Angry Edinburgh New Town residents fume 'we don't want yoga studio in our area'
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
Edinburgh residents have objected to plans for a new yoga studio they warn could 'increase noise and disturbance'.
The planning application for 15 Northumberland Street North East Lane would see the currently vacant unit become a yoga and pilates studio, and will be discussed by councillors on June 25. Ahead of the meeting, locals have objected to the plans - citing the 'poor condition' of the entrance lane and the 'negative impact on safety in the area'.
However, an Edinburgh Council planning officer's report has recommended the application be granted as it will 'preserve the character and appearance of the conservation area'. The report also says the proposal is 'appropriate within the location'.
The unit, which was most recently used as an office, is surrounding by tenement buildings. Plans also include a new cycle parking area.
The yoga studio would have opening hours of 8am until 8pm throughout the week. The report argues it would 'not have an unacceptable impact on the neighbouring properties'.
The report continues: "While the immediate surrounding area is largely residential in nature, the proposed yoga studio will make a beneficial contribution to the viability and vitality of the area, through the provision of a new use that would have the potential to have positive effects on health, as it supports the opportunity for exercise within the area. The application site will be accessible via public transport and active travel routes due to its close proximity to the city centre."
Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
However, residents have submitted 11 objections. The report summarised the objections, with locals arguing: "The entrance lane to the site is in poor condition and would not handle additional vehicle traffic; the application does not propose to increase parking on the site.
"The proposal will result in an increase in users and on-street parking. Impact residential amenity. The proposed opening hours are not appropriate. Negatively impact the Conservation Area, negatively impact on the World Heritage Site.
"Negatively impact on safety in the area. The proposed use is not appropriate for the area. An increase in noise and disturbance within the local area."
Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
Developers argued the plans would 'not generate significant noise levels'. They added: "The proposed use as a yoga studio may generate some noise from people arriving and leaving the premises. However, the floor area to be used is relatively small, whilst yoga is not an activity that would generate significant levels of noise and disturbance."
Concluding, the report stated: "The proposal would be acceptable with regard to Section 64 of the Town and Country Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997, as it will preserve the character and appearance of the conservation area.
"The proposed change of use would have due regard for the global climate and nature crisis, and is acceptable in principle. The proposal is acceptable in terms scale, form and design and is compatible with the building and area as a whole. The proposed use is appropriate within this location."
The plans will be discussed at a meeting on June 25.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
Bins v sacks: Why Edinburgh New Town's waste wars won't quit
Jo Mowat, a city centre councillor since 2007, but then just a regular resident, recalls fierce opposition from the start. 'We had a bit of a stooshie when the original bins were introduced,' she said, 'but the problem with the black sacks was you'd put them out the night before or in the morning and the gulls and the foxes would get to them and there was waste strewn all over the street.' It wasn't until after she entered the City Chambers that the council pressed ahead with a phased overhaul of the New Town's waste management system. In a bid to appease locals horrified at the prospect of large black refuse containers blighting the entirety of their cobbled Georgian enclave, it opted to introduce communal bins on some streets, and 'gull-proof sacks' - stored within properties and placed out only on collection days - on others. This was a compromise that largely kept residents happy. 'There's a slight mish mash of gull-proof sacks and bins now and the reason for that is at that point with the neighborhood manager we literally consulted street-by-street,' Mowat explained.'And people have got used to bins.' Eventually, heads cooled and the matter was put to bed. That was, until 2021 when another waste management shake-up was announced. Edinburgh Council launched its 'communal bin review' aiming to boost recycling rates among residents living in flats by introducing 'bin hubs' - groups of on-street bins providing separate containers for household waste, mixed recycling, glass, and food waste - to replace kerbside collections. Read more: Across the city, the roll-out of bin hubs has progressed since, sometimes met with complaints about odours, and issues with noise from glass deposits. However, according to the council the scheme has led to an increase in the amount of recycling collected and fewer reports of overflowing bins. With work to install 55 bin hubs in the Old Town set to begin later this year, the New Town will be the final phase of the project - if councillors decide to pull the trigger at the transport committee on Thursday. It has taken a long four years to reach this point. First brought to councillors in 2021, the plan - much like proposals two decades earlier - encountered significant pushback over its potential impact on the character of the neighbourhood. When first mooted, the New Town and Broughton Community Council warned bin hubs were 'set to wreck the character' of the area,' describing them as 'ugly' and 'intrusive'. Having groups of four bins as opposed to individual containers scattered individually along streets, the community council said, would 'permanently damage' the World Heritage Site, attract 'fly-tipping and encourage poor recycling habits' and 'take up scarce parking spaces'. Historic Environment Scotland also cried foul at the idea to site bin hubs 'on streets currently without any visible waste collection,' while Edinburgh World Heritage warned of a 'threat to the visual integrity of the New Town'. With the momentum of heritage groups behind them, various local street associations mounted a campaign against the plans and successfully halted the roll-out as the council agreed to trial green sacks for mixed recycling for the roughly 2,300 properties already using the black gull-proof sack service. 'The reason they went for gull-proof sacks was because they were getting a very well organised and well-funded campaign by a group of residents. Which they eventually gave in to and agreed,' Peter Williamson, current chair of NTBCC said. 'You could say that was because they were under so much pressure or because they were trying to be positive - maybe a bit of a mix - but nonetheless it was a campaign that led to the trial of gull-proof sacks which generally have been seen as successful in the areas they've been trialled. Therefore there was an expectation that when they went for the full roll-out other streets would sign up for a gull-proof sack.' Launched in late 2022 - initially for 1,000 flats across nine streets but since extended - NTBCC said its own monitoring of individual streets showed a '250% increase in the volume of dry mixed recycling that is being collected,' while the council reported that the pilot saw an 'improvement in littering'. But it wasn't always plain sailing. 'For gull-proof sacks, there were a lot of people who didn't have a scooby what they really involved,' Mr Williamson said. 'The bin bags are quite complicated in the way they work; people didn't understand them. Gull-proof sacks in the New Town (Image: Newsquest) 'All along for over 18 months now we've been saying and others have been saying [to the council], have proper engagement with residents - which probably means organising, through residents' associations, helped by the community council, an offer of a meeting so you're not doing a sort of hand-off, drop a letter in and so on.' It wasn't until the council agreed in November 2023 to extend the gull-proof sack service to a further 2,700 properties across 45 streets that the fightback truly gathered momentum. A counter-campaign, 'Say No To Gull Proof Sacks' was swiftly mobilised, arguing it was unreasonable to expect residents to store a week's worth of waste in and around their homes. 'It is unhygienic,' their website said, 'think of the smell! [...] we all know rubbish can leak and produce ghastly bin juice.' But the rebellion wasn't just to do with bins. Mr Williamson suspects there was 'a bit of class war going on'. He said: 'There was a bit of unnecessary tension that had to do with other things than how refuse got picked up, to be honest. 'A few people said to me 'they live in the big houses, they were able to fundraise quite a lot.' Through democracy, tensions can be quelled. And so, earlier this year the council launched a consultation in an attempt to settle the matter once and for all. In response, it has rowed back on its plans to impose gull-proof sacks on thousands more New Towners, proposing bin hubs instead. And everyone lived happily ever after. Yeah, right. A report to this week's transport committee seeks final approval from councillors for around 5,600 properties to switch from existing communal bins to bin hubs and 2,150 to keep the gull-proof sack service. Only 86 properties, on Nelson Street, will now switch from bins to sacks, with the opposite change—switching from sacks to bins—planned for 160 flats on Lennox Street and Eglinton Crescent. The council said most consultation responses 'show that residents prefer to keep their existing service, rather than change service'. It said: 'In 77 streets, the final recommended service is supported by consultation responses. In 59 streets, responses have either been very low or non-existent meaning it is not possible to identify a clear preference. In 13 streets, the responses are mixed and do not provide a clear preference.' However, it's now claimed the council didn't make clear to residents the options being presented to them. 'The thing was so badly communicated that a lot of people thought that they were just going to carry on with their communal bins,' Mr Williamson said. 'They effectively said 'you'll just retain your same service'. But it's not the same service because they're in hubs now, they're not individual or two bins together. 'When you were filling in the questionnaire the council sent out, they didn't say the option is communal bin hubs, they just said it's communal bins. So people think: 'That's what we've got, I'll tick the box'. The council's bin hub roll-out has been underway since 2021 (Image: Edinburgh Council) 'I think there is a fair amount of concern. A lot of people I've spoken to don't want [bin hubs]. 'The consultation was conducted, nobody was allowed to say we don't want them - there was no alternative on offer.' He also said that the 1,669 responses to the consultation were too few to justify proceeding. 'If you add in the fact people didn't necessarily know what they were ticking a box for,' he said, 'it is dishonest. 'I have told [the council] umpteen times that you can't conduct a survey in this way and then conclude you're working off the views of residents. 'Our message is that the whole consultation for more streets is just not valid, it's just not legitimate." Councillor Mowat was similarly concerned people had been misled. 'Lots of people said 'actually we don't want this' but they didn't really know what the alternatives were. 'I think people thought 'you can change or it's the status quo' and people thought 'I'm quite happy with a couple of communal bins' and they've come back and said 'it's going to be bin hubs'. 'What they don't know is what the bin hub is going to look like, where it's going to be, how much parking they're going to lose. In some ways officers didn't anticipate. 'I think I would be supportive of a pause and going back, saying 'this is actually what the alternative looks like - how do you feel about that?' Mowat is supportive of the council 'inviting people to meetings' to hear their opinions rather than running an online questionnaire. 'That's how we used to do it in the olden days,' she said. 'Because one of the problems we have is the recycling bins we have get contaminated on the street - So I've always thought there's an argument for this mixed economy of on-street residual waste bins and then people take responsibility for their recycling [with gull-proof sacks]. 'They'll recycle more if you give them space to do it, that's where the green gull-proof sacks come in. I would really like that to be presented as an option. Read more from our Edinburgh Correspondent: 'The trouble is it has gone on for so long that it may get quite heated. You have to manage expectations [...] I'm not sure having got to this stage now we haven't exacerbated the situation.' In a statement, transport and environment convener Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said the consultation responses 'have all helped shape the final recommendations which, as well as improving the service, intend to address the current misuse of communal bins'. In a briefing with journalists ahead of June's transport committee, he admitted things could have been made clearer during the engagement process. 'When we're talking about retaining the current service,' he said, 'their expectation is it's exactly the same as the service currently.' Jenkinson acknowledged that telling residents they would 'retain' their service was 'not strictly true'. 'We've not really been clear enough as to that retaining a service that's changing is different from changing a service', he said. 'But ultimately, it's bin hubs or gull proof sacks.' He stressed refuse collection was a 'statutory service of this local authority'. 'We have to pick up people's waste and have to do it as efficiently as possible,' he continued. 'I'm also a realist, not everybody is going to be happy about this 'We've got to take the city forward. 'Is everybody going to be doing backward flips through burning hoops of fire around the rollout of bin hubs in the New Town? No, but are we developing a service that's fit for the future? I believe we are.'
Edinburgh Live
6 days ago
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh man reflects on 25 years as a postie - as locals share fond memories
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 A beloved Edinburgh postal worker has stepped down from his role after more than two decades of delivering mail due to an "agonising" injury. Marc Mclellan, 46, worked for Royal Mile for 25 years and was on the Portobello beat for around five years. Locals shared heartfelt farewells with the much-loved postie as he broke the news that he was leaving the job. Marc covered a wide swathe of Portobello on his route and built bonds with the community over the years. He delivered mail to homes and businesses on and around Portobello High Street, along the Promenade, and up the Esplanade. However, an injury cropped up several years ago which slowly made his work unbearable. Marc told Edinburgh Live: "I started to have pains in my achilles and calves around 2021 and it slowly over the years grew in more and more agony and became so debilitating that after many doctors visits, physio visits and specialists it was decided that due to my work load and my injuries I couldn't carry on sadly." (Image: Supplied) Although he was gutted to leave the role, Marc fondly recalled his many years on the beat, spending time outside and forming bonds with the Portobello community. He added: "I loved being outdoors and delivering to all my wonderful customers over the years. I loved to interact with them all from little ones waving to me at windows to helping elderly ladies cross the road. "I've done it all on my route, as well as delivering the mail! I just had a wonderful connection with all my customers." Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community her e and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Portobello locals took to social media to share their affection for the postie. One said: "Aw, sorry to hear this, you were a great postie, always smiling and took time for a chat. We will miss you. (Image: Supplied) Another penned: "We'll miss your energy and chats. Good luck in your next venture and make sure you pop in and say hi when you're passing." A third shared: "We've been missing you on the Prom and will continue to! Thanks for being amazing and always so smiley and positive! Look after yourself and best wishes for your next chapter." Marc added: "I'll miss everything. I truly loved my job as a postie, I loved the outdoors, meeting people, sharing stories daily and just general interaction with my customers. "I've formed so many close bonds with so many people on my duty in Portobello it will be so sad when it finally hits home that it's over."
Daily Record
19-06-2025
- Daily Record
Scots soldier who lost eye during training opens up on 'daunting' experience
Steven Williams, 42, from Edinburgh, was forced to leave the Army in 2011 after a sharp tree branch snapped back into his face during field training in Nairobi. A Scots soldier who lost an eye during a patrol in Kenya is hoping to inspire others by taking on a gruelling series of Kiltwalks. Steven Williams is raising awareness for veterans with sight loss after he was discharged from the army in 2011 after a branch snapped back in his face in Nairobi. At first, he shrugged it off as there was 'blood". However, by the morning, he was blind in one eye. After flying home to Edinburgh, he underwent 12 operations before doctors gave him the heartbreaking choice - undergo further treatment or remove his eye. He made the difficult decision to have the operation in May of 2011 and was soon informed he was 'no longer fit to serve', reports Edinburgh Live. Steven admits he soon felt he had lost 'his job and purpose, and felt completely lost.' He sought help from Sight Scotland Veterans, which he hailed as 'invaluable'. Now, he's taking part in four Kilt Walks this year in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee alongside his partner. They're looking to highlight the work of Sight Scotland Veterans. Recalling his time in the army, Steven said: 'I served ten years in the Army, starting with the Royal Scots. I did a couple of tours in Iraq and each one was completely different. "The first was intense combat, modern day warfare. The second was more about training the Iraqi Army to be self-sufficient and allow the British Armed Forces to leave. There were some hairy moments along the way, we got blown up by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in the back of a FV510 Warrior, an armoured vehicle, during one patrol down 'Route Irish' which is a 7.5mile stretch from the Green Zone to Baghdad's International Airport. "The FV510 Warrior was immobilised when an IED detonated at the front, striking the engine, if it hadn't, I wouldn't be here to tell the story. Our training automatically kicked in and we secured the site but thankfully there was no secondary fire." Steven heard that The Black Watch were seeking a 30-man platoon from Scottish regiments for an upcoming deployment in Afghanistan. Admitting that he was 'naively feeling invincible', he volunteered. Part of the training was in Kenya. He recalled: "After four weeks in the field near Nairobi, a branch snapped back during a patrol and struck me in the eye. There was no blood, and you couldn't really stop, so I kept going, but by morning I couldn't see. "I was CASEVAC (casualty evacuated) from the field and taken to hospital in Nairobi where they removed part of the thorn. I flew back with a field doctor having drops put in my eye every fifteen minutes during a ten-hour flight. 'Back in the UK, and I remember being in Heathrow and I was still wearing my dusty and dirty camouflage clothing, and the field doctor went into one of those fancy designer shops and bought some 'civvy' clothes. I went to Moorfields Eye Hospital in London to stabilise my eye and I was transferred to Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre for a week before returning to my unit in Edinburgh. I still had the eye, but I had no central vision." Doctors 'didn't know what to do' following dozens of treatments, and after two years of being unable to serve, Steven felt he was ready to leave the army. Although admits it was 'daunting'. He continued: "Things got extremely hard. I started to feel sorry for myself and I didn't know what to do. I essentially lost my eye, my job, my purpose, and I felt completely lost. "It was around this time I started to get help from Sight Scotland Veterans and my independent living worker in Midlothian was amazing. She supported not just me, but also my partner and our children. That meant the world, because when a veteran loses their sight, the whole family is affected. Until I had my eye removed, people didn't even understand that I was injured. It was invisible, and that made it even harder to deal with. "I was fitted with a prosthetic eye, but it was so uncomfortable, and I was told I would need yet another operation on my eye lids and I couldn't face it. So, I spoke with my family, and we all agreed that if I was OK with how I looked (without the prosthetic eye), I didn't need it." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Steven is not legally classified as sight-impaired, but says his sight loss affects him every day. He struggles walking downstairs, judging distances or noticing things from the side. He's also 'constantly worries' about bumping into things. Steven says he's spent ten years 'pretending he doesn't have sight loss'. He added: "Over time, I've tried to be a bit kinder to myself. The support I received from Sight Scotland Veterans was invaluable. "They encouraged me to get involved with the community again. I started by volunteering to coach my son's football team. That led me to the Lothian Veterans Centre where, after seven months of volunteering, I was offered a part-time job as an employability officer. "Eventually, I became the operations Manager for four years. It was a rewarding but demanding role, often supporting people in crisis such as facing job loss, homelessness, or struggling with their mental or physical health. "I was regularly contacted out of hours, even on Christmas Day, and often neglected my own wellbeing. All this time I wasn't dealing with my own sight loss, and my mental health began to suffer. Throughout this time Sight Scotland Veterans remained a constant support." Steven realised he 'needed a break', and began exploring mindfulness and yoga. He found a role with Sight Scotland Veterans, and began helping veterans rebuild their lives after the pandemic. Since then, he's started a new role as an independent living worker. He added: "I thoroughly enjoy helping veterans live as independently as possible and reconnect with their communities. "I know first-hand how vital this support is, especially for those experiencing sight loss for the first time or facing significant changes."
