Live blog – Light shows – Holyrood – Bull on the loose – Cycle powered cinema
Today at 2pm join us as we live blog with Chief Inspector Richard Thomas of Pentlands area. We are discussing the multi agency Operation Cipher currently underway. This initiative is designed to make life in the Calders better for residents and we hope to be joined by other representatives from the council.
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Have you seen strange lights down at Portobello? If you are in Straiton Park from 9pm any night this week you might be able to see light projections on a tenement in Bath Street…. And talking of lights the lovely taster film from Queen Margaret University lecturer and film-maker, Walid Salhab, shows off our beautiful city in all its glory whether night time or day time, but we especially like the bit at the end of the film with the Speed of Light runners and walkers on Arthur’s Seat. What do you think of this stop motion film?
This time-lapse video is part of Walid Salhab’s ongoing video production research. It is made up of thousands of individual images – mostly stop-motion combined with a little time-lapse photography. Many different Edinburgh locations are used in the film including Queen Margaret University, Dean Village, the Balmoral Hotel and Princes Street.
This video is an initial research exercise. It has allowed Walid to trail new techniques which he intends to use in his next short film.
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MSPs meet at Holyrood today after the summer recess, during which the cabinet has held meetings in various parts of Scotland. We have a separate article explaining what is happening at Holyrood today. Meanwhile the Policy and Strategy Committee is convening at the City Chambers. The full agenda for that meeting includes an update on the proposed new Portobello High School where a decision by the Court of Session which may or may not give the council the go-ahead to start building is expected any day.
The report about this project reads as follows:-“A Petition for Judicial Review was served on the Council in August 2011 aiming to prevent the intended construction of the new Portobello High School on Portobello Park. The petition was subsequently heard in the Outer House of the Court of Session and the judgment was published on 7 March. Whilst the published judgment of Lady Dorrian fully supported the Council position from December 2008 that no authority was required from the Court in order to appropriate the land; an appeal was subsequently lodged against that judgment to the Inner House of the Court of Session.
A report was taken to Council on 26 April 2012 providing an update on the project, advising the status of the legal challenge and subsequent appeal and seeking approval for the proposed next steps; the key recommendations approved were as follows:
(i) Council noted the outcome of, and approved the responses to, the consultation exercise required by the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1959.
(ii) Council approved the appropriation of the land at Portobello Park for use as the site of the new Portobello High School and associated community facilities under the powers available within both the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and the powers available within s20 of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003.
(ii) Council approved the acceptance of the tender from Balfour Beatty Construction Scottish & Southern Limited of £26,114,107 and that a contract be entered into with them as the principal construction contractor to deliver the new Portobello High School on the condition that the existing appeal be first either successfully concluded in favour of the Council or withdrawn in each case to the satisfaction of the Chief Executive in consultation with the Director of Children and Families and Director of Corporate Governance.
The appeal hearing in the Inner House of the Court of Session was heard on 23 and 24 May. The judgement is currently still awaited and is expected imminently. The construction project remains ready to be progressed once the appeal is either concluded in favour of the Council or withdrawn.”
One other major project which is of interest to all of the city is the tram project. The report on that states that it is progressing according to plan:-
“The construction of the tram project continues to make steady progress. All work faces are now established following the start of construction activity in York Place.
There are now 21 trams delivered to the depot.
The project remains on the revised programme and budget with passenger services programmed to commence by summer 2014.
Detailed briefings on the tram construction phases have been held with businesses in the West and Central/East of the City. A series of monthly tram surgeries have also been set up. These will answer in detail any questions that businesses have concerning the construction programme. The first of these is at St Georges Church West on 7th August.
Greg Ward chaired a business support meeting on the 24th July in the West End and this is meant to focus it on general business generation rather than tram construction. A new programme of promotional events is to be developed for the West End.
The Tram Business Forum chaired by Essential Edinburgh is also to take on more of a business generation focus. It will table proposals for a further animation and promotion programme in the city centre to CMT. This is tentatively booked for 9th August.
A new stakeholder manager, Jim Davidson has been appointed and commenced full time work on this area from 22nd July. ”
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A Heck Bull got out of his enclosure yesterday at Edinburgh Zoo, but only for about 40 minutes according to the BBC. With horns about 3 feet long it was certainly more dangerous than Cherry, the Scarlett Ibis which escaped last week for about 10 days, and The Daily Record claims it is about 95 stone, so not exactly what you would want to see hurtling towards you!
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Down at the Botanics they will have the cycle powered cinema on 26 September courtesy of charity Take One Action, Scotland’s Global Action cinema project. They advise that you need to book now. The film being shown is called The Carbon Rush.
RBGE describe it on their website:-“Starting in Scotland, The Carbon Rush takes us around the world to meet the men and women on the front lines of carbon trading – people who’s voices are often unheard in the cacophony surrounding this multi-billion carbon industry. The film visits different projects set up to offset pollution created somewhere else: incinerators burning garbage in India, hydroelectric dams in Panama and Eucalyptus forests harvested for charcoal in Brazil are just some of the places included in this exposé. At this exclusive outdoor screening we’ll explore what impact the international carbon market is having on the natural world?”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
