it incredibly rewarding".

Food, drink and plants for the Open Day have all been donated by local businesses with perhaps just a little gentle persuasion from their local policeman. Having picked up the generous donation of plants from the Botanics, Simon went on to collect a box of white tiles from B&Q ("which they sold me for a pound - thanks to my colleague Lee Jack who donated said pound!"), £100 of free food from Scotmid and soft drinks for 100 people from Beetroot Blue.

Just one essential item was missing: the BBQ. But after reading Simon's appeal on Leith Open Space website, the plantsman, Pete Brownless, was able to provide that too. "He can be sure of a special welcome this afternoon."

Meet some of the volunteers making Redbraes Community Garden grow

PS, this is an updated version of a story published on Leith Open Space blog yesterday.

Call for Sheds Photos Goes Viral

You know it's the silly season when journalists start to call asking you questions about sheds. From small beginnings however, our simple call for Leithers to send us pictures of their sheds has really gathered momentum. Not only did we have an article on page 3 of the Evening News, we had a mention in the Scottish Metro, and I'm reliably informed that we're also on the front page of the Herald and Post, not to mention the odd blog, here and there. Who knew?

We have received some shed photos, like the fantastic one above, but we'd still like more. Please send your photos to greenerleith[at]hotmail[dot]com