Sheriffhall – once again
Lothians MSP Miles Briggs led a debate in parliament on Tuesday evening about the inaction on the Sheriffhall roundabout. Plans for this were included in the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal which involves several local authorities as well as the Scottish and UK Governments.
The cost of the works required to the roundabout have risen since the deal was signed – some estimates say the cost may have doubled. A report on plans for the road realignment were referred to Scottish Ministers in February 2024 with no decision made as yet. This followed a public local inquiry overseen by an independent Reporter appointed by the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division of Scottish Government (DPEA) which was held in early 2023.
The Deal included a fund of £120 million for the Sheriffhall Roundabout which is the only piece of the road which is not “grade separated”.
Mr Briggs said in the chamber: “Last week I asked the Cabinet Secretary for transport whether SNP Ministers would finally commit to this project before the election in 2026, needless to say, no such commitment was made.
“So, nearly 20 years and more than £6m in consultation fees later, Scotland has – as so often under this Government – nothing to show for its trouble.
“As a Lothian MSP I continue to be contacted by exasperated constituents who cannot understand why such an obvious infrastructure problem has been pushed aside for so long.
“Gridlocked trunk roads are bad for the economy and create a poor impression on inward investors and those who want to visit our area. Lothian has the fastest growing population in Scotland and will represent 84% of Scotland’s predicted population growth over the period to 2033.
“East Lothian and Midlothian are both home to major house building projects, but as more and more homes are built, the pressure on transport infrastructure grows. Delaying the upgrade to Sheriffhall risks making the situation worse. The proposed flyover would separate these flows, reducing congestion and improving sightlines.
“The money was committed, the consultations took place, the demand is greater than ever.
“I think what we are all wondering is: why does the government refuse to get on and make a decision and finally give the project the green light?”
The 77th Edinburgh Taxi Outing
All of our photos can be seen either on our Facebook page or online here.
It was a fabulously sunny day and we do hope everyone had as much fun as we did taking the photos.
The Edinburgh Taxi Outing is organised and paid for by the taxi drivers.
Campaigning for Edinburgh: The Cockburn Association 1875-2049
The Cockburn is launching a new book on 19 June at an event hosted by their President, Stephen Jardine.
Author Sir Alexander McCall Smith and Hugh Raven, Managing director of publishers Berlin, to discuss the book and celebrate the association’s 150th anniversary.
Tickets still available at £10 which will be discounted from the book price if you buy one on the night.
The Book Festival
The Edinburgh International Book Festival programme was published yesterday morning and tickets go on sale to the general public on 21 June.
This year’s theme is Repair which the organisers hope will engender conversations about those things around us which are broken and how we might try to fix them. Jenny Niven the CEO and Director of the Book Festival said that talking to the creative people about this theme was a lot of fun.
Ms Niven explained: “There are a lot of things that are broken politically, mental health and well being, societally, there’s so many things, but we would like our programme – a little bit like the way that we presented “Future Tense” last year was that there are optimistic ways of looking at these challenges. And rather than making people worried, we’re hoping that we can present new writers and thinkers who are offering solutions and new ideas and great analysis that moves the conversation forward.
“Repair is a very expansive idea, and it’s really fun when you talk to creative people about this idea, because everybody comes at it from all these different angles. So we’re repairing lots of different ways. We’re starting off with our Repair Gala, which is on the Saturday, our opening day.
“We’ve commissioned five different writers to think about the idea of repair from whatever perspective they want. It’s an amazing lineup, as you can see, – and we’re going for the really international sweep.For example we’ve got the amazing Palestinian poet Najwan Darwish. Honestly, I felt a little sheepish asking him to write a poem about repair in the context that he’s living in right now, but he’s up for it, and I think that’s going to be a very, very moving way to open the festival.”
Quadrophenia
The cast of Quadrophenia took to the Royal Mile on Tuesday to promote the show which runs at the Festival Theatre until Saturday.
Liam Rudden writes in our June paper about the show: “In 1973, Townshend wrote Quadrophenia. Recorded by The Who, proved an iconic and multi-million selling album, defining a generation and inspiring the 1979 cult film of the same name starring everyone from Phil Daniels to Lesley Ash, Ray Winstone to Trevor Laird, Sting to Adam Ant and not forgetting Toyah and Gary Shail. If that cast seemed like an incendiary mix at the time, now Sadler’s Wells, with Townshend, have reimagined it as an explosive dance production.
“A large cast of exceptional dancers will introduce new audiences to troubled mod Jimmy’s story, while remaining true in spirit to the much-loved original. Steeped in the mythology of the 1960s – sharp suits, soul music, vespas and parkas – Quadrophenia’s themes of lost youth, rebellion, search for belonging and hunger for social change are just as urgent today.
“Scored with an orchestral version of the album by Rachel Fuller, choreographed by Paul Roberts and directed by Rob Ashford, Quadrophenia: A Mod Ballet promises to bring a whole new dimension to one of the UK’s most iconic rock albums.
“Running time 2 hours including interval. Tickets £26.50-£59.50”
https://www.capitaltheatres.com/whats-on/all-shows/quadrophenia-a-mod-ballet/2379#tickets
