The Edinburgh Reporter December 2019

8
POLITICS
Have another look at
Christmas
by Jeremy Balfour MSP
With Christmas fast approaching,
people from far and wide are
flocking to the city to visit the
Christmas markets and take part
in our world famous Hogmannay
celebrations. Last year’s busiest
day saw 124,000 people visit
Edinburgh city centre. It is the
time of year where the tourist
industry is thriving, meanwhile
local people and businesses are
often left frustrated and out in the
cold.
Already complaints are being
made about this year’s markets,
with many residents unhappy
about the closure of Waverley
Bridge to vehicles during
peak times on the weekends.
Furthermore, local businesses
have expressed their frustration
to me of experiencing a drop in
footfall in the week leading up
to the launch of the Christmas
markets this year, due to set-up
operations for the festivities,
making the city harder to
Vote Murray!
by Daniel Johnson MSP
This General Election is critical
and the stakes could not be higher.
For Edinburgh, the fall out of
a no deal Brexit or a potential
independent Scotland could mean
financial disaster.
We need someone to represent
the overwhelming view held by
people in South Edinburgh, who
know the damage that any kind
of Brexit will bring. Imposing
borders, costs and regulation
where previously there were none.
And these same reasons are why
people in Edinburgh also oppose
independence: borders do not
solve problems, they create them.
I know after hundreds of doors
I have knocked already in this
General Election campaign, that
this is the view that must be
represented in parliament.
This is what Ian Murray has
done consistently in his time in
navigate. This all came less than
two months after some level of
normality resumed following the
end of Summertime Streets and
the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe.
While I am far from a Scrooge
that wants to see the end of
Christmas festivities, as I love
taking my girls into town to visit
the markets and see the Jenner’s
Christmas tree in all its glory, I
would like to see the frustrations
of locals being taken into account.
I would strongly encourage the
council to establish a city-wide
review group that can assess the
feasibility of changing the location
of some parts of the Christmas
attractions, as well as events
during the Fringe festival, so that
the city can still attract tourists at
less of an expense to locals.
Tourism will always be an
essential part of this city but it is
my hope that better provisions are
made for the locals who can so
easily be forgotten about in the
midst of all the disruptions.
parliament speaking and voting
according to these views and
principles. This is why I feel it is
important we elect him to continue
to do this job.
Ian has been at the forefront of
calling for a Peoples Vote with
the option to remain and saying
no to a second independence
referendum.
That’s why I hope you will vote
for him on 12th December.
Local Politicians have their say
The Edinburgh Reporter
Small Business Saturday –
Support Constitution Street
by Ben Macpherson MSP
Whatever your view on the tram
extension to Newhaven, I think
all of Edinburgh would agree
that we want to support affected
businesses throughout the
process.
That’s why this #SmallBizSatUK
on 7 December, I’ll be shopping
in Constitution Street and
encouraging others to do so
too. Constitution Street is the
first area to be closed to traffic
because of the tram works.
Shops, restaurants, cafes and
bars on Constitution Street have
come together to find ways to
further promote themselves
during this period. They are
still open for business and will
continue to deliver fantastic
Planning objections
by Gordon Macdonald MSP
An ongoing problem across
Edinburgh and my constituency
of Pentlands is overdevelopment.
Of course, I am not on principle
opposed to building houses,
especially on brown field sites.
We need affordable houses to
enable younger people to live in
the community in which they grew
up. However, developers have little
commercial interest in building
affordable homes preferring large
luxury homes despite the Scottish
Government’s requirement for 25%
affordable homes.
However, residents can object. I
use a checklist of valid objections
and these include building on
greenbelt or countryside, not in
keeping with the area, reduce
amenity, negatively impact on
another property, inappropriate
density, cause excessive traffic
Polling at schools
The following schools and
nurseries will be closed on
Thursday 12 December 2019 due
to the UK Parliamentary General
Election
Abbeyhill Primary School
Blackhall Library
Blackhall Primary School
Broughton Nursery - Broughton
Primary School will be open
Brunstane Primary School
Buckstone Primary School
Carrick Knowe Primary School
Craiglockhart Primary School
Cramond Primary School
Dalry Primary School
Echline Primary School
Fox Covert Primary School and St
Andrews Fox Covert - Early Years
Centre will be open
Granton Primary School, New
Annexe
Gylemuir Primary School
Hermitage Park Primary School
Hillwood Primary School
Holy Cross R.C. Primary School
James Gillespie's Primary School
Leith Walk Primary School
Liberton Primary School
Longstone Primary School
Lorne Primary School
Murrayburn Primary School -
Calderglen EYC will be open
Newcraighall Primary School
Parsons Green Nursery School -
Parsons Green School will be open
Pentland Primary School
Queensferry Primary School
Roseburn Primary School
Sighthill Primary School
South Morningside Primary School
Fairmilehead Church and Dean
Bank sites will be open
St Cuthberts R.C. Primary School
St. John Vianney R.C. Primary
School
St. John's R.C. Primary School
St. Mary's (Leith) R.C. Primary
School
Stenhouse Primary School
Tollcross Primary School
Trinity Primary School
Victoria Primary School
products and services right
throughout the coming months.
The #StrongConstitution they’re
using embodies the resolve of the
businesses and also shows the
breadth of all activities still going
on. With the festive season rapidly
approaching, let’s all back the
great local businesses in our city,
especially on Constitution Street.
congestion, create a precedent
enabling other inappropriate
development, and not being
able to be serviced by existing
infrastructure.
It is important to note that,
unfortunately, loss of view or
reduction in house prices are
not planning considerations.
Developers need to listen to
communities and build homes that
are affordable for all and not those
selling for in excess of £500,000.
https://citydev-portal.edinburgh.
gov.uk/idoxpa-web/
Corstorphine
Public Hall
by Christine Jardine Liberal
Democrat candidate for Edinburgh
West
On 6 December, Edinburgh City
Council’s Finance and Resources
Committee will consider a request
for £750,000 towards rebuilding the
much-loved Corstorphine Public
Hall.
First built in 1892, the hall served
as a focal meeting point for the
community for almost 125 years
until it was ravaged by a major
fire in 2013. Most recently it was
operated as the Corstorphine Youth
and Community Centre, and along
with other local associations the
group has made a fantastic effort
since the fire to raise funds to go
towards rebuilding costs. But,
sadly, the hall needs a completely
new structural design, and there
remains a considerable shortfall in
cash required for this to go ahead.
It’s still very upsetting to see the
shell of the hall standing untouched
on Kirk Loan, so I really hope and
expect that the Committee will look
favourably on this grant request so
we can get things moving again for
the community in Corstorphine.