The council propose that Pilrig will be designated as a conservation area, following a planning committee decision in February which now requires some consultation. The eastern boundary of the area will be Leith Walk and, if the council decide to proceed with this proposal, the part of Pilrig which currently lies within the Leith Conservation Area will now fall into the new Pilrig Conservation Area.
Pilrig Colonies will not be included as they are already designated as a separate conservation area in themselves.
There is an online survey which you can now add your voice and opinion to. You will find it here.
There will be an exhibition at McDonald Road Library for two weeks from Monday 13 May with open meetings on 15th and 22nd May between 4 and 7:30pm when council officers will be on hand to discuss the proposals. There are further details on the council website.
The Edinburgh Reporter spoke to a representative from Leith Central Community Council who are especially keen for Pilrig to become a designated conservation area.”It has such an interesting history, being on the boundary between Edinburgh and Leith. The area was originally part of the Balfour estate – Robert Louis Stevenson’s mother was a Balfour – and members of the family lived in Pilrig House.
“They gradually feued their land for housing from the beginning of the 19th Century and took a great interest in what was being built there. Because of this we have not only the usual tenements and large Georgian and Victorian houses but also streets of small Victorian terraced houses and cottages, unusual so near to central Edinburgh. The different types of housing means that the area has a good social and ethnic mix, and makes it a great place to live. We think that achieving conservation status for the Pilrig area would help to maintain these special qualities.”
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