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An item of "Breaking News". Will appear on the Breaking News page and the front page.

POWDERHALL CONSULTATION

Submitted by koru on

At consultation events yesterday and today, and a presentation to Leith Central Community Council last week, City of Edinburgh Council floated ideas and asked for the public's views on the future of the former Powderhall Waste Transfer Station site, and the neighbouring former bowling greens currently used by Broughton Primary School. 

COUNCIL BACKS HISTORIC SETTINGS

Submitted by Editor on

Edinburgh Council’s Development Management Subcommittee has reached decisions on two local cases highlighted by the Spurtle in recent months. 

The first concerns a retrospective application by Notemachine UK Ltd to postion a new ATM in the window of Lifestyle Express at Category B-listed 20 Broughton Street (see Breaking news, 11.4.18). 

This application was refused and enforced because:

DRUMMOND ON THE UP

Submitted by david on

As with this school year, a feature of last Tuesday’s celebration of achievement at Drummond Community High School was dealing with the unexpected. 

A key member of the catering team, one of the musicians and the Headteacher (Jodie Hannan) were all indisposed. Happily, these setbacks didn’t dampen the celebratory atmosphere. 

STORM HECTOR ROCKS BROUGHTON

Submitted by Editor on

Strong winds with gusts of up to 57mph overnight have been blowing across S.E. Scotland. 

A yellow weather warning is currently in place until 3pm today. 

A quick spin around Broughton soon showed evidence of Storm Hector’s arrival, with most of our litter blown into Leith and replaced by twigs and leaves from the New Town. 

Branches had snapped in Claremont Crescent and landed neatly between traffic cones over the road.

SHORT SHRIFT FOR SHORT LETS

Submitted by Editor on

A retrospective application for change of use of a one-bedroom 4th-floor flat in Antigua Street to commercial short-term holiday  lets has been refused (Ref. 18/01394/FUL). 

The property, accessed by a communal stair shared with 7 other properties, was proposed to be let out for over 6 months a year and directly managed by the owners. 

However,  based partly on a recent Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals determination of a case in Eyre Place, Council officials reasoned that the proposal was:

REPEAT OFFENDER GOES OFF THE RADAR

Submitted by Editor on

Meet Reay. 

Or rather, meet Reay again. We last featured him back in May 2014 when he temporarily wandered off in search of his brother. 

Now he’s gone AWOL again, this time in protest at major works in progress at his home on the east side of Dublin Street. 

Reay’s usual haunts are Barony Street and the Dublin Street mews. You can easily recognise him as he’s a big, middle-aged Bengal with a torn ear from various undisclosed territorial encounters.  

VOTES FOR WOMEN!

Submitted by Editor on

 MAGNIFICENT AND ON THE MARCH 

This afternoon’s Processions event was a joyful, multi-coloured, multi-aged celebration of UK women’s suffrage 100 years on. 

It was a raucous, rhythmic and good-humoured commemoration of women’s past successful struggles, their current achievements, and ongoing social and political challenges. 

It all began in the Meadows with sensible arrangements on an epic scale. 

LOCALS SEE RED AT LACK OF RED

Submitted by Editor on

Residents on Broughton Place Lane are tearing their hair out at Council inaction over blocked access to their homes. 

The quiet cul-de-sac is narrow at the best of times, but narrower still at the Lyon & Turnbull end overlooking St Mary’s RC Primary School. 

Unfortunately, this is precisely where thoughtless visitors keep parking their cars, often making it impossible for residents to get their own vehicles in or out. 

At other times it’s a fiendishly difficult tight squeeze, resulting in bumps, scrapes and bits getting knocked off in the process.