The Pilkington Buildings in Penicuik.
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Luke Jackson
The Penicuik Heritage Regeneration Project (PHRP) is holding a celebration event in Penicuik Town Hall on Saturday 14th December at 10.00 am to thank the funders and partners and other local organisations and individuals who have
helped to make the project a success over the last 6 years, from 2018 to 2024.
The aim of the project was to assist with the historic regeneration of the town centre through the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) Townscape Heritage grant and Historic Environment Scotland’s (HES) Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme grant. Midlothian Council successfully applied for these grant schemes and added to the funding. Local community organisations supported the initiative with help in kind i.e. volunteering and providing local expertise.
The scheme started in 2018 with a total fund of £3.4m (including historic building owners’ contribution to the grant scheme). This was increased over the years to £5.1m with additional funding from the NLHF and HES and Scottish Government funding through their Town Centre Capital Fund and Place Based Investment Fund.
The main achievements have been:
– 28 historic building grants have been awarded and 2 vacant buildings have been brought back into use with 4 flats
and 2 retail/commercial units.
– 20 shop front improvement grants awarded.
– 3 phases of public realm (street improvement works) have been implemented.
– 60 plus community engagement, training and education initiatives have been delivered.
Chair of the PHRP Team Provost Debbi McCall says:
“I am very pleased that we have been able to achieve so much in Penicuik over the life of the project. Some highlights for me have been the restoration of some key historic buildings in the town, for example the Town Hall, the Pen-y-Coe Press, and the Pilkington Buildings in Bridge Street, designed by the famous Victorian architect Frederick Pilkington. All these buildings have fascinating histories attached to them illustrating the architectural and social development of the town.
“In terms of shop fronts, The Storehouse frontage at 22 High Street has been transformed as have adjoining shop frontages and some in The Square including the old Buttercup Dairy where original glazed tiles were found in the shop and restored as part of the improvement work.”
The Provost went on to say the public realm work has significantly enhanced the character of the High Street, making it safer and more comfortable for pedestrians while the area in front of the Town Hall is now more welcoming to visitors.
She adds: “The community engagement, education and training programme has involved so many local organisations, schools and community groups. Some of the highlights include the traditional construction skills training sessions where over 100 pupils were able to have hands on experience with stone masonry, roofing, joinery and sign writing. Our training provider Craig Frew Conservation and Edinburgh College did a great job. I really enjoyed the pop-up event organised over 3 days giving children and families the space and freedom to design, build and play as they like with real tools using scrap timber, pallets, canvas and rope.”
Other successes including the restoration of the Hearse House and the development of the Heritage Trail, a project involving volunteers and local community groups researching and interpreting the local history and heritage of the town.
The Provost says: “So much has been achieved and it is now important that we build on this and continue to improve and enhance the character of the town making it an attractive and interesting place for residents and visitors.”
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
East Lothian Council is set to become the latest local authority to declare a housing emergency after officers warned it was likely to ‘lose’ more than 1200 affordable homes over the next five years.
A special meeting of councillors has been called for next week to discuss the critical situation they face over housing supply.
It warns a lack of funding from Scottish Government means it cannot invest in projects which would have seen housing developers build over 1500 affordable homes in the county over the next five years with only 340 expected to be delivered over that time period.
It compared with 452 new affordable homes which were completed last year alone in the county.
The report says there are nearly 5,000 applicants on the council’s housing waiting list with an average turnover of just 500 homes annually.
And it says house builders are opting to pay ‘commuted sums’ rather than build the required affordable 25 per cent of all new homes.
A commuted sum is the land value required to provide the equivalent number
of affordable units that the developer is obligated to deliver, allowing the council to purchase equivalent land to build the required number of units elsewhere
However officers point out in their report that the deal does not offer best value and is not practical as other land is often unavailable and costs too high.
The report says: “If investment were available to deliver all of the projects set out in the SHIP (East Lothian’s Strategic Housing Investment Plans) a total of 1,566 unit could complete over the next five years. Based on the actual allocation received, there is a very high risk that we could lose 1,226 units of affordable housing.
“There are currently four sites in East Lothian where developers are ready to enter into contracts with three due to start on site this financial year. Officers have been exploring a number of solutions to secure as many units as possible, however there is an imminent risk that there will be no option but to take a commuted sum on at least two of these sites.
“Taking a commuted sum results in a permanent loss of much needed affordable housing and an increase in market housing. It does not deliver the number of units required to meet our affordable housing supply targets.”
At next week’s meeting councillors will be asked to consider declaring a housing emergency and write to the UK and Scottish Governments seeking additional funding.
The Scottish Government declared a national housing emergency in May this year as supply of social housing fell.
To date 12 local authorities have declared their own emergency including Edinburgh, West Lothian, Glasgow, Fife and Scottish Borders Councils.
Kirsty Innes PR, an independent PR consultant based in Gorebridge, Midlothian
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Luke Jackson
Kirsty Innes PR, an independent PR consultant based in Gorebridge, Midlothian, has been named among the 2024 Top 100 Women In Tourism award winners – a group of industry leaders selected from a peer-nominated group of 250 women ‘doing amazing things across the industry’.
The Top 100 was first launched back in 2018, and this is the fourth edition of this important initiative led by Women In Tourism (WIT), a small group of destination leaders who are all passionate about the Scottish tourism industry and recognise both the challenges and opportunities for women within the sector.
The 2024 Top 100 Women in Tourism represent women working across nearly every area of the sector, including front of house, tour operators, bloggers, golf specialists, food & beverage experts, back of house, events organisers, HR professionals, destination leaders, rural trailblazers and transport operators. From Shetland to the Scottish Borders, Islay to Fife, Inverness to Dundee; and Argyll to Aberdeen, what connects all these amazing women, is their passion for Scottish tourism.
The list includes Kirsty Innes, an independent PR consultant working with a wide range of tourism and nature clients including the Argyll & Isles Tourism Cooperative, The Great Tapestry of Scotland, the groundbreaking South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere, The Brunton Theatre Trust and more. Speaking about this recognition Kirsty said: “It is a real privilege to feature alongside so many inspirational and innovative women in tourism. There really are so many incredible women working in the sector, and it is fantastic that Women in Tourism continues to inspire, encourage and celebrate us all.”
Commenting on the 2024 Top 100 Women In Tourism, Susan Russell, Chair of Women In Tourism, said: “The Women in Tourism Top 100 is now firmly established as one of the most prestigious honours in the Scottish tourism industry. On behalf of the entire Women in Tourism Board, I’d like to congratulate our 2024 Top 100 on everything they’ve achieved, and for their continued passion for our industry.
“We were overwhelmed with the response to the call for nominations and loved reading each and every one. Today is a moment for celebration, and recognition for those that go above and beyond on a daily basis. I’d like to give a huge thank you to every person that took the time to nominate someone doing amazing things within Scottish tourism.
“While the sector continues to recover from the pandemic, we know that there are new challenges ahead. It’s important to recognise the wealth of talent we have here in Scotland and we hope that the Top 100 inspires and motivates future tourism leaders. I encourage you to connect with them, celebrate with them and continue to shine a light on the thousands of passionate women working across Scottish tourism.”
Read more: HERE and view the 2024 Top 100 Women in Tourism
