The Edinburgh Reporter April 2019 issue

16 NEWS The Edinburgh Reporter
House Prices on the rise
IN EAST central Scotland house
prices rose in the first couple of
months of 2019 when compared
with the same period last
year and the number of sales
increased by 6.1% year on year.
It has taken an average of 27
days for houses to sell which is
about 5 days slower than last
year, and the price achieved was
a little lower than the House
Report valuation.
So with more property on the
market the average selling price
of three bedroom homes in
Corstorphine, Clermiston, South
Gyle and East Craigs rose by 23.6%
to £326,227 compared to last year
although in South Queensferry
and Dalmeny prices rose by only
19%. In Liberton and Gilmerton
prices of a three bedroom home
fell by 19.2% to an average of
£227,596.
Buyers have a little less competition
than they did, although one
bedroom flats in Abbeyhill and
Meadowbank are selling in an
average of 14 days. Two bedroom
flats in Portobello and Joppa have
sold at 108.6% of the Home Report
valuation but the jewel in the
crown is Leith. There, one and
two-bedroom flats are the top
sellers.
Jamie Fraser-Davidson,
Business Analyst at ESPC, said:
“The past three months have
shown a reasonable increase
in the median selling time of
properties across east central
Scotland. This could be due to
the increase in the number of
properties coming to market in
recent months, which may have
resulted in less competition
between buyers for homes in the
area."
100 years of the Royal Scots Club
HRH The Princess Royal visited the Royal Scots Club to mark 100
years since it was officially opened.
It is the centenary of the Royal
Scots Club this year and to
celebrate that they invited their
patron, The Princess Royal ,to
pay them a visit, and they have
launched a book.
Author and journalist, Roddy
Martine was commissioned to
write the history of the club in
a book billed as so much more
than just the inspiring story of a
military club which has adapted
to modern times.
It is a lively history of the
establishment featuring some of
the great characters who have
lived in Edinburgh as well as club
members. A copy is available for
every member of the club and it
is also available for sale to the
general public.
The Princess Royal visited the
club on 11 March 2019, a hundred
years to the day since the then
Princess Royal, Princess Mary,
declared the club open.
We spoke to Roddy Martine
after the visit. He said : "This was
a tremendous gathering, a good
turnout and a great bit of history!
A hundred years of an amazing
club started 100 years ago to the
day when the Princess Royal's
aunt came to visit as one of the
founders. It is brilliant that she
has carried on the tradition."
It took Roddy about two or three
years to research but he admitted
to having 'an amazing amount
of help'. He said : "I think a lot of
tribute should go to John Lloyd
who was chairman of the club
committee and he approached me
to write the book originally. He
was going to work with me and
then unfortunately he died. After
that Colonel Robert Watson and
General Strudwick stepped into
the breach and everyone has been
so enthusiastic and helpful so it
was a lovely thing to do."
The title of the book is taken
from The Declaration of Arbroath
and it features on the Royal Scots
monument in Princes Street
Gardens. It was also used by the
Princess Royal when she was
opening the club in 1919 as a
tribute to the club. This is an all
ranks club, a kind of memorial
so 'Not for Glory nor Riches' but
as a membership club for the
regiment initially and now for
members from all different walks
of life.
Roddy said : "This is what I love
to do, researching people and
history. I suppose I am a latent
historian. I was always good
at history at school but I love
particularly that the history of
Roddy Martine with his book Not
for Glory Nor Riches
a club like this is the history of
Edinburgh and it is the Edinburgh
of my childhood and my parents'
childhood. My father was born in
Great King Street and my mother
on Northumberland Street. I went
to Edinburgh Academy and grew
up in this part of Edinburgh.
The characters in the book and
members of this club are all the
great characters of the last 100
years."
Edinburgh -
constantly changing
Roddy Smith has been in charge of Essential Edinburgh for four years.
by Roddy Smith, Chief
Executive, Essential Edinburgh
IN THE last four years since I
joined Essential Edinburgh, the
pace of change in our historic city
centre has been both constant
and hugely exciting.
Our buoyant tourist and visitor
industry, coupled with Edinburgh
performing very well across any
number of economic benchmarks
has led to the re-development
of many sites and buildings,
bringing a new purpose to empty
spaces and derelict buildings
alike.
This dramatic change is visible
throughout our city centre
landscape, stretching from a
reimagined Edinburgh St James
and Edinburgh Grand hotel, in the
former National Bank of Scotland
headquarters, in the east end to
the recently announced Johnnie
Walker Visitor Experience in the
former House of Fraser building
in the West End.
Edinburgh is a city with world
heritage status, as well as a
population of over 513,000 people
that welcomes nearly 4 million
visitors a year, as such it is our
duty to protect it. New developments
and refurbishments give
our historic buildings, which hold
memories for so many people, a
fresh lease of life ensuring their
legacy will not be forgotten.
With tourist numbers continuing
to grow there is no reason
to predict that these building
developments will not maintain
their upward trend in the future,
in fact many businesses are
looking to expand their current
city locations or to relocate to
Edinburgh.
One of the major catalysts
for change has, of course, been
Edinburgh St James. This transformational
development, the
largest new retail construction
in the UK, will provide a focus for
the east end and will attract both
residents and tourists, while also
creating new jobs and opportunities.
The east end of the city centre
has been further enhanced by a
number of new hotels, like the
stunning new Edinburgh Grand,
redeveloping previously vacant
spaces, reinvigorating derelict
buildings and restoring a part
of our city’s history. New office
space has also been created
in St Andrew’s Square and the
proposals for the world class
IMPACT concert hall nearby will
cement the area’s importance and
continue to ensure Edinburgh’s
reputation as a cultural hub.
The good news is also spreading
west, with Princes, George and
Rose Street complimenting the
new developments in the east
and spreading footfall across the
city. The former BHS building
on Princes Street is now under
construction for a new retail and
leisure development, which upon
completion will be enjoyed by
tourists and residents alike.
Recently, Diageo announced
new details around its plan to
redevelop the former House of
Fraser building to become the
Johnnie Walker visitor experience,
an imaginative and exciting
use of the historic building. This
multi-million-pound investment
in Edinburgh will transform the
empty site, adding a major visitor
attraction to our city’s already
impressive portfolio and driving
footfall.
Edinburgh is growing as a
tourist destination, and although
the increase in visitors is both
welcome and vital for our
economy, we need to recognise
the historic nature of our city and
be sympathetic when we breathe
new life into old buildings as
well as with the construction of
new ones. This I believe we are
achieving with a balanced range
of developments for business,
leisure and tourism.