Leith Parks in Decline?

Earlier this year volunteers from Greener Leith were amongst community volunteers from thoughout the city who partnered up with council officers to survey every park in Edinburgh. Greener Leith has now got hold of the results... and before you think we were biased, Greener Leith volunteers helped to survey parks in the South of the city, not these ones.

The survey scored every park in the city on a range of indicators spanning everything from access to maintenance and conservation. It's about as comprehensive a 'quality' survey as you can do, and uses the same methods that are used to award parks with Green Flag awards. In Edinburgh, the council has set it's own targets for the quality of it's parks called the 'Edinburgh Standard'.

Citywide, the quality of our parks is improving but in North Edinburgh, the picture doesn't seem quite so good, despite the fact that the North Neighbourhood Team was awarded an extra £700,000 this year to improve litter and grounds maintenance. The North area team, that covers the Forth, Inverleith and Leith Neighbourhood Partnerships is the only area to see no year on year improvement. Do they need more resources?

Turning to Leith, we can see that the Leith Neighbourhood Partnership is one of only three neighbourhood partnerships in the city to see a decline in the overall quality of our parks. And, worse, the decline is largest in Leith. However, at least we can be grateful that almost three quarters of our parks still meet the 'minimum' quality standards. It could be worse - we could live in Inverleith.

The report has also confirmed something else that was also flagged up by the Open Space Audit consultation. Leith Links is the only Premier Park in Leith - and overall it is the worst quality in the city. Between 2008 and 2009 it dropped from a 'fair' to a 'poor' rating. Since the quality survey was undertaken, some steps have been taken to reverse this decline - for example regular users will not have failed to notice the new notice boards have been put up. These are a welcome addition, but we think most people would agree that it will take more than a few notice boards to turn the park around.

There are glimmers of light at the end of the tunnel though, at least for Leith Links. Greener Leith has a couple of funding bids in for projects that will improve Leith Links, and Leith Links Community Council planted thousands of bulbs with local school kids this Autumn. SUSTRANs has agreed to fund a study that will cost up and plan out some path improvements through Leith Links. Best of all, the latest council report on the Draft Open Space Strategy says:

"It is intended that the strategy and the relevant action plans will include existing proposals for two new citywide play facilities serving the west and north of the city at Saughton Park and Leith Links."

Consultation on Leith Links has highlighted that Leithers want better play facilties as a top priority for Leith Links. So it's at last heartening to read that one day, it looks as though Leith Links might see it's play facilities upgraded to something truly fantastic. Even if there is currently no confirmed budget for this and no timescale has been put on the proposals, it's clear that this investment cannot come soon enough.