- St James Quarter moving towards demolition
- Women Run Strong
- Pennywell and Muirhouse to get government investment
- Edinburgh Castle looking for modern apprentices
- Vote for Southside Elderly Club
The council will hear next week that the St James Quarter deal which was signed off about 18 months ago is now moving on apace, and demolition is due to start in May 2016.
All compulsory purchase orders needed to transfer land into the correct ownerships have now finally been signed off. The most recent was subject to approval by the Directorate for Local Government and Communities Planning and Architecture Division who have approved a final order as the development will bring ‘strong public benefit’.
The end result is that the council will receive the sum of £683,000 for the parcels of land which it owns, and which it will transfer to the development company. The Court of Session has decided that a couple of small areas of roadway and footpath, which were considered to be common good land, can be disposed of by the council.
This major city centre deal is a tripartite arrangement among the council, the Scottish Government and TH Real Estate who own the existing St James Centre.
Although the council’s capital contribution was estimated at approximately £60 million, that figure has now dropped to £52.40 million. The idea is that this will be funded from the potential council tax and business rates from the new buildings over the following two decades.
Demolition of the whole shopping centre will start in May with the notable exception of John Lewis, which will remain in place during the period of redevelopment. (How could we all live without John Lewis?)
This £850 million ‘once in a lifetime’ development is set to revolutionise shopping in the city centre, with shops, a 210 bedroom five star hotel, a 52 bedroom apart-hotel, around 30 restaurants and an arthouse style cinema. But something that may have passed you by till now is that the development will include 143 flats above the shopping centre. The development will also include a retail and hospitality skills academy to provide training support for those to be employed in the development.
It is thought that the new development will bring an additional 1000 jobs to the city, and another benefit is that the surrounding area will be upgraded for all forms of transport with additional funding from Sustrans Scotland.
But the big news is about the link bridge on Leith Street… Read more here!
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[mc4wp_form id=”169103″]On Mother’s Day there will be a number of women in Holyrood Park tackling the rough ground with the promise of some luxuries at the end of it.
Women Run Strong is a challenge event and one of the runners 35 year-old Louise Johnstone will make it even more challenging by wearing an 8kg backpack.
Louise said: “Wearing the pack on Sunday will help remind us all of the many people who are burdened by mental health issues.” Currently she is training for the toughest footrace on earth the Marathon des Sables. This is a 156 mile 6 day race when you carry all you need in a pack – across the Sahara desert!
Louise is raising funds for a Dundee mental health charity.
Organiser Avril Mahon Roberts explained: “Women Run Strong on Mother’s Day in Edinburgh will be a party celebrating strong women running the trails, their families and their businesses,” said organiser Avril Mahon Roberts.
The hope is that the funding will completely change the area and create a new heart. The council will invest in a new civic square and public realm with new homes.“The Pennywell development is Scotland’s largest housing-led regeneration scheme and this funding will allow further improvements, making the area an attractive place where people wish to live, work and play.”
“Many residents would love to see a affordable supermarket as well as other shops and not just bookmakers. This boost just adds to the wider refurbishment of Muirhouse and Pennywell.”
Edinburgh Castle are looking for 9 school leavers to offer them the chance of joining the team at Edinburgh Castle on a two year Modern Apprenticeship.
They will begin their new positions in June this year and will spend the first three months at Edinburgh Castle taking part in an induction programme ahead of working at the popular visitor attraction.
Over two years the apprentices will go to college and spend the rest of their time working on admissions, tour guiding or retail.
This year, the Southside Elderly Club has reached the final and will go to the public vote with a chance of winning up to £50,000.
Voting is open for two weeks from 9.00am on the 29th February 2016 until noon on the 13th March 2016 and one project will be featured each day during the ITV Regional News programmes throughout the first week.
To find out more, please check out these two websites.
http://www.itv.com/thepeoplesprojects
https://www.thepeoplesprojects.org.uk/cy/projects/view/sunshine-on-the-south-side
If you are reading this article in print and would like to visit The Edinburgh Reporter website then simply scan the QR code here with a smartphone or tablet.
The People’s Projects gives you the chance to decide how National Lottery funding can make a difference in your local area.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
