Breaking news

Councillors will decide on 24 February whether to grant planning permission for a 3-floor Tesco at 8 Picardy Place (Ref. 09/00385/FUL).

The Development Management Sub-committee – which includes local Ward 11 councillors Charles Dundas (Lib-Dem.) and Joanne Mowat (Scottish Con.) – will meet at 10am in City Chambers. Members of the public may attend.

To find out whether this application will be presented and discussed (rather than determined in accordance with officials' recommendation), phone 529 4091 on Tuesday 23 February.

Calton Hillers unhappy at the prospect of not turning right into Blenheim Place from London Road have 28 days from 21 February to object.

Click on Objection below for further details. For a contrary position drawn up by Council officers, click on the Briefing Note below. See also 'Letters'.

For the latest information (25.4.10) visit www.keepblenheimplaceopen.com.

As reported in 'Breaking news' on 11 February, Broughton Street is to partially reopen.

Following a planning meeting on Monday and a site visit yesterday, TIE officials confirmed to Spurtle that Broughton Street will be open to left-turns out of York Place from 1 March.

Broughton Place is currently scheduled to reopen at the end of March.

Spurtle highlighted Magne F's striking exhibition of his 'alpha-beta' artworks at Edinburgh Printmakers' Gallery in our February issue.

The celebrated a-ha keyboardist attended a discussion of his work, and a celebratory reception, at the gallery on 17 February.

Photo courtesy of Printmakers' Workshop.

Never too far from controversy (Issues 49,147,155,168), the former swingers’ club, private gentlemen’s establishment, and health club at 51–3 East Claremont St was raided on 15 February shortly before 6pm.

Police arrived in 7 vehicles, battered their way through the the front door, and searched the property using dogs and powerful lights.

Intruders were thought to be hiding in the roof space. At least one man was detained and taken away. ‘You’ll never read about this in the papers,’ said the police officer questioned by a Spurtle source.

The second annual LGBT arts festival starts on 21 February at the LGBT Centre at 9 Howe Street.

With funding this year from the Lottery Post Code, the event will feature ‘bigger, better and brand new activities’ including painting, sculpture, drama, writing, music and lampshade-making (for a full programme visit www.lgbthealth.org.uk).

The Treacle monkey on Broughton Street is undeterred by last-minute defeat against Wales.

Despite finishing an enormous piece of rock over Christmas, he is now back in peak physical condition and looks forward to swapping a bandana for international caps in games against England, Ireland, and a resurgent Italy.

He looks more confident than many Scottish fans feel.

Property occupiers within Edinburgh's Controlled Parking Zones 1–8, N1–N5 and S1–S5 have until 1 March to respond to City of Edinburgh Council's proposed changes.

Among the amendments would be more shared-use bays, a limit of 2 permits per household, extension of the area in which visitor permits can be bought, and removal of some yellow lines to make more parking spaces. There are also plans to scale fees according to vehicle emissions.

Architects' plans for 8 townhouses off Broughton Road will be presented at a public meeting on 1 March. Spurtle understands that  a 4-storey development is intended for steeply rising land somewhere between Broughton Rd and Heriothill.

Sir Frank Mears Associates will explain their proposal at 7.15pm in the Library at Drummond CHS.This is a pre-planning application presentation at which public opinion will be sought. You can make your views known at the meeting, or express them to the Community Council, or respond in writing later.

As expected, the Liberal Democrat–Scottish Nationalist Administration succeeded in voting through its widely trailed budget proposals on 11 February. A 1% cut in the City of Edinburgh Council's schools budget formed part of this package of measures.