The Edinburgh Minute ⏰: Weekend edition 15-17 March 2024
Leith fire victims ‘raised Grenfell concerns’, new Fringe tickets plan, Porty Pitz punch-up, Pilrig Park ‘festivalisation’ + busy weekend of things to do
🌦️ Good morning Edinburgh. Here’s Friday’s Edinburgh Minute, followed by the weekend guide for paying subscribers.
☔️ It’s due to rain for much of the weekend. However we can expect some sunshine on Saturday morning. - Here’s the local Met Office forecast.
🔥 More than 100 residents were evacuated from their homes due to a fire at the Bonnington Bonds flats in Leith on Thursday morning. Two out of 70 fire fighters from 12 engines on site were injured in the 4am blaze.
⮑ Most residents were sent to Leith Community Centre, which became an emergency rest centre for those temporarily homeless. There are no suspicious circumstances sounding the fire, initially. Police CID arrived on site around midday to begin investigations.
⮑ This morning a source reports that all residents who couldn’t return home due to the damage were accommodated by the council’s housing team in hotels or emergency accommodation overnight. Those whose flats were badly affected ‘are not expected to get home any time soon due to the sheer extent of damage inside’.
⮑ Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Andy Girrity is the officer in charge. He said:
“This has been a complex incident which involved the evacuation of a large number of people. Our crews have worked tirelessly to contain this fire and prevent further spread within the building. There is a large-scale emergency service presence and we will remain on the scene for a considerable time.”
⮑ Some residents spoke to Edinburgh Live about their evacuation.
⮑ Others told STV News they had raised safety concerns after London’s Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017:
“To be honest residents have had concerns since Grenfell occurred. Grenfell was obviously a big wake up call for the industry and a big wake up call for residents in high rise buildings.”
⮑ MSP Graham Simpson lives at the flats. He shared the footage in this STV News video:
🚛 Bin lorries could be banned from driving near schools and nurseries after 11-year-old Thomas Wong was knocked off his bike and killed last month. - Donald Turvill, Local Democracy Reporter, STV News.
🛴 The death of three-year-old Xander Irvine who was killed when he was struck by a car on Morningside Road in June 2020 will be investigated by a fatal accident inquiry at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. Edith Duncan, 91, was charged with causing death by dangerous driving and driving without insurance but died in May 2021 before she could stand trial. - David Meikle and Jacob Farr, Edinburgh Live.
🎨 A retired teacher from Portobello is featured on the BBC Scotland News website for his efforts covering up graffiti with murals. Chris Cowie says:
“It's a beautiful part of Edinburgh and I want to keep it that way. I pull up here with a car full of paint and every time I'm working people stop and say 'it's a great job you're doing'. It cheers people up.”
⮑ Read more in Steven Godden’s report here.
🚔 Balerno police station has been declared ‘surplus to requirements’ to save money. - Donald Turvill, Local Democracy Reporter, Edinburgh Live.
🚨 Teenagers have been blamed by a Morningside councillor who has reported ‘A group of boys smashing the wing mirrors of cars and running over the tops.’ - Ian Swanson, Evening News.
👪 A group of eight MSPs have written to the council demanding a rethink over plans to withdraw 1,140 hours of private nursery care for parents who commute into Edinburgh. - Jolene Campbell, Evening News.
🏗️ Developers behind plans for hundreds of new flats in Ferry Road have escaped having to pay an extra £2m to the council after complaining that their education contributions had been decided on the toss of a coin. - Donald Turvill, Local Democracy Reporter, in The Edinburgh Reporter.
⚽️ Here’s one for the football WhatsApp chat: A 44-year-old man has been fined £580 having admitted head-butting a five-a-side football opponent after a bad tackle at the Portobello Powerleage pitches. - East Lothian Courier.
📲 It might be a distant memory, but phone signal in the city centre is a problem during the busy August festivals. In a bid to remove our digital stress of trying to load ticket emails, the Fringe has announced that Apple and Google wallets will be able to store Fringe e-tickets. That means tickets will show up even when there’s no signal. - More details from Meg Masseron in Playbill.
🏰 The Stone of Destiny has left Edinburgh Castle with a ceremony before being moved to Perth. - Laura Pollock, The National.
🌳 Broughton’s Spurtle has spoken to dozens of locals about a possible ‘festivalisation’ of Pilrig Park, after council leader Cammy Day cited how tourist tax income could be spent. - There are some strong opinions here.
🎭 In what’s becoming a stellar series of talks, University of Edinburgh's Writer in Residence, Michael Pedersen will be in conversation with best-selling author, comedian, actress and presenter Sara Pascoe. The event will be followed by a signing, with books provided on the night from Lighthouse Books. - Free tickets are here.
🎹 The Hidden Door festival has announced the line-up for its birthday events, including award-winning sound artist, DJ and producer Auntie Flo. - More details, apart from the secret venue, are here.
🥒 A new picklery and cafe opened this week in Marchmont. The owners met in New Zealand and bonded over a love of food. - Lee Dalgetty of Edinburgh Live features the owners of Mara’s Picklery.
🚲 Organisers of last week’s road safety light show at The Causey are running a survey and are keen to hear from anyone with a connection to the area.
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📌 “Fan of Scottish history and Game of Thrones? Drop-in to Stockbridge Library on Monday March 18th at 17:30 for a live author event with writer & historian David C. Weinczok about the real Scottish inspirations behind the world of Westeros. Discover local Edinburgh historic sites to visit to bring GoT to life! Based on David's 2019 book, The History Behind Game of Thrones: The North Remembers.” - No booking required, more details here.
📌 “Dancers set to take over the streets of Greater Craigmillar next week (20-21 March) in FREE community event. STRUT is a night time performance and projection parade shining a light on 5 talented dancers with a connection to Greater Craigmillar whose personal choreographies reflect the celebratory energy of the town with Highland, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Disco and Breakdance styles in the mix. STRUT: Greater Craigmillar takes to the streets on Wednesday 20 March, 7-8pm (Craigmillar) and Thursday 21 March, 7-8pm (Niddrie).” - More details here via MHz Scenography.