The Edinburgh Reporter March 2022

2 NEWS
Editorial
MARCH USUALLY feels more like the
beginning of the year than any other month
for me. With the odd blip here and there,
the weather can often be better and we can
look ahead to the clocks changing again.
(Spring forward Fall back just in case).
Suddenly, we can all have a bit more spring
in our step, and get outdoors even more - a
good thing to do as living through a
pandemic has taught us.
I met several people who have allotments
to speak to them for this issue. They benefit
from the exercise of gardening and the
camaraderie of fellow gardeners. The only
pest is the long waiting lists for allotments in
Edinburgh - twelve years in one case. In the
face of the ever increasing cost of living it
seems only right that people should be
allowed the opportunity of growing their
own food - and we met up with some active
community projects who encourage just
that. As we went to press National Lottery
announced an award of £93,900 to
Edinburgh Garden Partners to develop their
garden partnership programme in the city
matching socially isolated people with
volunteers who are looking for a shared
growing space. Good news indeed.
Dr Elsie Maud Inglis was a pioneer for
women and medicine, setting up The
Scottish Women’s Hospitals. She worked in
Serbia improving hygiene to reduce
epidemics such as typhus. (One of her
nurses who died from that was Louisa
Jordan after whom the Covid-19 hospital in
Glasgow was named.) In a continued effort
to raise funds for a statue to be raised in her
memory, there are many events being held
this month. www.elsieinglis.org
We are starting to look ahead to the
council elections. Voting for 63 councillors
will be conducted on 5 May, and with many
current councillors standing down there will
be some fresh faces at the City Chambers.
If you are a candidate then please get in
touch as we have questions for you.
In the words of Simon & Garfunkel we
would “like to know a little bit about you for
our files”.
Phyllis Stephen Editor
Planning News
BRINGING THE NEWS TO YOU
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GET IN
TOUCH
TODAY!
Work against the clock
Concerns raised over 20 metre telecoms mast
IN THE WORDS of Morningside
Community Council a recent planning
application is “very unattractive”.
Vodafone have applied to the council to
erect a telecoms mast right next to the
Morningside Clock under planning
reference number 22/00407/FUL. The
proposal is to install a 20 metre “street
furniture style mast” with 6 antennas, 3
cabinets and all ancillary development at a
site 30 Metres south-east of 424
Morningside Road.
A spokesperson for the community
council said: “This 20-metre-high mast
installation is very close to our
Morningside Clock. The applicants seem
to have been careful to avoid any reference
to this historic clock. One can anticipate
that most Morningside residents would
consider that the proposed mast will
adversely impact on the setting of this fine
clock, which is of course, the symbol of
our Community Council.
Covid-19:
the numbers...
THERE HAS BEEN a relaxation in
the rules and guidance around
Covid-19 in England where the
Prime Minister announced the end
of Covid restrictions and the
discontinuation of free mass testing
from 1 April. Boris Johnson said it
was time to “get our confidence
back”. The Chief Medical
Officer Chris Whitty and Chief
Scientific Adviser, Patrick Vallance
were more careful in their approach
saying that this was not a trivial
illness and could still create
“significant problems”.
The Scottish Government in an
updated Strategic Framework has
removed the requirement for face
coverings from 21 March, but the
First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said
to MSPs: “Covid is still a public
health risk here and elsewhere.”
Ms Sturgeon said that The
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“The adjacent householder has already
been in touch to express great concern
over, and opposition to, this mast
provision. (She had recently witnessed the
trial pit being excavated to check the
ground conditions for the installation.)
The householder had, apparently
successfully, argued against a previous
proposal that would have meant heavy
cutting back of the large trees next to this
site. The mast comes with the inevitable
series of metal cabinets, at a different
location to the existing telecoms mast and
existing cabinets.”
Looking at the plans which were
submitted with the application it would be
easy to miss the fact that the clock is even
there - and has been for some
considerable time. It is feared that a mast
such as this could get in the way of any
reopening of Morningside Station if the
Edinburgh South Suburban is ever
allowed to make any progress.
Scottish Government will retain free
testing and she confirmed that
those who test positive will be asked
to continue to self isolate.
She expressed frustration at the
lack of clarity from Westminster on
any support for the testing system
in Scotland, and explained there is a
change from the early days of the
pandemic when the idea was to try
to eliminate Covid or suppress it.
She said: “The strategic framework
makes clear that in future we will
rely less on legally imposed
measures to control the virus, and
more on vaccines, treatments,
sensible adaptations and good
public health behaviours.”
About us...
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Editor: Phyllis Stephen
Designer: Felipe Perez
Photos: Martin P McAdam
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