Edinburgh Trams – St James Quarter development – New Town Community Council – Relatives traced – New exhibition at Ten Gallery
There is a big photo call and Edinburgh Tram announcement this morning which can only mean one thing – it is nearly time for your tram…..
It is widely expected that the big day when the fare-paying public can start using Edinburgh Trams will be announced by the Transport Minister this morning.
Watch this space! #carefulnow
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Despite misgivings among opposition councillors at yesterday’s full council meeting, the council are to proceed with borrowing over £61m to ensure that the £850m redevelopment of St James Quarter goes ahead. This is one of 12 designated developments in the city which have been earmarked by the city council as priority sites. If the city can unlock these gap sites then the council say they can create up to 20,000 jobs as well as 28,000 construction jobs.
The St James Quarter site will be developed by TIAA Henderson Real Estate who own it, along with the council and The Scottish Government.
The council will now borrow £61.4m over 25 years and this money will be used in a financing model called a ‘Regeneration Accelerator Model’ (RAM) . The council monies will be used in ‘enabling infrastructure’ according to the council report considered at yesterday’s meeting. The borrowing costs will be just under £5m per annum and the promise is that the funding cost will be met from ‘new funding streams’ which are essentially business rates from the new buildings. The council also promise 2300 new jobs as a result of this redevelopment.
The tram is seen as a key part of the development as it will bring passengers from the airport almost to the front door. (The tram service is expected to carry around 4.5 million passengers each year.)
The planning permission for demolition and rebuilding of the St James Centre was granted in June 2009. An application was made to the council in March 2014 to extend the period in which the St James Centre (with the exception of John Lewis, New St Andrew’s House and the car parks) can be demolished. The proposal is that the permission is extended by three years. The council’s Head of Planning approved this subject to rubber stamping by the Scottish Ministers.
If you are wondering what it might look like have a look at this fly through video…..
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New Town and Broughton Community Council will meet on 12 May 2014 at Broughton St Mary’s Parish Church on Bellevue Crescent at 7.15pm.
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Police Scotland officers in Edinburgh have now traced the next of kin of an elderly man who died recently.
John Montgomery, who was 91 years old, was discovered in his home at Grays Court in the capital on Saturday 26 April 2014.
Police Scotland thanked the media and public for their assistence.
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NEW Exhibition – From 10th of May 2014
Gallery TEN – Stafford Street – West End – Edinburgh
10 May to 14 June 2014
- Seven New Gallery Artists & Five Gallery Artists with new work
- Kate Steenhauer & Matt Wilson – recent award winning printmakers
- New Jewellery by Moxon & Simm
- New works by award winning Glassmaker Laura Birdsall
- New “Submarine” monoprints by Georgina Bown
Exhibition will also include –
Printmaker – Lauren Milton & Kate Fahey ( 2013 – Grays graduates)
Painting – Mairi Timoney, Ann Cowan & Jill McLoud
Jewellery – Eleanor Symms Eloise Kerr
Ceramics – Kirsty Louise Jones
ONLINE CATLOGUE – http://issuu.com/gallery-ten/docs/current_catalog
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
