Breaking news

Food at the National Library of Scotland has improved hugely since Jane St-based caterers Galway Gourmet took over.

‘Jaundiced of Claremont’ reports enjoying a biryani there recently. So much so that afterwards he carefully studied the list of ingredients to discover its secret.

Was it the ‘spiced rice, carrot, and potatoes’? Nothing unusual about those. What about the ‘mushrooms, sunflower, almond, salt and pepper’? No again.

Oh dear. In that case, it can only have been ... the ‘pees’.

The New Town and Broughton Community Council today responded to the Council's draft (Tranche 1) Traffic Regulation Orders on how Edinburgh streets will change because of  trams.

The TROs are being rolled out in three 'tranches': (1) proposed changes along the tram route itself; (2) changes along adjacent routes intended to cope with displaced traffic; (3) changes to cope with unforeseen consequences of the first two tranches.

A Zender piano bought secondhand ten years ago is now on offer free to a good home.

The instrument got its previous owner, with tuition, to Grade 6, and is now in need of retuning. It's situated locally in a ground-floor maindoor flat, so should be easy to shift.

Please pass the word, and if interested contact j.fairley@blueyonder.co.uk.

The General Election is imminent, and in keeping with previous years Spurtle will organise  a hustings for the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency. Members of the public will be able to pose the same question to each of the parlliamentary candidates who attend, and compare their responses.

Plans are already well under way. A chairperson has been confirmed and a venue found. All we need now are a date and a definitive list of those candidates standing.

All details will be confirmed and publicised on this site and elsewhere nearer the time.

To no-one's surprise, a major development is in the offing for 10 Brunswick Road, the 4.08 acre site of the late-lamented Post Office sorting office.

The Royal Mail Group seeks permission in principle to build 200 flats and townhouses, with associated Class 4 business space (office, industrial, research and development), car parking, landscaping and access arrangements.

Drummond CHS will showcase new rock talents at a concert on 22 April. Three local bands and a guest group will star.

Tickets on sale at the school office.

See 'Events' and Issue 181 (published on 1 April) for further details.

Work to demolish 2 buildings at 47–9 Annandale Street is well under way.

Already, 80 percent of the flooring clearance appears to be complete.

The buildings will be replaced by a 4-storey office block which will serve as the new Bus and Trams HQ with basement parking and access to the adjacent depot (Issue 161).

Locals will have a second chance to see pre-planning application designs for the old Martin & Frost site at 130 McDonald Rd.

Architects will present plans at the start of the next New Town and Broughton Community Council meeting on 12 April (7.15pm, Broughton St Mary's Parish Church, Bellevue Crescent).

Hackland + Dore have drawn up the proposal for Foremost Properties (Scotland) LLP (Issues 169, 172). They envisage a mixed commercial and residential development which Spurtle expects to report on in Issue 181.

The deadline for responses to City of Edinburgh Council's proposed amendments to Traffic Regulation Orders on parking has been shifted to 31 March.

The New Town and Broughton Community Council's interim response can be found in 'Extras' (12.3.10).

The Royal Botanic Garden's East Gate on Inverleith Row, closed since 29 February, is expected to open again on 29 March. There is additional temporary access through the North Gate during the interim. The John Hope Gateway remains open as usual.

The gate has closed during exterior refurbishment of the East Gate Lodge, where improved visitor facilities are being installed.