Our views on the Edinburgh Local Development Plan consultation

There once was a time when the plan for the regeneration of Leith Docks was illustrated with this picture. Well, it's looking increasingly unlikely that this plan will ever come to fruition. At the moment, Scottish Enterprise are busy spending £500,000 of tax payers money on a new masterplan for Leith Docks, which is almost entirely owned by Forth Ports.

Simultaneously, the council is in the process of preparing a new Local Development Plan for the whole city.

This plan is important because it will set out the key land uses, and principles that will guide development over a number of years.

Both these processes have huge long term implications for Leith.

Recently, the consultation period on the plan's "Main Issues Report," came to and end. Greener Leith put in a submission. Here are some of the things we call on the council to do: 

• Protect the greenbelt whilst there is still plenty of 'brownfield' area left within the city.
• Adopt a 'minimum density' policy within the city to avoid sprawl and promote sustainable housing.
• Explicitly support national and local Government targets on promoting active travel.
• Adopt a favourable approach to community owned renewable energy schemes.  
• Preserve agricultural land close to the city on the basis that we might need it in the future if oil becomes significantly more expensive.
• Promote policies which favour the city centre as the best location for both office and retail developments.
• Prevent developers from providing their quota of affordable housing 'off-site,' as we think the current policy works and helps to produce mixed income communities.
• Take a more robust approach to conserving our built and natural heritage.
• Explicitly acknowledge and seek to expand active travel networks set out in the council's Active Travel plan. 

When it comes to Leith more specifically, the report asked people to choose between two options. We chose, like some other community groups, to reject both options as too extreme and dogmatic. Instead we called for a flexible approach to the regeneration of the docks that recognises:  

• Significantly increasing the amount of retail space around Ocean Terminal without building large numbers of new homes puts the vitality of Leith's existing town centres around Great Junctions Street and Leith Walk at risk. 
• Not all green industries are the same and not all industries which claim to be "green," actually are. Whilst we would welcome green jobs on the docks this must not be to the detriment of the existing inhabitants and local economy and therefore we suggest some factors the future plan should consider.
• Zoning large swathes of brownfield land soley for industrial use should be avoided as there is no guarantee that the hoped for manufacturing industries will in fact materialise. Depending on what happens to the economy, and indeed government subsidies for renewable energy, it may transpire that more jobs could be created over the lifetime of the next plan by doing something else. 
• There is still less green space per person in Leith than anywhere else in the city. New parks and allotments need to be created in the area.
• There are a number of current active planning applications that will see existing small light industrial premises converted into commercial offices and housing. We believe the future plan should aim to preserve the amount of light industrial capacity of the area in order to promote a diverse and resilient local economy.  

 You can find our full consultation response here, but you might also need to read it in conjuction with the Main Issues Report document to make sense of it. 

Leith Shop Idol will see shoppers award £3K to local business

A council plan to encourage local businesses to get involved in improving the appearance of Leith has been launched this week. 

Local shoppers will help a panel of judges decide which local shop owner should be awarded prizes worth up to £3000 based on the businesses shop fronts by voting during a designated window week - scheduled to kick off on Monday the 13th of February. 

The public vote will take place online on the city council run, "I Love Leith" Facebook page. As far as we can tell there's no other way for the public to vote.  So if you don't have a Facebook account, well, no luck.

Local businesses are being encouraged to take part in the competition, and they are being given a bit of extra help to participate too. There will be a free "Window Dressing Workshop" at the MacDonald Road Library on the 18th of January, from 6-9pm. 

There's also to be a panel of, as yet unnamed, judges who will score entries by looking for the the shop that’s made the biggest improvement to its window display leading up to Window Week. In particular they'll be looking for:

• Creative/innovative window displays

• Quality of paintwork/overall condition of shop exterior

• What your shop looks like when it’s closed

• Relevance of display to business and season

• Customer information provision

• Visual impact

If you are a business interested in participating or a local resident interested in voting - you can find out more from the special new website that's been set-up to promote the scheme at www.leithshopidol.co.uk

Akdeniz Mediterranean Food Centre to open on Leith Walk

Judging by this planning application Leith Walk is soon to become home to a  "Mediteranean Food Store" at 84-90 Leith Walk. 

This is a large, airy looking shop unit that has lain empty for some time. As you can see from Google Streetview, it was once occupied by "The Bed Shed."

View Larger Map

Leith Walk is already home to two chinese supermarkets and numerous other food suppliers specialising in food from all around the world, so this new retailer is likely to fit right in. Indeed, it can only help to build on the existing 'foodie' appeal of Leith. 

According to Google Translate, Akdeniz means "Mediterranean" in Turkish. So, it may just be a coincidence that there seems to be an exisiting Mediterranean grocery firm called Akdeniz which has two branches in London. Or it may it may be the same folk making their first foray north of the border. 

Either way, we're pretty sure most Leithers will be pleased to see such a large, high profile shop, being bought back into productive use. 

Shop front upgrade for Foot of the Walk

Whilst there were some people who were somewhat disappointed to learn that that "the major new retailer" that Leithers were promised for the old Woolworths site at the Foot of the Walk has turned out to be another charity shop, residents will be pleased to learn that a series of shop fronts near the Foot of the Walk are to be upgraded, thanks to grant funding from the Leith Townscape Heritage Iniitiative.

View Larger Map

Planning applications have been lodged for improvements to numbers 7B, 9A and 11 Duke Street, and around the corner on Constitution Street, numbers 177, 179 and 181 are also set to benefit. The scheme will see some of the more garish signage removed, and a more consistent look applied to the shops, with more of the original stonework revealed.

All the shops appear to be owned by the same company, NWG Investments Ltd, and are basically part of the same listed building.

What's Greener? Shop Local or Shop Online?

It seems that some Leithers have decided that skiis are currently the best way to get across Leith Links to the shops. But whilst this years "unprecendented cold snap" has surprised Edinburgh by coming early - Christmas has not yet been cancelled by the snow.

And the first challenge for anyone who wants to at least try to minimise the environmental impact of supplying an entire extended family with food, gifts and entertainment over the festive period is how to get all that extra (ethically purchased) stuff to your house.

So, what's the best way to do it? Shop local or Shop online? It's a tricky one, and the answer doesn't seem to be clear cut. In a nutshell - even a fairly sceptical study suggests it's better to shop online but not:

• if you can buy the thing you need locally
• if you're buying less than 25 things from the same place
• if you don't cut down on the number of journeys you make by car or by bus as a consequence.

What does this mean? Well for city dwellers it depends a lot on your existing shopping habits. If you live the kind of lifestyle where you pick up a few things from the local shop on the way home each evening for dinner, then you'll probably find that you're better off not changing anything.

If on the other hand, you do drive to a supermarket on a regular basis and fill the whole car with food, you'd be better off (and probably less stressed) by making these kinds of purchases online and getting the shop to deliver it.

For one-off purchases like Christmas presents, the worst thing you can do from a carbon emissions point of view is drive about making several 'reconaisance' trips, without making a purchase. Try to do this research online, rather than in a shop. If you end up needing to make a round trip of more than 50KM to buy your present, you're definately better off buying it online.

However, perhaps a more objective study by the Commission for Integrated Transport tends to indicate that even small items like books can provide a carbon saving if bought online - and you actually manage to be in when it's delivered. All the yellow bars in the graph below are the 'online shopping' scenarios. You can see they come out lower than the 'conventional shopping' scenarios.(If you click on the graph you can see a larger version).

However, all this assumes that you must drive or take the bus to the shops. In Leith, we're blessed with a fine range of local independent shops that can satisfy most pockets and tastes. So, if you can walk or cycle, (or ski, sled, or snowboard) you can cut the transport related carbon emissions of that 'last mile' from shop to home to zero in an instant.

If you're buying something bulky or heavy, you could always borrow a bike trailer. You'd be surprised what you can carry in them!

The problem with privatised public spaces

Most people would probably agree that Multrees Walk is fairly attractive public space. There's no traffic, it has a high quality 'retail experience', there's a cafe where you can sit outside and watch life go by. Some of the shops have better than average window displays. Just don't try and take a photo of it, as overzealous security guards might start threatening you.

The security guards might even follow you down the street demanding you delete your photos.

The Firm Magazine looks at the legalities around taking photographs in public spaces here.

Whilst most people like to feel safe when they go shopping, is it the job of private companies to manage this, and "enforce" laws whenever they want, however tenuous their interpretation or claim to authority? Afterall, there may be "no cycling" signs up at the entrance to Multrees Walk - but there are no signs prohibiting photography in Multrees Walk. One thing that is for certain - there is no general law against taking photographs from public spaces.

As Paul Kingsnorth, writing about "private" public spaces in this article in the Guardian in 2006 puts it:

"In towns and cities all over England, what was once public is now private. It is effectively owned by corporations, which set the standards of behaviour. These standards are the standards that are most congenial to their aim - getting you to buy things. So there will be no begging, no being homeless, no wearing hoodies. There will be no busking, and often there will be no sitting either, except in designated areas. You will eat and drink where you are told to. You will not skateboard or cycle or behave "inappropriately". And as for political demonstrations - don't even think about it."

This description, of a national trend towards building private "malls without walls," sounds eerily similar to Multrees Walk doesn't it?

The reaction of the security guards in the clips above is rumoured to have inspired local photographers to mount a peaceful protest to underline that there is no law preventing people from taking photos in public spaces. There is an informal plan to descend upon Multrees Walk enmasse to give it a good photographing at 12.30pm on Monday. 

Found via the Edinburgh Reporter

Update on October 19, 2010 by Ally

The Guardian Edinburgh Blog followed the resulting Flash Mob to interview the participants. Here's the video clip by Tom Allan:

Photo Flash Mob on Edinburgh's Multrees Walk from Tom Allan on Vimeo.

Update on October 22, 2010 by Ally

In a further update, the Guardian Edinburgh blog carries a statement from Multrees Walk, which seems to indicate that the people who attended the 'flashmob' have won a tiny victory for freedom to photograph:

"Following an incident recently when visitors to Multrees Walk were approached by contract security staff and prevented from taking photos we have been asked to review our policy and have done so.

"We would like to confirm that photography is not banned at Multrees Walk and that people doing this will not be stopped unless they are conducting a professional photo-shoot or filming, in which case they will still need permission from Centre Management in advance.

"Members of the public taking photos for their own use should be allowed to continue and we will be instructing our security staff accordingly.

"The safety and security of our visitors and occupiers is of paramount importance to us and we work closely with Lothian and Borders Police as the threat of crime and terrorism is ever present, nevertheless we recognise that what happened in this case was not appropriate.

"We want to apologise to the individuals who were involved last week."

New stats exorcise ghost town Leith tag

Last week we wrote about a report that branded Leith the Ghost Town of Scotland, as Leith alledgedly had the highest number of empty shops in Scotland. Well, Greener Leith has received statistics from council officers that go a long way to challenging that report. In fact, they show that Leith Walk is on the up.

Here's how Leith compares to other parts of Edinburgh:

• In Corstorphine there are  102 shops with 12 empty = vacancy rate of 10.7%
• In Gorgie/Dalry there are   221 shops with 29 empty = vacancy rate of 13.1%
• In Morningside/Bruntsfield there are 248 shops with 14 empty = vacancy rate of 5.6%
• In Nicholson/Clerk St there are 224 shops with 19 empty = vacancy rate of 8.5%
• In Portobello there are 141 shops with 8 empty = vacancy rate of 5.7%
• In Stockbridge there are 165 shops with 17 empty = vacancy rate of 10.3%
• In Tollcross there are 120 shops with 11 empty = vacancy rate of 9.2%
• In Leith Walk there are 295 shops with 39 empty = vacancy rate of 13.5%  
• In Leith Central (around Great Junction St) there are  102 shops with 19 empty - a vacancy rate of 18.6%

So things aren't great in Leith, but they're not awful. And crucially things are improving on Leith Walk; since July the ratio has reduced to just over 13% - with at least another 5 known Lettings/Under Offer - and since April 2009 the ratio has reduced from over 17.2%.

These new stats also mean that nationally, Leith doesn't top the league table in Scotland any more. That unluckly title should really go to Ayr.

Ghost Town Leith

This week Leith received an accolade no neighbourhood would want. The Local Data Company released a report that identified Leith as the town centre with the highest number of empty shops in Scotland. With a vacancy rate of 23.4%, Leith has a lot more empty shops than the next town in the league table for Scotland, which is Ayr on 16% - and Edinburgh itself which has a vacancy rate of just 9.6%.

Scottish Ghost Town League Table

Across the UK, the report shows that most town centres are experiencing higher vacancy rates, and that nearly all the town centres that have improved over the last six months are in the South East. So, why is Leith such a comparative ghost town?

In a related article in The Sun, a number of local business men were quoted:

George Bowman, who runs one of two independent butchers on Great Junction Street, said "I've been here since 1961 and there has been a decline over the years. This was one of the busiest streets in the city, but sadly no more. We can't beat the superstores."

Fishmonger Brian Gilchrist said: "It's a combination of the credit crunch and the trams messing up parking. Our trade is 50 per cent down." 

Keith Withitt, 45 - boss of secondhand store Cash In Hand, - says the area no longer appeals to shoppers.

He added: "Parking restrictions are ridiculous and the streets are filthy. It's not a nice area to go shopping. No wonder no one comes here."

Artist Alastair Cook, who lives in Leith, has posted a slide show of photographs of empty shops to Flickr.com - most of them are in the Leith area. He puts the blame firmly on the bankers, "We may have a UNESCO World Heritage site here, but it's also being ravaged by the bankers spree with our borrowed future. We live here, and they will not be forgiven."

Can you imagine negotiating this crossing with poor mobility or eyesight?So, it would seem that small Leith traders are being hit from all sides. They've got to contend with:

• Chain stores like Asda, Tesco and Lidl, hoovering up more and more local trade.
• Waterfront regeneration plans that seem to favour an expansion of Ocean Terminal and even more chain store led retailers.
• A credit crunch that makes it hard for businesses to invest and grow.
• The collapse of Woolworths, Threshers, and the closure or merger of some of the local branches of banks.
• The uncertainty and upheaval of the tram works - which leads to a poor quality public realm. This in turn deters people from walking to their local shops.
• And lastly, they've got the internet to contend with. 70% of Leith Walk retailers don't have their own website - and yet the internet is now one of their biggest sources of competion, and a fantastic marketing opportunity.

But it's not all bad news

Behind this non descript facade lies a temporary art gallerySo what can be done to remedy the Ghost Town effect? Local blogger Fay Young reckons part of the solution could be more creative uses of emtpy shops and derelict spaces - even if they're temporary "pop-up" affairs. This requires both a flexible attitude from landlords, and lots of people with great ideas. And just off Leith Walk there's an example of just the sort of thing she's talking about. Across the road from Boda Bar at 4, Lorne St, the Sun Bear Gallery has been open from Thursdays - Saturdays for the last 8 weeks.

A group of enterprising artists simply approached the owner who was using the shop as a store room for junk and secondhand furniture. The window was broken and the shop was generally a bit run down - and so they did a deal. In return for clearing the shop, and fixing it up they got 10 weeks free rent over the festival to exhibit their art. 

Tim Le Breuliiy, one of the artists involved, told us that the gallery has been a great success, with local folk coming in, and even making the occasional purchase. In fact they want to stay in the shop, so they're hoping to persuade the landlord to give them another 10 weeks free rent in return for clearing out the huge basement downstairs. To help raise funds for the gallery they're planning to run a fundraiser on the 19th of September, were Leithers are encouraged to come and buy bric-a-brac, art, home made cakes and coffee.

Of course, local residents can become ghost town busters themselves. Last year we set out to test the popular perception that chain stores are cheaper than independent shops, and discovered that the independent stores in Leith are 15% cheaper, with more choice, than the local chain stores. You can support your local shops by using your We Love Leith bag when you go shopping in the neighbourhood. Lots of local businesses will give you a discount to thank you when you shop with it.

There are other discount schemes going on too. For example, The Leith Business Association have recently set-up the "Leith Shoppers" facebook page, with the aim of helping local businesses to promote special offers to local residents.

But, it isn't just about spending your money cleverly. If you see litter, grafitti, dumping, potholes or other public realm problems, don't ignore them! Report them to www.fixmystreet.com - and not only will they automatically be referred to the council to do something about it, they'll also appear on our Fix My Leith page.

And of course there's the I Love Leith partnership - that brings together folk from the council, TIE and other agencies (sometimes even Greener Leith) to help promote the area. Apart from the banners along Leith Walk, this groups most high profile initiative is the Leith Business Hub in the McDonald Road Library - this provides free training courses to help traders upskill and compete.

It's worth bearing in mind that new shops are opening up in Leith all the time too. Perhaps in a few years time, when the tram is finally built, we've got out of the worst of the credit crunch, and Leith Walk has been restored to its former glory, Leith won't even be in the 'Ghost Town' league table at all?

Of course it might not work out that way. Certainly we may need to ask some tough questions. The toughest one of all is posed by Mathew Hopkinson, of the Local Data Company. He asks, "In light of these new and fast growing ‘off the high street’ channels [internet shopping etc], will we ever need these vacant shops again?"

Recently Leith Central Community Council discussed a planning application from a developer who wants to convert a series of shop units on Easter Road into flats. We hear opinion was divided.

Update on September 14, 2010 by Ally

Linda Tarbuck from the Leith Links Residents Association and Cllr Munro discussed this issue on Radio Scotland. At the moment you can listen to what they said on BBC I-player: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00tptyz/Call_Kaye_13_09_2010