Latest news with #StephenJenkinson
Scotsman
2 days ago
- General
- Scotsman
Edinburgh council targets litter, dog fouling, fly-tipping and graffiti in ward-by-ward 'Pride in our City' campaign
More than 60 tonnes of waste have already been collected in a new blitz on litter, fly-tipping, dog fouling, graffiti and chewing gum in Edinburgh. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The "Pride in our City" campaign involves dedicated council teams working to clean up the city, ward by ward. And 15 extra staff have been taken on to give more power to the project. Transport and environment convener Stephen Jenkinson said the new drive had got under way in April in Leith Walk ward, where they collected 39 tonnes of litter and dumped items, as well as dealing with graffiti, weeds and chewing gum. Graffiti removal is being stepped up | supplied Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And after that they moved on to Leith ward and collected another 23 tonnes of waste. Cllr Jenkinson said: 'The idea is that we will be having a real focus on individual council wards and the project will roll out over a period of time from council ward to council ward. 'Teams, who will be focused in on a ward, will be looking to tackle issues like dog fouling, fly tipping, focusing on weeds, graffiti and general littering. 'The project and the way it's being rolled out has been well received by residents. And there is a little bit of competition between councillors about which ward is next.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It comes as the latest figures for street cleanliness - assessed by Keep Scotland Beautiful - gave Edinburgh a score of 89.2 per cent for 2024/25, a slight dip from the previous year's 90.6 per cent, but an improvement on the 2022/23 score of 86.3 per cent and 82.2 per cent in 2021/22. Cllr Jenkinson said that Edinburgh ranked third out of eight comparable local authorities in Scotland for street cleansing. The Capital's 89.2 per cent score was below the national average of 91.7 per cent, but above the 87.5 per cent average for the benchmarking group of similar local authorities. 'There has been quite a significant improvement since 2021 ,when we were just over 82 per cent and our scores are almost back to where we were before Covid. 'There is still quite a lot of work to do - it's not a problem that's going to be solved overnight, but we will continue to invest in this area.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The council has doubled the number of specially-equipped graffiti vehicles from two to four. And bringing that work back in house has reduced the tie between graffiti being reported and it being removed. And it has bought a specialist machine which can remove graffiti from sensitive stone as well as removing chewing gum from pavements thanks to a Chewing Gum Task Force grant. Cllr Jenkinson said: 'We're doing our part to try and keep our capital city looking at its best for both residents and visitors. "And we're trying to encourage people not only to put their litter in the bin responsibly but if necessary take it away with them rather than throwing it in the street. "We're also working with residents to encourage them to recycle them more, but we're highlighting the benefits of the special uplift programme for bulkier items.'
Scotsman
3 days ago
- General
- Scotsman
Edinburgh waste and recycling: New Town residents opt for bin hubs rather than switching to gull-proof sacks
Residents in Edinburgh's New Town have opted for controversial communal bin hubs rather than the alternative championed by conservationists. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Heritage groups and the New Town and Broughton community council had argued the bin hubs - sets of six bins positioned at regular intervals - would ruin the streetscape of the World Heritage Site. Instead they championed gull-proof sacks (GPS) - large canvas bags which residents place rubbish bags inside and hang on their railings for collection. Most streets which were recommended to switch to gull-proof sacks will now get bin hubs instead | TSPL Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A two-year trial of GPS in certain streets in the New Town was judged a success, with a reported increase in recycling. But "bin wars" broke out when the council proposed extending GPS to other surrounding streets, affecting around 3,500 properties. While the community council and some residents' associations campaigned in favour of GPS, a rival "Say No to gull-proof sacks" campaign sprang up, arguing that having to store rubbish in a flat until collection day would be smelly, unhygienic and impractical. Posters for and against the changes appeared on lamp posts and railings and leaflets were circulated. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Now the results of a six-week consultation which ended in April show that 73 per cent of responses from people in streets which were recommended to move to GPS were opposed to the idea. So the council is planning to drop the proposal for most of these streets and introduce communal bin hubs instead. Most of the streets which already have GPS will keep them. Residents who rejected the GPS proposal cited lack of storage space inside properties for waste and recycling; the negative health impact of storing waste such as nappies inside; the difficulty of carrying full sacks down to the street; and the likelihood of missing collections due to work patterns and holidays. Transport and environment convener Stephen Jenkinson acknowledged that heritage groups may not be happy with the outcome and said the council would continue to consult with them. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He said the bin hubs in the World Heritage Site had a different design. "They're a different shape and style and they're black rather than silvery, to blend into that environment a little bit better. "Obviously the placement is important and that will form part of the discussions we'll have with the residents. But you have to bear in mind that picking up waste and recycling waste is a statutory element of what we do as a city. "While it's perfectly reasonable to have discussions with heritage groups around how that service can look going forward, we have to deliver that service. We have to pick up people's waste and we have to do it as efficiently as possible. "We will work with residents to design a service that ticks as many boxes as possible."
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Business
- Scotsman
Cost of Edinburgh's George Street revamp 'will come down rather than go up' says transport convener Stephen Jenkinson
The cost of revamping Edinburgh's George Street - turning it into a pedestrian and cycle-friendly zone - is set to come down rather than go up, city transport convener Stephen Jenkinson has declared. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Councillors will be asked next week to back the full scheme for renewal of what Cllr Jenkinson called one of Scotland's most important streets - including trees, stone setts and upmarket benches - while keeping options open for savings. The revamp will see parking down the centre of the street removed, the central carriageway turned into a 'cycle street' and general traffic banned between 10.30am and 7pm, Monday to Saturday, and between 12.30pm and 7pm on Sundays. The full revamp of George Street would see the current parking down the centre of the street removed, buses rerouted, the pavement widened and the carriageway become a 'cycle street' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The project has a three-year timeline, with construction scheduled to start after the Festival in August 2027 and a completion date of August or September 2030. Concerns were previously expressed about how the bill for the project had increased from the original £28m estimate to nearly £40m. But Cllr Jenkinson said the cost had been reduced over the past nine months to just over £35m, as a result of more detailed and accurate costings based on final technical information. He said the cost of diverting utility pipes and cables under the ground - currently estimated at £8.5m - was likely to come down, reducing the price further. 'As we go through the process and start much more detailed conversations with the utility companies I think the costings of the project are more likely to decrease than increase because we will have more accurate figures for how much work is involved." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And he stamped on reports that the overall cost of the project could rise to £60m. "I've no idea where that figure came from - it didn't come from me, it didn't come from any officers, but that figure is quite obviously false. The costings for George Street are going in one direction - and that's down, not up." Asked why he was so bullish about the cost, he replied: "The reason I would say I'm bullish is because the evidence would suggest the costs have been coming down rather than going up." On utility costs, he said: "Historically those figures get refined and those costings come down rather than go the opposite way." He said on another project one utility company had given the council an initial quote of around £2.5m for moving infrastructure, but when it came to do the work the final bill was £144,000. A report to next week's transport and environment committee proposes two 'do minimum' options for George Street - 'maintenance only' and maintenance plus the removal of parking - should be put on hold. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The full scheme would see the use of natural stone material throughout, including yorkstone slabs on the footway, re-laid traditional setts in the parking areas, whinstone kerbs and setts on the carriageway; premium quality street furniture, raised planters and seating to create 'dwell zones'; eight trees - four at the Charlotte Square end and four at the St Andrew Square end; low-level planting within a Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SuDs), linking to the existing drainage system; and a full suite of Hostile Vehicle Measures (HVM) at all junctions. But the report also outlines lesser options, which would cut out certain elements of the full scheme in order to reduce costs. A reduced option, priced at £20.3m, would keep yorkstone setts in the footway and dwell zones, as planned in the full scheme, but use asphalt for the carriageway and central spaces and reclaimed granite setts for the parking areas. There would be a reduced specification for the street furniture and there would be no trees. A basic design - costed at £17.4m - would use asphalt in the carriageway and parking and concrete blocks in the central spaces; there would be no raised planters or trees; standard bins and bike stands would be included; and there would be no Hostile Vehicle mitigation, meaning no measures to prevent traffic entering the area when it is supposed to be excluded. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And an 'above ground' design - estimated at £13.5m - would focus on above-ground improvements only, seeking to avoid the need for utility diversions. All soft landscapng would be removed; the current central carriageway and roundabout junctions would remain; and all Hostile Vehicle mitigation would be removed; but there would be additional benches. Cllr Jenkinson said the recommendation was for the full scheme, but he said options for changes would be kept open. Using tarmac instead of setts, for example, would save around £1.8m, he said. "We are still moving forward and as we move forward we will clarify and refine as we go. We will make sure we have all the costings for all the various different options and committee will decide as we go through this project how it's going to look. 'My opinion is if a project is worth doing, it's worth doing right. If we got to the stage where we're cutting significant corners, we've got to make sure what we end up with is something we're all proud of and of a quality the people of Edinburgh would expect to see.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Some funding for the project is expected to come from the Visitor Levy which the council plans to introduce, but most of it is likely to be sought from various Scottish Government and Transport Scotland funding channels. And Cllr Jenkinson warned that a reduction in the quality of the project, while it may reduce the cost, may also make it harder to obtain the funding. He said: 'When we're trying to access this external funding, it's a competitive process. There is a finite amount of money we're trying to access for these projects we want to deliver in Edinburgh, but we're competing with other cities also applying for a finite resource. You need to ensure the end outcome is going to be attractive not only for the people who will be the beneficiaries of that investment but also the people who are providing the finance.'
Edinburgh Live
3 days ago
- Business
- Edinburgh Live
Ambitious £35m redevelopment of Edinburgh George Street set to go before councillors
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info An ambitious £35 million redevelopment of George Street is set to go before city councillors for approval. The project was confirmed to still be going ahead at a meeting last month, when it was included in the City Mobility Plan. Now, councillors will be asked to ditch consideration of two 'do minimum' options for the future of the project, and instead endorse the most ambitious version of it. And they'll be asked to sign off on work to get permission to close off streets and other works prepared. Transport Convener and Labour councillor Stephen Jenkinson said: 'I think it's a unique kind of opportunity to do something quite forward thinking. 'Something quite modern and progressive in the centre of a World Heritage Site, in what I would argue is one of the most important streets, not only in Edinburgh but for Scotland as well. 'What we're proposing to do is start the promotion of the statutory process. So this would be doing the behind the scenes work with regards to TROs and the statutory process. 'At the appropriate time, we are able to kick off that process and not delay it further down the line. Under the full version of the plan, George Street would be transformed, with new setts, planters and seating spaces added and eight trees planted. Also, 'hostile vehicle mitigation' – anti-vehicle barriers to stop terror attacks – would be installed, which would be raised and lowered daily to cut off the street from traffic. It has been costed at just over £35 million, with reduced utility relocation costs meaning it can step down from the previously reported £39 million price tag. Funding for the project has not yet been secured, but the bulk of it is expected to come from external grants from the Scottish Government and other bodies. Some could also come from the city's Transient Visitor Levy. Council officers also presented three 'value-engineered' options for the scheme, which could see the trees, some drainage and anti-terrorism barriers removed, as well as the elimination of future-proofing for the street. These versions of the scheme would cost between £13 million and £20 million. However, in a report they will present to councillors next Thursday, officers say that these options could put more financial risk on the council, as they would mean the city could get less external funding. In addition, they say it could cost the city more long-term, both due to the direct cost of installing parts of the project later and due to the impact on businesses of a second closure. Cllr Jenkinson continued: 'George Street is, obviously, a public realm project, it's an active travel project, but it's also, from my perspective, an economic development project as well. 'I think for a project to deliver on all those objectives, I think it ticks many boxes for me as an exciting project to deliver for the city over the next few years.' At next Thursday's Transport and Environment Committee meeting, councillors will also be asked to discard any consideration of two 'do minimum' options previously considered. One of these options was a £10.3 million investment in maintenance on the street, avoiding other changes. Officers said this would not comply with the city's street design guidelines, frustrate local stakeholders who have been invested in the project, and possibly cost the city more than in the other options due to the lack of available external funding. The other option would be a permanent ban on parking throughout George Street, mirroring a trial carried out in 2014. While it would contribute towards the city's emissions reduction targets, and be 'minimal cost', officers said that there was not strong local support for such a move. Cllr Jenkinson said that the project could be scaled back from the full version to one of the 'value engineered' ones if external funding is not as readily available as expected. And, the report says that councillors will be able to reconsider the 'Do Minimum' options at a later date if drawing in funds proves difficult. Councillors will make a decision on the project at the next meeting of the Transport and Environment Committee on Thursday, 26 June, which you can view here.
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Scotsman
New visuals of £35m George Street revamp in Edinburgh revealed as council bold on cost
Estimates for moving pipes and cables on Edinburgh's George Street are expected to reduce. Sign up for the latest news and analysis about Scottish transport Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The cost of Edinburgh's most high-profile street upgrade scheme is expected to fall further as the plans take shape, the city council has confidently predicted. A major revamp of George Street to remove parking and most traffic is now estimated at £35 million compared to nearly £39.5m last September following 'more detailed and accurate costings'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A new visualisation of the completed George Street scheme | City of Edinburgh Council But council transport convener Stephen Jenkinson said the total was anticipated to reduce again when more precise costs for moving pipes and cables became known. This is because utility firms had produced high estimates for such work elsewhere, which had been significantly cut, the council said. It is expected to amount to some £8m. The optimism comes in contrast to cost overruns and delays to the utility diversion work ahead of tram line construction more than a decade ago. But council officials said the scale of survey work on the George Street scheme gave them added confidence. Mr Jenkinson said designs for the project - illustrated in these new visuals - were now complete, but several approval stages remained before construction started after the festival in August 2027. Completion is due three years later. Mr Jenkinson said the revamp would be funded from external sources such as the Scottish Government, and the city's visitor levy from next year, but it was too early to bid for money. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The scheme, which will be considered by councillors on June 26, will include more space for pedestrians, including seating areas in 'dwell zones' and an improved cycle lane. The latter was omitted from the City Centre West East Link segregated bike lanes opened last year between Roseburn and York Place. Vehicle access will be restricted to taxis, and delivery vehicles at certain times with 'hostile vehicle mitigation' bollards controlling access at all entry points. Four trees will be planted at both the Charlotte and St Andrew Square ends of the street, along with 'low-level planting' and new drainage. Mr Jenkinson said: 'A lot of the cost is diverting utilities such as gas, water and power. As we go through the process and have much more detailed conversations with the utility companies, I certainly think the costings of the project are more likely to decrease than increase because we'll have more accurate figures for how much work is involved. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The costings are going in one direction - and that's down, not up. There is still some time to go. We will not put spades in the ground this summer. 'It's important that predominantly the funding for George Street will come external from the council. There are various pots of money we will be looking to bid for. 'Council tax payers of Edinburgh won't directly be funding the development and I think that's quite an important point. It's a unique opportunity to do some quite forward thinking in the centre of the World Heritage Site in one of the most important streets not only n Edinburgh, but Scotland.' But he warned the council must get it right first time. Mr Jenksinson said: 'I don't want to be in a position to have to finish the job further down the line. The impact of that would be pretty negative. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'George Street is a car park. Parking will be removed. There will be restrictions on vehicle movement. The details are being worked through, but it will predominantly be pedestrian.'
