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Articles by Save Our Old Town

Friday talks and workshops



On fridays as well as visiting the SOOT art Exhibition there is also the opportunity to find out more about the benefits of creativity in learning and have a go at some recycled art work.

The SOOT art

The SOOT art exhibition will  launch  tomorrow at 2.30pm at Blackfriars Community Rooms,
Coinyie House Close Gardens
(access through gates from South Grays Close or New Skinners Close, off Blackfriars St)
The exhibition will be on during the Old Town Festival  which was launched today at Riddles Court

Our exhibition includes banners  produced by SOOT and Space 44,
junk art/mask stuff,
A study of uses for the New St gapsite- workshop with students from ECA,
Posters created by the community
Photographic studies of people around the Old town,
A display of the Reggio Emillia approach to learning
And a display of the development of theCoinyie House Close gardens where residents have recently completed a major environmentlal improvements project.

Old Town Festival


SOOT is busy preparing our events for the Old Town Festival which starts on 14th June.
The full programme is now out and can be dowloaded from the Scottish Storytelling Centre website. Copies of the programme are also available in many of the venues and other community centres and libraries.

During the festival there will be lots of oportunities to find out more about some of the famous characters who have lived in the Old Town as well as finding out more about the residents who live there now.

SOOT will be presenting a community art exhibition which will include a mix of work by and about the characters who inhabit this precious place. There will also be opportunities to get involved in some art workshops and join with residents to celebrate the refurbishment of the Coinyie House Close Gardens.

Community Venture

The Canongate Venture has had a varied history. First built as a primary school, then changed to a school of building, then craft and small business space for affordable rent. Now it lies almost empty while the Council and Mountgrange's administrators scurry around looking for a new developer to demolish it. Its long overdue to relet this space for local crafts, makers and small and start up businesses. It can also provide much needed space for the community, space for community recycling, space for community organisations to meet, and the potential for a landscaped play area. There is lots of potential and it cannot be considered surplus to requirements any longer.
SOOT continues to call on Edinburgh Council to bring our building back into use
Come and play at Canongate Venture playground on Sunday 9th May from 2pm

Back to the drawing board

Now that the sale of public assets and Common Good Land at East Market St to Mountgrange has been successfully challenged through the European Commission it is time for the council to rethink their strategy for the Waverley Valley.
Back in 2005 when the Caltongate Masterplan was first revealed to the public, members of SOOT put forward alternative ideas for development which would address the real needs of the area and provide a strategy for development.

Despite numerous concerns being voiced during the masterplan consultations  (in particular at the workshops and the well attended Community Planning Day ) Mountgrange's Caltongate masterplan was agreed with little consideration given to the issues and aspirations raised in consultation. This then formed the blueprint for approving the planning applications which followed.

Caltongate scheme or scam?


The latest news on the Caltongate scheme throws up some serious questions for the future of the council owned East Market Street and the huge gap site in the Canongate in todays Scotsman.
SOOT have been questioning the council on the return of publicly owned buildings since Mountgrange went into adminnistration  in 2009 and calling for the return to use of Canongate Venture (which had provided much needed affordable workshop space until the deal was struck to sell it to Mountgrange for demolition in 2005) and the council flats on the Canongate.
Perhaps now the Council will finally consider returning the common good land and other publicly owned  buildings to productive use for the benefit of the community and look at opportunities for a more sustainable and responsive regeneration of this important area in the World Heritage Site?

SOOT Spring into action

Come along and join other SOOT supporters planning events for the spring and to prepare for events during the Old Town Festival.
There will be opportunities for all to get involved in some creative work (writing, painting, junk art, puppet making etc) or just catch up with friends and enjoy some free activities.

Do you have a particular interest in local history  gardening  scrap art  film or photography? Then this is the time to get involved and help shape new community projects underway. Do you have ideas and skills to share or storys to tell?
All welcome and activities are suitable for all ages.
Experience is NOT necessary enthusiasm only required.


FRIDAY 16th APRIL   3pm - 6pm
Blackfriars Community Rooms,
Coinyie House Close
Edinburgh, EH1 1NL
(access from New Skinners Close)

Moray House Sports Complex


The Moray House Sports complex on Holyrood Road, which was refurbished and extended in 2001 to accommodate the merger with Dunfermline college of Physical Education. Now it is the subject of proposals for demolition to redevelop the site for student housing.
An exhibition of the proposals will be on display to the public at Thomson's Land on Sat 17th April.

Where to develop next?

This week we heard from Dave Anderson ,Edinburgh's Director of City Development, that plans are afoot to build another 'city expansion' this time at the western edge of the city. The area is to be provided with some £30 -£40million of infrastructure, and will of course be well connected to the tram (at least it is at the end of the tramline where a tram depot is being constructed!), and aims to promote creative design capturing the elegance, walkability and livability of the New Town!
Yet, it appears to be another case of a very large development being promoted by a single developer. City Planners are rumoured to have employed architects 7N Architects to draw up a design framework for an Arena, hotels, office blocks and of course a public square.

Whilst some suggest this may be due to development being pushed out of the city by the ever increasing costs of developing brownfield sites in town, there is also a significant number of large scale developments being proposed in the city centre.
With the new planning process well underway, large developments must now include pre-application consultation. This should allow for discussion early on with all stakeholders and of course the costs of consultation are to be borne by the developers but does it work? Is it an improvement to the previous system at either informing the public how to participate or listening to the communities when they do?

Election is On!

The Election has now been set and it is time to ask who to vote for? Or maybe you are asking Why Vote? or How do I vote?
Most importantly you must be registered by 20th April to be able to vote. If your not registered by 20th April you WILL NOT be able vote on May 6th.
Check you are registered, do not assume you are because you already pay council tax, don't forget you can still register even if you don't have a fixed address.
Many young adults will also not be registered, often due to moving around for college or work. The NUS have helpful advice for students available online.

Don't forget the many over the world and over time who have died (and continue to die) in the struggle for the right to vote. Find out what the candidates for your area stand for, ask them questions during their campaign, will they represent the wishes of those who may vote for them or will they compromise to follow party lines? Check out what they have done if they have been elected before.
Do a bit of research, there are plenty of websites out there to help.

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