£18,000 drone used for the projects photogrammetry
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
A new project has begun in Edinburgh between the Calton Hill Conservation Trust and Headland Archaeology, seeking to find hidden archaeological history on Calton Hill.
Receiving just under £5000 from the City of Edinburgh Council as part of the Community Grants Fund, the project seeks to gain a better understanding of the historic hill that towers over the city.
The prominence of Calton Hill means it would have been a focus of human activity in the past, yet surprisingly little is known about its ancient and early historic use before the 19th-century ‘Athens of the North’ monuments were built.
The project aims to look at the archaeological potential of the landscape, looking to find indications of human impacts that have shaped the hill’s history.
Beginning yesterday morning, the project began with photogrammetry, which is a non-invasive remote-sensing method that examines the land via drone, for entry into a geographical information system.
This allows for a 3D model to be made that can then be analysed to identify any unique features on the hillside, either geographical or archaeological.
Seeking to find answers of the hill’s history out of both curiosity and belief, Chair of the Calton Hill Conservation Trust, Simon Holledge, reached out to Headland Archaeology where they were then able to secure funding from the council.
Explaining the motivation behind the project, he explained:
“We have done a lot of work in the past on heritage and on biodiversity but what we want to do is to fill in our knowledge of the archaeology of the hill. We also know a lot about the geology from ancient times down to the 18th and 19th century. So we are trying to fill in the gaps.
“Obviously Calton Hill is one of a number of hills in Edinburgh, on other hills there are bronze age and iron age features and discoveries that have been made. I think the idea is that there was probably activity during this period and there’s almost nothing about it.”
Using photogrammetry, Headland Archaeology made a 3D model and an orthomosaic (a flat image without distortion), alongside many photographs, to see if Simon is correct in his belief, alongside using the drone flight to overall gain a wider understanding of the hill.
Technical Service Manager at Headland Archeology and drone pilot on the day, Katie Hutton, explained prior to the drones takeoff:
“We’re going to be producing a series of photographs to produce a photogrammetry, so it’ll be a 3D model of the hillside, including the buildings as well and the landscape around. And with that 3D model, we are hoping to produce an orthomosaic to try and identify any features on the hillside.”
Using a £18,000 drone that has a minimum flight height of 50 meters, the drone flew across Calton Hill in a grid pattern, taking thousands of photos.
With the next steps in the project being community based, the team will be inviting the public to explore the history of the hill to learn about what is already known and develop an understanding of what is yet to discover. This will consist of walks that will explore learnings on the ground, creating an opportunity for people to interact with the hill.
Talking about the up-coming community event, Community Archaeologist at Headland Archaeology, Jessica Lowther, explained:
“We will be hosting a series of workshops for community participants to learn a bit more about those non-invasive surveys, so learning about photogrammetry and learning about how archaeologists do walkover surveys, looking into what might be there.”
Participation for the events is free for both members of the trust and non-members.
These events include:
– Saturday 31 January 10.00, workshop on photogrammetric survey results.(Venue
TBC).
– Saturday 7 February 10.00, Walk and talk on Calton Hill’s archaeology.
– Saturday 21 February 10.00, On-site workshop to explore archaeological walk-
over survey techniques and record any findings
– Saturday 28 February 10.00, Final workshop to summarize results. (Venue TBC).
To see more on the project and the photogrammetry, watch the video below.
Edinburgh City Chambers
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Joe Sullivan
Scotland needs a ‘more progressive’ local tax system, according to a consultation response approved by Edinburgh councillors.
The Scottish Government launched the consultation in order to ask councils how they think council tax should be reformed.
In a response, written up by officers and amended by councillors, a position for more council tax bands with steeper rates for the highest value properties has been put forward.
Additionally, the response supported a revaluation of properties, and further revaluations happening every five years.
Councillors approved it, after slight modifications, at Thursday’s finance committee meeting.
The modifications amounted to calling for council tax bands to be set locally, rather than nationally, as well as calling for further local taxation reform in future.
Finance convener and Labour councillor Mandy Watt said she hoped the government would take action on the consultation, after a series of false starts on local taxation reform.
Council tax rates work off of the value homes have, with higher values meaning more tax, as well as water and sewer rates – though those two were not covered by the consultation.
The valuations currently in use have not changed since 1991, and a report before councillors at Thursday’s meeting said values had increased in different areas at different rates.
A revaluation would mean the council tax that each property pays would change – with some increasing and others decreasing.
Officers said in the report that, if a revaluation were done under the current council tax system, some two-thirds of homes could go up a band versus 24% across Scotland.
Additionally, only 5% of homes would drop a band, compared to 26% across the country, with more homes possibly seeing an increase if a new model is adopted.
The committee largely supported a model that saw more bands created instead, which has been described as a ‘more progressive’ system.
However, councillors disagreed on how tax bands should work, with some supporting a national set of tax bands while others backed each council deciding their own.
Green councillor Alex Staniforth said: “It would be much more progressive, we think, to make it decided on local house prices.”
The Liberal Democrat group said it supported change to the system, but supported a position of not answering the consultation, saying it was not ‘holistic or radical enough.’
Summing up the administration’s stance, Cllr Watt said: “I share people’s disappointment. Marco Biaggi, who was a councillor here for some time, he did a huge amount of work on this in the past.
“Lots of consultation with stakeholders, residents, and then nothing happened. Look, this causes huge uncertainty [for property buyers].
“Hopefully, this time, if they say they’re going to do something, they actually do something. Or, quickly decide that they’re not going to.”
Councils get their funding from a mix of sources, including council tax and a grant from the Scottish Government, which includes income from non-domestic rates.
The size of this grant differs by council, in an effort to make sure less wealthy local authorities still get the funding they need to run public services.
Edinburgh draws 25% of its income from council tax – the highest in Scotland – while Glasgow pulls in 15%.
In the most recent Holyrood budget, announced earlier this week, the Scottish Government announced that two new council tax bands would be added.
A new Band I will cover homes from £1m to £2m, and a Band J would cover homes above that, with both coming into effect in April 2028.
However, budget documents state that these new bands do not mean the government is ditching its effort to rework the council tax system.
The Exchange Bar, Hawick
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
An established Hawick watering hole put up for sale almost two years ago has had its price almost slashed in half – with hopes that a new holiday village will help clinch a deal.
The Exchange Bar in Silver Street – also known as Dalton’s – has a successful trading history and a long-standing clientèle.
It comprises a public bar over two levels, service access, ladies and gents WC facilities, a small office and lounge, with cinema screen and leather-fitted seating, together with basement cellar.
When it was put up for sale in February 2024 the asking price was £180,000.
Now that figure has been reduced to just £100,000.
It is hoped that recent exciting developments announced for Hawick may encourage a rapid sale to be made.
They include the go-ahead for a new £450m Center Parcs holiday village on the edge of the town, incorporating 700 lodges and bringing with it 800 jobs during the construction phase and another 1,200 when up and running.
Fast food giant McDonald’s has also submitted a planning bid to establish a drive thru outlet in Commercial Road, further bolstering the upwardly mobile Borders town.
A spokesperson for the sellers, Hawick-based Lowrie Property, said: “We have recently had incredibly positive news within the town, with the Center Parcs holiday village construction starting later this year.
“Over the next three years, the development will bring a significant increase in visitors, contractors, and demand for local accommodation and services — a fantastic boost for local trade.
“Adding to the opportunity, Belhaven Brewery is willing to assist potential buyers with funding of up to 60 per cent of the property value, making this an even more accessible and attractive investment.
“This is a ready-to-walk-into, well-established business, ideal for someone looking to take the next step and really kick on with huge future potential.
“Opportunities like this don’t come along often — early viewing is highly recommended.”
