The Edinburgh Minute ⏰ Tuesday 28 October 2025

🌤️ Good morning Edinburgh. It’s been wet overnight but should stay dry until 5pm, according to the Met Office. Here’s all the local news I could find this morning for Tuesday’s Edinburgh Minute.

🚔 Colinton Tunnel was taped off by police yesterday morning after reports of an unexplained death. - Peter Davidson, Daily Record.

🔐 ‘What took so long?’ - Following yesterday’s news that a short-term let owner was convicted for operating an unlicensed property, The Herald’s Donald Turvill looks at the process and reports that Edinburgh has a hidden ‘black market’ of unlicensed lets.

🎇 A police crackdown on Bonfire Night disorder led detectives to houses in Granton and Pilton, as well as East Calder where they seized 200kg of fireworks they suspect ‘was intended to be used for disorder and violence over the coming weeks’. - Matthew Fulton, STV News.
⮑ Maps of the temporary dispersal zones around Edinburgh were shared by the local police in this Twitter post.

🎵 Plans for the new Caley Bar to be transformed into a vinyl records listening bar have been unveiled. - Brain Donnelly, The Herald.
⮑ The revamped bar is on Instagram and due to open on Saturday.

🌱 After issuing an ‘Erosion Emergency’ last month, a group of Calton Hill residents have teamed up with the gallery and cafe to buy 240-square-metres of turf. They’re calling on volunteers to help with the roll-out. - More details in The Spurtle.

🚉 A recent public consultation event on the proposed tram extension ‘was very poorly organised and failed to maximise public information and engagement with local residents’, according to Southside / Newington councillor Simita Kumar. - Her questions to the council are due to get responses at Thursday’s full council meeting, including this:

“Given the scale and cost of the tram project, what accountability measures are in place to guarantee meaningful community involvement, rather than consultation being treated as a procedural formality?”

• The tram consultation is open until 17 November.
• ⮑ There’s also a question about Roseburn Path trees from councillor Kevin Lang.

📆 Here’s what else is on Thursday’s monthly council meeting agenda:

• How the council might respond to proposals for mandatory digital ID,
• ‘Cowgate Road Safety Measures’,
• ‘Democratic Engagement on City Mobility Plan and Transport Proposals’,
• A proposed new ‘Fit and Proper Persons’ test for landlords,
• ‘Flags on Lampposts’,
• Environmental concerns about data centres and AI,
• ‘Strengthening Community Cohesion in Edinburgh’, and much more, on the agenda here.

🥐 The owner of Dune Bakery in South Queensferry has issued an appeal to customers to help them after claiming that a last-minute change of heart from a council property officer could leave them £70,000 out of pocket.

🏥 An NHS Sick Kids Hospital manager has pled guilty to embezzling more than £8,000 from colleagues. - Alexander Lawrie, Daily Record.

🌳 Kingsknowe and Longstone residents are being invited to share their ideas for local outdoor spaces for new landscaping. - Thanks to Longstone Community Council for sharing this. - There are more details from the council here.

🚲 Having closed its Exchange Place, Fountainbridge, bike shop in July, Evans Cycles is opening just around the corner at the Lochrin Basin. - Details on this and the rest of the city’s active travel news are in this week’s edi.bike newsletter.

🍽️ More details have emerged about Michelin-starred chef Stuart Ralston’s plans for a double-opening at the former site of Broughton Street’s Fhior restaurant. Located below the Vinette restaurant, cocktail bar Vivien is due to open on 5 November. - Lauren Bowes, The Spirits Business.

📖 Archives dating back as far as 125 years have been digitised and published by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh after a five year project. The Botanics said that keeping open access to its back catalogue proved it was: ‘breaking the mould that many other Journals currently follow of providing access to papers with pay walls, requiring a fee or subscription’. - The Botanics published more details here and the archives are here.

📌 Edinburgh Minute Community Noticeboard

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📌 “We’ve got two fantastic spaces coming available for makers, joiners, and furniture designers looking for a creative, fully equipped workspace. This is a rare opportunity to join the EOW community as a resident maker, with shared access to our well-equipped workshop in the heart of Leith. ” - Thanks to Edinburgh Open Workshop for sharing this.

📌 “Today, 7PM: Leith-based coach Caitlin McDonald hosts Courage Pie, a free online monthly gathering to savour a slice of courage. This month is all about getting along with our inner gremlins!” - Thanks to Caitlin for sharing this.

📌 “Thursday 30 October - Would you like to learn computer programming in a friendly and supportive environment? codebar Edinburgh offers monthly programming workshops for all levels (incl. absolute beginners), and the next one is on Thursday, 6-8pm. Join us for some coding, pizza and drinks!” - Thanks to Kasia Banas, Edinburgh codebar co-organiser, for sharing this.

📌 “Join Space @ The Broomhouse Hub and Coorie Food for FREE family-friendly film events: • Hocus Pocus (PG): Thursday, 30 Oct. @ 6-8 p.m. • Coco (PG): Friday, 31 Oct. @ 1-3 p.m. • Home Alone (PG): Tuesday, 9 Dec. @ 5:30-7:30 p.m. • The Muppet Christmas Carol (U): Wednesday, 10 Dec. @ 5:30-7:30 p.m.” - Thanks to Space @ The Broomhouse Hub for sharing this.

📌 “30 October, 6-10pm at the French Institute - Cinetopia Salon! Enjoy a French-style ‘apero hour’ with drinks and nibbles, a live jazz session from local musicians Colin Steele and Dan Abrahams, then a screening of Louis Malle’s iconic noir film Elevator to the Gallows (1958).” - Thanks to Cinetopia for sharing this.

📌 “Thu 30th Oct - Thu 6th Nov - New exhibition, Liminal, opens at the Drill Hall on Thursday. Part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival and organised by the Mental Health Foundation, it’s a new collaborative exhibition developed by young people.” - Thanks to the organisers for sharing this.

📌 “Thursday 30th October - To celebrate the publication of his book Mr. Outside, Golden Hare is delighted to welcome Caleb Klaces to the shop, where he will be joined in conversation by authors Oli Hazzard and Martin MacInnes. The event takes place on St Stephen Street and tickets start from £6. ” - Thanks to Golden Hare Books for sharing this.

📌 “Thu 30 Oct - Poetry at Earth in Common: Halloween Edition. Four poets share haunting works on nature, sensation, and life. Bring friends for a chilling night at Populus Café, where you can also enjoy drinks from our licensed bar.” - Thanks to Jaimie MacDonald for sharing this.

📌 “Adult art classes open to all abilities! We are experienced artists beginning an adult art class at the Life Care Centre in Stockbridge where we will be focussing on an array of mediums such as resin jewellery, felting and up-cycling. Come along for a one off or book a block through our website.” - Thanks to Debby & Jane for sharing.

📌 “Friday 31st October and Saturday 1st November. Join us at The Lost Close for “A Haunted Dram.” Beginning with a 45 minute walking tour around the Old Town and ghost stories along the way, we finish in our recently discovered underground vault with two whiskies and more ghostly stories.” - Thanks to Eleanor, longtime Minute reader and vault goblin at The Lost Close for sharing this.

📌 “Friday 31st October 7-9pm - A magical evening with Good Karma where you’ll hand-roll two beeswax candles infused with a blend of intention, crystals and herbs, along with tarot pulls and pendulum work. At Rising Tide Cafe, 324 Portobello High Street, EH15 2DA, tickets £40, includes a drink.” - Thanks to Rising Tide Cafe for sharing this.

📌 “Friday 31st October 6:30-8pm - A very special edition of Big Yin at the Salisbury Centre, featuring candlelight and festive meditation. Edinburgh Minute subscribers get £2 off all Big and Little Yin classes with the code Ediminute.” - Thanks to Hannah Nicole Simpson Yoga for sharing this.

📌 “Come along and join the Halloween Night Ghost Walk. We meet at Tron Kirk on the scariest night of the year. There are two walks at 4pm and 6pm.” - Thanks to John Tantalon, North Edinburgh Nightmares tours for sharing this.

📌 “This Friday: Jams & Drams is a monthly party at the top floor panoramic bar at the Port of Leith Distillery featuring local DJs Good music paired with good whisky & cocktails. Special Guest DJs: Tailored Spirits.” - Thanks to Port of Leith Distillery for sharing this.

📌 “Friday 31st October - The Voodoo Rooms are celebrating their 18th birthday as an independent live music venue with a big spooky Halloween bash. Drinks, bands, DJs and more. Half price tickets available for Edinburgh Minute readers (£6, includes a welcome drink) with the code “couscous18”.” - Thanks to the organisers for sharing this.

📌 “BreizhAlba is celebrating Samhain, Halloween, the Celtic New Year with a Fest-Noz, a Breton ceilidh, at the French Institute (West Parliament Square), this Saturday, Nov. 1st at 6:30 pm. Come for the dancing, come for the music, come for the crèpes! Special guests Duo Jaffré/Le Normand and more!” - Thanks to a BreizhAlba member for sharing this.

📌 “Start your Halloween right with the Street Historians LGBTQ walking tour, dressed as your favourite LGBTQ figure! Part of the proceeds goes to support LGBT Health and Wellbeing.” - Thanks to Fraser Horn, Founder of Edinburgh Street Historians, for sharing this.

📌 “Saturday 1 November 2025 - 11-5pm - The Old School House, Morningside. Daytime Favourites Design Market is back! Discover and shop from a curated line up of makers and designers from across Edinburgh and Scotland. Think expert craftsmanship and delightful bits under one roof!” - Thanks to Daytime Favourites Market for sharing this.

📌 “Disability Equality Scotland is looking for responses from disabled peopled on a series of surveys about their transport experiences in Scotland. You can respond to the consultation if you live in Scotland and are disabled or care some someone who is disabled. The closing date is 4/11 at 12pm.” - Thanks to Carine, Research Officer at Disability Equality Scoland, for sharing this.

📌 “This week, watch Sugo, an artist film by local creative Carla Smith, at The Hoxton Edinburgh. Screening on a loop all day throughout the week in the hotel’s small screen room, it runs alongside her solo show Trace, exploring how stories, nostalgia, and shared rituals shape our sense of place.” - Thanks to a Minute subscriber for sharing this.

📌 “We’re giving away two free tickets (a £150 value) to our inaugural Eating and Waiting to Eat Supper Club event: a whisky and cheese tasting at The Tipsy Midgie. To enter, follow @eatingandwaitingtoeat on Instagram and follow the instructions on our last post; winner will be picked on 4/11/25. ” - Thanks to Carlos Miranda, Co-Host, Eating and Waiting to Eat Podcast for sharing this.

📮 Anything missing? Please share your local news and events here.

👀 The most-visited links from the last newsletter:

1. 🔐 £600 fine for first prosecution of unlicensed short term let.
2. 💰 Local journalist Charlie Ellis on the impact of gentrification.
3. 🐬 Curious dolphin joins Forth kayakers for a paddle.
4. 🕑 What the clock change does for Edinburgh sunrise/set times.
5. 🚔 Police hunt Ferrari driver after hit and run.

⏰ Thanks for reading edition number 755.
📬 Free subscribers: 25,170+.
📲 Visits generated for local news sources: 860,000+.

👻 A note for those who read to the end: Thank you! It’s a big week for The Edinburgh Minute, as I’m moving it to a new hosting platform. This has been a long time in the making. If all goes smoothly, you won’t notice. Even if you pay to subscribe, the plan is to migrate everything (archive, future newsletters and all subscriber details) without a hitch so your subscription stays intact. Fingers crossed! I’ll explain in a full post to everyone once it’s happened later this week. - Michael