Saughton Park secures Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) investment

I've mentioned Saughton Park a couple of time before on the blog - here and here ...

... and am absolutely delighted to be able to confirm that the Park has received very significant funds from HLF to help towards its full restoration - wonderful news :-)

I'll reproduce the relevant News release below:

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SAUGHTON PARK SECURES HERITAGE LOTTERY FUND INVESTMENT
Date  14/January/2016 

The City of Edinburgh Council has been awarded £3.8m from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to restore and improve Saughton Park it was announced today (Thursday 14 January).
 

The park will see restoration of the walled garden with new herbaceous borders, planting schemes and refurbishment of the winter garden. The original bandstand will be re-instated and a new cafe and public toilet facilities will be built. There will be improvements across the whole park including a new viewpoint at the Water of Leith, and the funding will also help towards repairs to and installation of furniture, lighting and pathways. 

An exciting programme of events and activities will be developed which are aimed at a wider range of park users and offer volunteer and learning opportunities for all to enjoy. 

Following today’s announcement, detailed design work will start immediately with construction works starting next year. It is anticipated that the newly restored park will be fully opened by August 2018.

 

Commenting on the award, Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Hinds, said:

“I am thrilled that the Heritage Lottery Fund has given us this support. Saughton Park is a hidden gem in the south west of the city and this funding will help restore and improve this historically important park.

 

“In 2013, at the early stages of the bid, I had said this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get the funding to put this park back at the centre of outdoor living in Edinburgh and also at the centre of horticultural activities in Scotland and I am delighted that it is coming true.”

 

The Council has been working with the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society, better known as the Caley, to explore how the park can be used as a base for their administration and a wide range of activities. The new funds now mean the stables will be restored as a new community venue and base as well as new teaching and demonstration gardens. They will offer a range of learning and educational activities for both adults and children, as well as activities suitable for those with disabilities.

 

Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, Lucy Casot, said:

 “Parks, and the historic features in them, are a wonderful legacy from our ancestors. They are enjoyed by all ages and are often a community’s only green space in which to relax away from the pressures of daily life. Using funds raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund is delighted to be able to protect and transform Saughton Park helping make a difference to the quality of life for the thousands through its gates.”

 

The £3,799,100 HLF funding represents 73% of the total costs which is estimated to be £5.2 million.  Match funding is made up of £899,000 from the council capital programme budget and external funding of £200,000 along with increased management and maintenance costs for up to five years once the construction works have been completed. 

The Friends of Saughton Park group which formed in early 2014 has also been working with Council staff and Caley members to develop the master plan proposals for the park and gardens. They will play a key role in the future park, leading on history and heritage activities, and maintaining a new community physic garden.

Friends of Saughton Park member Shona Nelson welcomed the news. She said:

"We are delighted that Heritage Lottery Fund have chosen to make this award to Saughton Park. This will mean that we can really secure a future for the park, which is a great asset to our local community. The funding will make a massive difference as it will enable facilities to be improved significantly. New and existing members of our community and beyond will be encouraged to come and use the park, simply because it will be a much better experience.  The Friends of Saughton Park will continue to work hard to support this. It is exciting that our historic park will be given a whole new lease of life."

 

In addition to the works being funded by HLF the Council will be investing in improvements to the car parks, boundaries and sports pitches, and a new micro-hydro scheme and ground source heating system is planned.

NOTES TO EDITORS

 

History of Saughton Park and Gardens

Saughton Park was originally established as part of Saughton Hall in the 17th century, before being purchased by the City of Edinburgh Council and opened to the public between 1900 and 1905, and is considered one of Edinburgh’s six ‘premier parks’.

In 1908 it was redesigned for the Scottish National Exhibition, resulting in a range of new features, including sporting facilities, a bandstand and winter and botanical gardens. 

Although initially partly laid out as a golf course, the park became the site of the famous 1908 Scottish National Exhibition, which attracted 3.5 million admissions. 

 

After the Exhibition closed the gardens created in the Walled Garden were retained for the people of Edinburgh and as a tourist attraction, the rest of the site being opened as a public park – principally for sports. The gardens included a glass-house which was used as a winter garden, and other buildings – including a stable block, used to accommodate gardening and other parks staff or provide facilities for park users (e.g. public toilets). A bandstand was also erected in 1909. 

 

During their hey-day the gardens rivalled those of the Royal Botanic Garden, playing host to probably the best collection of roses in Scotland, and being the home of the National Rose Trials. They drew thousands of tourists visiting Edinburgh, and were regularly used for horticultural displays, demonstrations and events. 

 

The Parks for People programme uses Lottery funds to support the regeneration, conservation and increased enjoyment of public parks and cemeteries. Find out more about how to apply at: www.hlf.org.uk/parks

Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF)
From the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife, we use National Lottery players' money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about.

www.hlf.org.uk @heritagelottery

 

January's Corporate Policy and Strategy Committee

Reports are now out for January's "Corporate Policy and Strategy" Committee; it meets next Tuesday 19th January!

All the papers/reports are now in the public domain: the main Agenda can be found here.

The individual reports are all on Committee Papers on-Line (CPOL) linked from here.

And, of course, all the Policy and Strategy Committee meetings are webcast live - and thereafter archived! All available via here --- it's TV; but not like you've ever seen before ;-)

Council Budget Meeting next week ...

The 2016/17 Council 'Budget Meeting' is coming up on Thursday 21st Janurary ... starts at 10am, and as usual the meeting will be broadcast live on the web via this link:
http://www.edinburgh.public-i.tv/core/portal/home

And, as per previous years, the Capital Coalition will publish it's Budget Motion in full, first-thing on the morning that the Reports go on-line ... Friday 15th January.

And just to confirm - all of the relevant paperwork/Reports will be up on CPOL (Committee Papers OnLine), and fully accessible from first-thing Friday morning, via this link:
http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/cpol

I'll put the Coalition Budget Motion on the blog at the same time; first-thing Friday morning.

As ever; I do hope this will all help aid constructive debate/decision-making next week.

Record number of responses to budget engagement

Budget-day for the City of Edinburgh Council is now looming large ...

... and the public consultation we undertook, on our draft proposals, has now finished and is being reported to Committee this Thursday.

I'll reproduce the relevant News Release (with various links therein) far below; but first a bit of general information:

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By way of background, to the local situation here in Edinburgh, there is a huge amount of further information publically available via: http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/budget  - and the various links therein.

And, there is specific detail on the individual 2016/17 draft-proposals for Edinburgh (which was made public in early October 2015) via this document:

http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/49397/item_76_-_2016-20_revenue_and_capital_budget_framework

As you’ll hopefully be aware, we did run a very significant public consultation process – on those draft proposals – from early October 2015 right through to Thursday 17th December 2015.

That consultation process generated over 4,000 responses; and a summary of the feedback can now be accessed here:

http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/49396/item_75_-2016_20_budget_proposals_overview_of_feedback_and_engagement

We will consider all of this feedback prior to setting the final 2016/17 Budget; which isn’t ultimately decided until the Full Council Meeting on Thursday 21st January 2016.

More generally; please be assured that, as Local Councillors, we are doing everything we can within the constraints we face to protect services to the old, the young, and the vulnerable – but the current state of Local Government finance is increasingly making that a very difficult task year-on-year.

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Record number of responses to budget engagement

Published Monday, 11th January 2016

A record number of people have given feedback on the services that matter to them as part of the City of Edinburgh Council’s 2016/17 budget engagement.

There were a total of 4183 responses, up 31% on last year, relating to a variety of topics such as parking charges, school music tuition, allotments, library services, waste collections and council tax.

This year, the public have been able to have their say through a variety of methods, including an online planner and  the online ‘Your City, Your Say’ dialogue page(external link), which let people submit suggestions and rate others’ views. 

Results of the engagement will be detailed in a report to be considered by the Finance and Resources Committee on Thursday, 14 January.

These include:

• 1,086 people using the online budget planner, which this year focused on some of the key transformational topics
• 1,067 responses via email, telephone call, letter or participation in an online survey
• 153 ideas discussed on the dedicated dialogue page
• Social media: 376 comments made about budget proposals on Facebook and Twitter
• A budget question time event  attended by over 50 people, viewed by more than 200 people on the live webcast and watched another 360 times using the archive.

Finance and Resources Convener, Councillor Alasdair Rankin, said: “It has been an important element of the Capital Coalition’s contract with the city that we would seek your views on the decisions we make which affect you. With this in mind we have once again put our budget proposals out to consultation to ask what services are important to you in your daily lives.

“It is encouraging that a record number of responses have been received as part of the City of Edinburgh Council’s 2016/17 budget engagement and that so many of you want to work with us on what are the most important decisions that this Council will make.

“It is vital that we make it as easy as possible for you to have your say on how we spend and save money. We are already carefully considering the range of feedback we’ve received, which will enable us to make informed decisions when setting our budget. In previous years we have amended aspects of the budget to reflect what we have heard and I’m sure we will do so this time as well.”

The strength of public opinion was also demonstrated by three petitions submitted, two on proposals to introduce charges for music tuition and one on proposals to reduce hours for school crossing guides at lunch time.

This year, the range of online budget feedback tools has built on the success of an online budget planner launched in 2014.  The new dialogue tool encourages people to discuss and rate their own ideas. 

Online engagement was supplemented by more traditional means of communication, including face-to-face meetings, leaflets with forms, and media.

The report will be considered at Finance and Resources Committee, which will take place on Thursday, 14 of January and can be watched on webcast(external link).

Dr Neil’s Garden, Duddingston

We visited here for the very first-time on Hogmanay ...

... this is my 23rd year in Edinburgh, and to my shame I didn't know of this garden until a few weeks ago :-(


"Dr Neil's Garden is open every day including weekends from 10 am till Dusk.

Entry is free of charge (except during advertised events) but donations are welcome - see our Support Us page."



What else can I say --- if you haven't already been .. do just go :-)

New Year Allotment Update :-)

Hope everyone has had a good Christmas and Hogmanay ...

... we've had a large selection of visitors over the holiday-period, which has been great, and have managed to inflict some holiday-visits to our Allotment upon them ;-)

This first snap is from the end of 2015; showing that most of the plot is in reasonably good order (I hope!) ...

... and the one below is from today, and the start of 2016, and shows our much-loved greenhouse/shed; which we are actually planning to re-build at some stage during this year :-)

 --- just click either picture, for a better view! ... and very best wishes to all for 2016.

Happy New Year!

A short New Year's video message from yours truly ;-)

Reasons to be cheerful

Had a short opinion-piece in the Evening News last week - you can read it via here and/or main text is re-produced below ...

 

Good to grow as we look forward to 2016

For all of the obvious challenges, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that 2015 has been another successful year for the Capital City of Scotland.

Edinburgh continues to be a hugely attractive place to live, with an average of an additional 5,000 people choosing to move here every single year – that’s a 1% annual growth, which will soon see Edinburgh reach the half-million population mark.

Very few other UK-cities are drawing anything like this level of population-attraction to them on a yearly basis – and, for me, it still remains the case that Edinburgh’s overall ‘Quality of Life’ is what makes us stand out from the crowd.

In addition, our local economy is still outperforming all of our major UK-competitors; with Edinburgh continuing to rank as the city with the second highest ‘Gross Value Added’ (GVA) per resident, after London.

We also have the lowest claimant rate for Jobseekers Allowance – currently at less than 1.5% - of any major city throughout the whole of the UK.

And Edinburgh today has one of the most talented workforces in the whole of Europe – with 2015 seeing the percentage of the population of the capital, educated to degree level or above, reaching over 50% for the first time.

And dare I mention that even the tram has had a successful year; with tram patronage increased by some 12% when compared to last year, and the projected total of 5.1million passengers for the whole of 2015 meaning that the service continues to outperform targets set in the business model.

We have also seen the submission of a £1billion-plus ‘City Region Deal’ for the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region; to both UK and Scottish Governments. It’s further estimated that an additional £3.2billion of private sector investment could be leveraged, if our bid is successful. And we should know the outcome in the early months of 2016.

Turning to 2016, there is no question that the overall economic prospects for the City are positive. But that does not mean we are short of significant challenges; as perversely the success of the City economy does not translate to any direct, additional funding for the Local Authority.

Indeed, we face the double-whammy of an increasing population – with consequential growing demand for our services at both ends of the age-spectrum: more +80 years olds than ever before, requiring more social care than ever before; and more 3-5 year olds that ever before, requiring more Nursery and Primary education than ever before – and the undeniable fact that our revenue-funding is now declining; all meaning that we will definitely have some difficult decisions when we set the 2016/17 Budget in the early part of next year.

And inside the Council, as is often the case periodically whether in the public or private sector, we are seeing the implementation of a new management-structure; with a new Senior Management Team.

But, being the eternal optimist, these are all constructive challenges to be facing ... challenges of success and growth, not decline and stagnation.

And with a Scottish Parliament election on the horizon in May next year, we may even see the beginnings of a return of some fiscal flexibility to Local Authorities; with a serious debate already raging about the future of the Council Tax and how Local Government generally is currently being funded.

So clearly, there is much to look forward to but also much work to do in the year ahead.

And I do wish you and yours, the very best for a happy and successful 2016.

Cllr Andrew Burns

Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council

Merry Christmas and Very Best Wishes for 2016 :-)

My very last day in the Office for this year ...

... and I am planning to have a bit of a complete break from 'the blog/twitter/facebook/blipfoto' over the next couple of weeks.

Normal service will resume on Tuesday 5th January 2016  ;-)


I am in-and-around Edinburgh over the holiday-period, but seriously hoping to reacquaint myself with the family!

My work e-mails are though being read by staff, so if you need to get in touch urgently, then that's the best way to do so: andrew.burns@edinburgh.gov.uk

I am also available on the mobile if its a real emergency ...

... hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Very Best Wishes for 2016 :-)

Forth Road Bridge given green light to reopen (from 6am tomorrow, Wednesday 23rd December)

Very welcome news this morning ... the Forth Road Bridge will re-open to all vehicles (except HGVs) from 6am tomorrow morning :-)

More details via the Scottish Government News Release, which I'll also re-produce below ...

... and *huge thanks* to all those who have worked round-the-clock to make this happen.

Forth Road Bridge given green light to reopen

22/12/2015 10:30

Scotland

Economy

Transport

Operating company Amey confirms that temporary repairs have been completed.

The Forth Road Bridge will be open to vehicles except HGVs from tomorrow (Wednesday) morning.
Operating company Amey today confirmed that temporary repairs had been completed. Transport Minister Derek Mackay praised the team involved in the repair work who have worked around the clock to get the bridge reopened.
The main points from the update on Forth Road Bridge repairs are as follows:

• Bridge to reopen to all vehicles bar HGVs and abnormal loads from 6am tomorrow (Weds)
• Installation of steel splint to repair the cracked member is complete
• Detailed load testing of the bridge is complete
• HGVs account for 32 per cent of the weight the bridge normally carries despite making up approx 9 per cent of overall traffic
• Splints continue to be installed at other seven truss end links as a precautionary measure – this work can be safely completed with the bridge open
• Full inspection of FRB is 90% complete with no material defects detected – remaining inspection will continue until early January and can be safely completed with the bridge open

Work has been completed to repair the cracked member through the installation of a steel splint, as planned. As previously announced, this splint repair was always intended to be interim in order to allow the bridge to be safely re-open to traffic pending a permanent repair being carried out. Since completion of the interim repair, the member in question has been thoroughly load tested, monitored, and results gathered through the use of strain gauges. These sophisticated devices have been installed for the first time on the bridge and provide live and accurate data on strains, stresses and rotations within this area of the bridge.

The results from this monitoring show the bridge can now be safely reopened to all traffic, except HGVs and abnormal loads. This means that the bridge will be open to over 90 per cent of the traffic that uses it. Independent engineering experts have analysed the findings and agree with Amey’s assessment that loading the bridge with HGVs could result in stress to the truss end link. They agree the best way to mitigate against this risk is to exclude HGVs from using the bridge until the permanent repair is in place. This will take around six weeks to complete and, subject to favourable weather conditions and no further defects being identified, the bridge should reopen to HGVs in mid-February. Ministers and officials will now discuss with hauliers the operational support that can be offered to them during the period when they cannot access the bridge.

Transport Minister Derek Mackay said:

"I am pleased that we are now able to reopen the bridge to 90 per cent of traffic, well ahead of schedule. Following rigorous testing and inspection of the temporary repair, experts have recommended the bridge is now ready to open to all traffic except HGVs. With the temporary solution now in place, the remaining work to install the long term repair can safely proceed without the need for a full closure. The repairs will be carried out with overnight lane restrictions on the bridge.

"For the complex and detailed interim repair to have been completed in this timeframe is a tribute to the highly skilled and dedicated staff who have worked 24/7 since December 3rd. Since the closure was put in place, weather conditions have been mainly favourable and the team have been able to complete the repair work in good time.

"This has been an unprecedented challenge. We can't lose sight of the fact that many people have been inconvenienced by the closure. While that is deeply regrettable, I would like to thank the transport operators who pulled out all of the stops to put on extra services. In fact, I am pleased to announce that ScotRail have decided to continue the additional 05:52 Fife train given the popularity of the service, for as long as demand is evident.

“We have said all along our focus was on reopening the bridge as soon as possible and so today’s news is very welcome. However we understand that there will be considerable disappointment that the bridge will require to remain closed to HGVs for a few more weeks. While HGVs account for 9 per cent of overall traffic on the bridge, they represent 32 per cent of the weight the bridge carries. We therefore have no choice but to accept the recommendation of the engineers. However, we will now work with hauliers to discuss what operational support will be available to them during the period when they cannot access the bridge. Engineers predict that following the permanent repair at the failed north east tower location, and subject to favourable weather and no further defects being identified, the bridge should reopen to HGVs by mid-February.

“In addition to the interim repair on the cracked member, splints are being installed on the other seven members as a precaution. Of these, work is already complete at four and the remaining three will be completed, subject to weather, by the end of December. There is no reason for the bridge to remain closed while this work is completed. The other seven members have also been inspected and load tested and no issues have been discovered. However strain gauges will also be attached to these members to gather accurate data on their performance.

“Since closure of the bridge was put in place it has also undergone a thorough health check. A painstaking inspection has been carried out involving over 65 rope access inspectors and drone footage to identify any other defects. The inspection is 90 per cent complete and no material defects have been identified. It will be concluded by early January and there is no reason to keep the bridge closed while this is completed.”

Chartered Engineer Mark Arndt, Amey's Account Director responsible for the bridge said:

"Better than expected weather conditions and round the clock work by our teams allowed us to progress with the detailed inspection, scaffolding construction and actual repairs quicker than originally anticipated. While we are pleased to have finished ahead of schedule for non HGV traffic to use the bridge, we are very aware of the on-going inconvenience for HGVs not having access. Public safety has been at the heart of everything we've been doing and work will be progressing over the coming weeks on the additional strengthening works required to enable HGVs to start safely using the bridge.”

Superintendent Fraser Candlish of the Road Policing Unit said:

“Keeping traffic moving safely in the East of Scotland and minimising disruption to road users continues to be our priority, along with our traffic management partners. We are supporting getting the key route open again as many thousands of people head on their Christmas and New Year journeys.

“To ensure the Bridge opens to all other traffic, we will be enforcing the closure to HGVs. Officers will be on patrol on both sides of the Forth, maintaining a visible presence and stopping heavy goods vehicles on the approach. There will also be enforcement through static and mobile cameras.

“The restrictions are in place for the safety of all bridge users, and I would continue to urge all HGV drivers to leave extra time for their journeys and use the divisions which are being widely signposted and publicised. Extra officers will continue to patrol these diversion routes also, to respond to any incidents which may occur and keep traffic flowing.”

Notes To Editors

The temporary repair work involves strengthening the truss end links through the application of splints to the members, due to the crack which occurred in the bottom of one of the truss end links. It is important that the pin which links to two parts of the joint is moving sufficiently to allow movement in the joint. The results from the load testing show that the movement in the pin located at the lower section of the truss end link is not sufficient to support HGV traffic.

Contact:
Transport Scotland Communications : 0141 272 7195