We have been reminded by City of Edinburgh Council that the annual Oktoberfest event will be taking place on the hard standing area in West Princes Street Gardens next week.
It will be on site from the 30th September, opening on 3rd October until the 6th and offsite on 7th October.
Should you have any questions, please contact park.events@edinburgh.gov.uk
Edinburgh World Heritage Trust
At our September meeting, it was agreed that we would convene a meeting with representatives from resident associations across the New Town to discuss concerns that have been raised about the governance of the Edinburgh World Heritage Trust. This meeting will be held on Monday 30 September at 19.00 on Zoom. If you are interested in attending this meeting, please use the contact form on the NTBCC website to register your interest and we will send you the meeting link.
Road Works – What is happening in my area?
If you want to find out about road works happening in your area there are two sources of information. The Roadworks Scotland website has an interactive map showing road works across Scotland but with a search function that allows the user to focus on individual streets. Edinburgh Council also issue a weekly list of the road works in the City. Again it is possible to filter this list by location.
Please use the contact form on our website if you have any concerns about roadworks in our area.
Applications to LeithChooses are now open!
Applications to LeithChooses are now open. Organisations within the NTBCC area may well be interested because some of NTBCC’s area is within the LeithChooses area. (See the map of the LC area here.)
Organisations that wish to run a project in 2025-26 that would benefit the people of Leith (meaning people living in the LeithChooses area) can submit a project. Then in early 2025, anyone who lives, works, studies or volunteers in the LC area will be able to vote for their preferred projects. (Voting will be both online and in a voting event at Leith Community Centre.)
The maximum grant is £5000, but as you can see on last year’s gallery, this can fund some very worthwhile projects. There are a few other conditions that stem from the community grant fund rules but these are simple ‘good governance’ rules. See the application form and guidance notes here.
So if you have an idea for a suitable project, why not apply? If you have queries, contact the LC steering group via leithchooses@edinburgh.gov.uk, or if you are at an NTBCC meeting, talk with Bruce Ryan, Cllr Jack Caldwell or Cllr Susan Rae. (We are on the LeithChooses steering group, along various members of the Leith community councils.)
LeithChooses is an example of particip[atory budgeting, that is people in a given area directly vote to directly decide which items are funded from the relevant tranche of public funds. (You can read more about PB here.)
Urgent Repair Work – Princes Street
Extract from email received from Scottish Water.
I am writing to let you know about works on Princes Street in Edinburgh following an issue with a manhole at its junction with Frederick Street.
We are now about to begin our repair, with work expected to start on Monday 16 September 2024 for up to five days.
In the meantime, Princes Street has been reduced to one lane and Frederick Street closed from Princes Street to Rose Street.
Diversions are in place for buses and taxis while tram services are unaffected.
We would like to thank everyone affected for their patience and understanding.
NTBCC ordinary meeting minutes 12 August 2024
Minutes of New Town & Broughton Community Council’s AGM, at Drummond Room, Broughton St Mary’s church, on Monday 12 August 2024 at 7pm
Actions and decisions are red italic. ND (‘no dissent’) means that no-one spoke or voted against a decision.
URLs have been added by the minutes secretary.
Electric cycles and the law: what you need to know
Adapted from this piece by Cycling UK
In brief: most e-bikes are legally just bikes. However, if an e-bike supplies electrical assistance when travelling at more than 25kph (15.5mph), has a motor which generates more than 250 Watts of power or motor assistance can be provided without the bike’s pedals being in motion, it will be legally treated as a moped or motorcycle. It will need to be registered with the DVLA, and the rider will need a driving license, insurance and to wear a helmet. Such e-bikes are not illegal, provided the relevant laws are followed. The full text of the article is below: