EdinburghInSpring 9

George Street plans up for comment – Airport plans  –  Council’s Legal Team win award – Wildlife Photographer of the Year – 13 artists at Union Gallery

The council agreed last year to trial a new layout on George Street including a cycle path and more space for pedestrians. Now that the plans have been drawn up you can have your say.

The proposal is intended to make one of Edinburgh’s premier shopping streets more welcoming to pedestrians and cyclists and now the plans are accessible online.

The bid,  was approved as part of a wider city centre vision at October’s Transport and Environment Committee and follows the success of a similar trial held in the street during the Festival in 2013.
Members of the public can comment on a series of proposed changes, including:
  • The introduction of a dedicated two-way cycle path travelling the length of George Street.
  • An increase in pedestrian space on each of the street’s four blocks, allowing for outdoor dining facilities, exhibitions and public art, supporting an emerging café culture. Specific uses for the pedestrianised area would be subject to separate planning and licensing permissions.
  • Minimal changes to parking for residents and visitors, with spaces in the centre of the street, separated from new cycle lanes by rubber kerbs and decorative planters, and residents’ parking maintained in the design.
  • A one-way system for general traffic and buses, which would allow eastbound traffic between Frederick Street and St Andrew Square on the north side of the street and westbound traffic between Frederick Street and Charlotte Square. The opposite sides of the street will be closed to traffic.
Final designs for the George Street trial were drawn up after a six-week consultation held with stakeholders and the public. Results demonstrated support for change and a strong desire for Edinburgh to develop a long term strategic vision for the success of the city and its centre.
You have the opportunity to comment on, raise issue with or object to plans for the 12-month trial, scheduled to begin shortly before this year’s festival in July, during the three-week consultation ending on April 11.

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Edinburgh Airport are in the process of extending the terminal building to the east and that extension will accommodate the new security hall which we visited on Friday.

It seems that the airport are also planning a large advertising area above the entrance door. They have made an application for installation of vinyl on the inside of the glass above the door.

You can see the way it will look here on the planning website.

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Edinburgh Council’s Legal Team,  won ‘In House Legal Team of the Year’ at the annual Scott & Co Scottish Legal Awards recently.

At a sell-out event at the Edinburgh Assembly Rooms, the awards were hosted by Catriona Shearer of BBC Scotland and Grant Stott of Forth One. After dinner entertainment was provided by Ivo Graham, one of the UK’s hottest young comedians and former sell out performer at the Edinburgh festival.

Welcoming the the team’s success, Cllr Alastair Rankin, Finance & Resources Convener, said: “In recent years, the Council’s in-house team has undergone a transformation to become a leading-edge legal function with a commercial approach and a focus on good governance.

“We have recruited lawyers from across the private sector, from newly-qualified to partner level, bringing a new perspective and range of skills to complement the existing public sector expertise of the team. We have engaged with the private sector to establish a panel of external legal advisers, supplementing our capability and capacity.

“The team’s astute, proactive and solutions-focused approach has been welcomed by clients, providing an excellent customer experience and increasing their profile and influence.”

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17 March – 1 June 2014

Exhibition Gallery 2, Level 3

Free

Through the lens of wildlife photography this exhibition captures the intrigue and beauty of our planet. These awe-inspiring images, selected from 43,000 entries by amateur and professional photographers in 96 countries, give us a glimpse of the natural world as it has never been seen before. From charismatic animal portraits to dramatic landscapes and provocative photojournalism, this year’s breathtaking exhibition raises the bar of wildlife photography once more, exciting loyal fans and new audiences alike. The 100 award-winning images from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013 competition are beautifully displayed on back-lit installations, with each image accompanied by its photographer’s story and technical details.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is co-owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide.

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TS Eliot – Personal Perspectives: a collaboration by the Group 13 collective of artists. 4 to 30 April 2014

Group 13 is one of the influential groups of artists working in Scotland, formed originally to contribute to 2010’s highly acclaimed Kelvingrove Art Gallery exhibition, ‘The River Runs Through It’.  This was followed by ‘Glasgow Haiku’ at the Glasgow Art Club and they are now being shown at Union Gallery.  For this, their third, collaboration, Group 13 has chosen one of the most important writers of the 20th Century as their focal point. ‘TS Eliot – Personal Perspectives’ promises to be an innovative and thought-provoking exhibition of new works: a showcase for the many and varied styles of some of Scotland’s most celebrated artists and, as such, is a must-see exhibition.

Union Gallery
45 Broughton Street
Edinburgh
EH1 3JU
tel. 0131 556 7707
web. www.uniongallery.co.uk
blog. www.uniongallery.blogspot.co.uk
twitter. @UNIONgallery1

 

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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Why a picture of George Square in an article on George Street? Nowhere near each other and gave me a nasty turn – please, no (further, disastrous) development of George Square!

  2. Ha ha – Sorry Kath – our photos are inserted randomly in each day’s Five things article – there was of course more news than just the George Street story. Had not thought about the confusion it would raise – and yes George Square (some of it anyway!) is not the best architecture in Edinburgh….!

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