Newsletter Archive
The archive contains pdf copies of all our previous Newsletters from 2009. Newsletters going back to 1976 will be gradually added to the archive.
2022
September 2022
All change: The Queen in the Old Town during 70 years; Giraffe About Town; ongoing and completed roadworks; buskers are back; change of management at the Tron Kirk; festivals are back; Low Emission Zone: in place but not enforced (yet); time to change the street security barriers; change at the City Chambers; OTA Facebook page; consultation on drinkers’ pens.
April 2022
Edinburgh’s twin city Kyiv and the rest of Ukraine; various sources of disruption in the Old Town; the forthcoming local elections; the Scottish census; short-term lets, and drinkers’ pens on the streets.
January 2022
All Change; Bill Cowan retires; Let’s Talk seat; Proliferation of candy stores; New Clock for New College; Snowflakes on The Mound; Drinkers’ pens; High Street Security Barriers; Private helicopter flights; Closure of public toilets; Old Royal High School update; Statue of Elsie Inglis for the High Street; Historic Lantern Slides discovered; Review of Public Sculpture of Edinburgh; Tunnels proposed for Edinburgh in 1949; Things to do and places to visit; OTA Activities.
2021
September 2021
New sights in the Old Town; Goldilocks Festivals; changes on roadways; Pirrie’s Close artwork; a new future for the Tron Kirk?; Occupation by Dr Andrew McNiven; photo-essay on drinkers’ pens and alfesco coffee; increase in subscription rates; things to do and places to visit; OTA activites.
April 2021
Groundhog Day or a New Dawn?; Photo-essay of scaffolding; EWH & Tron Kirk; Future of Old Royal High School; Winter Festivals consultation; Book Festival moves to Art College; Zero-Waste shop in Old Town?; Transport issues; Report of AGM; Winter Cheer; OTA Activities, Things to do and websites to visit.
January 2021
Thoughts as we leave 2020; Photo-essay of festive lights and shop displays; Golden Mr Whippy and former Royal High School; What we might see in 2021; Auld Reekie Retold; Holyrood Physic Garden; Looking up in Lockdown; Grants and donations; Notice of AGM; Coronawocky(apologies to Lewis Carroll); Things to do and websites to visit.
2020
September 2020
The new normal: the effects of the Covid lockdown; no OTA events until 2021; Cleanse the Causeway (1520) and Sir Walter Scott (1771); obituaries of Anja Amsel and Robin Tait; photo-essay of Edinburgh in lockdown; musems, galleries and other places to visit.
April 2020
Unprecedented times (Covid-19); impact of lockdown on tourism businesses; CEC’s City Mobility Plan; 3 in 10 homes listed as short-term lets; new street lighting and the lighting of Jacob’s Ladder; photo-essay on empty streets; future events and happenings; OTA AGM and accounts; future OTA activities.
January 2020
Fake History; Cleanse the Causeway, 1520; Draft / Daft Tourism Strategy; The Crannie Community Hub; Photo-essay on carvings you can see from the top of a bus; Events and happenings; OTA Activities.
2019
September 2019
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, vehicle-free Sundays and Summertime Streets, North Bridge refurbishment, Royal Mile barriers, Oor Wullie Big Bucket Trail, Fishmarket Close elephant, coloured limewash in the Old Town, review by Donald Smith of Aspects of Edinburgh: poems by Stewart Conn with drawings by John Knight photo-essay on “plastic flowers”, events and happenings; OTA activities.
April 2019
City of Edinburgh Council initiatives including vehicle-free Sundays, Active Travel Action Plan, City Centre Transformation Project, City Mobility Plan and Low Emission Zones; proposed transient visitor levy (“tourist tax”); restoration of Edinburgh panorama; early appearances of the famous; photo-essay on “ghost signs”; events and happenings; OTA activities.
January 2019
Vehicle-free Sundays; City Council aspirations; cycle hire scheme; silent discos; historic wooden water pipes; Christmas trees: cheers and boos; reading list of University of Edinburgh course Edinburgh in Fiction; Edinburgh City Archives, events and happenings; OTA activities.
2018
September 2018
Tourism destroying living community of the Old Town; Banning pavement advertising, with photo-essay of advertising “sheds”; commemorating the 1918 Armistice in Edinburgh; restoration of Picturesque Bits from Old Edinburgh; reviews of The Edinburgh of John Kay by Eric Melvin, The Other Robert, Fergusson the Poet Who Inspired Burns by Rick Wilson, and Book Lovers’ Edinburgh by Alan Foster; new membership leaflet, events and happenings; OTA activities.
April 2018
Report of AGM; holiday lets destroy communities; our unpleasant streets (précis of report by Old Town Community Council); all change at Abbey Strand; remembering Elsie Inglis; virtual tour of National Museum of Scotland; events and happenings; OTA Activities. Also available to download is the Review of 2017.
January 2018
Balancing the needs of residents, businesses and visitors: Christmas lights, tartan tat, Edinburgh (Scotland) and Dunedin (New Zealand), Airbnb in New Zealand, busking controls, cafés reverting to shops, portait of Anna Morton donated to the Patrick Geddes Centre, events and happenings; OTA Activities.
2017
September 2017
Too many visitors; Women in War; Photo-essay on bus stops and police boxes – real and filmic; By Leaves We Live, new sculpture at Riddle’s Court; Book Review: Enlightenment Edinburgh by Sheila Szatkowski; Election results for Westminster and Edinburgh City Council; Events and happenings; OTA Activities.
April 2017
Threat to the Former Royal High School; Elections to the City of Edinburgh Council; Canongate Stars and Stories; Sibbald’s Walk; classic books for ther Cowgate Under 5s; Secret Edinburgh – An Unusual Guide by Hannah Robinson; St Cecilia’s Hall re-opens; photo essay on Old Town murals.
January 2017
Street of Light and other Christmas street lighting; Edinburgh World Heritage’s Twelve Closes Project; Old Town Association’s 40th anniversary; digitising the Boog Watson archive; reforming the Old Town Community Council; Elections to the City of Edinburgh Council; 111 Places In Edinburgh That You Shouldn’t Miss by Gillian Tait; photo essay on Old Town clocks.
2016
September 2016
Too many hotels are being built or planned; return of the Forsyth Globe; Tron clock back on time; bell-cote of former New Street School, East Market Street arches now used for galleries, cafés and shops; new galleries at the National Museum of Scotland; photo-essay on food advertising; OTA activities for autumn.
April 2016
Streets of the Old Town – our concerns, Edinburgh World Heritage Trust Twelve Closes Project, future of the former Royal High School, events of 1916, Success of donation to the Scottish Poetry Library, a photo essay of animals on buildings, for your diaries, OTA activities for summer.
January 2016
Association’s 40th anniversary; events of 1976; Royal High School; Street of Light; Twelve Closes Project; Riddle’s Court update; Panmure House update; 3-dimensional signs (photo-essay); Brownlee Trust grants for Edinburgh City Youth Café and the Scottish Poetry Library; OTA activities and other events.
2015
September 2015
Future of the Old Royal High School, art work at the High School Yards Steps, courtyard at Huntly House re-opens, City Council Customer Hub, The Edinburgh Room at the Central Library, tower cranes and witches’ knickers (photo-essay), markets in and around the Old Town, Botanic Gardens leaflet, OTA activities and other events
April 2015
Future of the Royal High School, Lego at the Library, Market in Tron Kirk, 1812 riots and murder, blooming marvellous: a photo essay of hanging baskets and window boxes, on-line resources, for your diaries, OTA activities for summer. Also available is the Convener’s review of 2014.
January 2015
Committee Jottings on the website, Lego at the Library, Princes Street Gardens path to Esplanade open at last, Saga of the post-boxes, Award-winning architecture, Award-winning green spaces, Trinity Apse Story-telling Garden, Women of World War I, Reviews of Scotland’s Shrine by Duncan Macmillan and Mapping Edinburgh by Chris Fleet and Dan MacConnell, Winter activities.
2014
September 2014
Changes with our Newsletter and Website, World War I centenary, Old Town Community Council, Population statistics, Grassmarket Community Project, Greening the Old Town, Scaffolding photo-essay, Panmure House.
April 2014
Old Town Community Council, Castle floodlighting, Castle rock trap, Riddle’s Court update, Market Street gap-site, Friends of Canongate Kirkyard, Pavement promotions, Summer activities.
January 2014
Demise of the Old Town Community Council, community green spaces, closed path in Princes Street Gardens (again), party flats and A-boards, family firms, St Cecilia’s Hall 250th anniversary, owl and pussycat in Cockburn Street.
2013
September 2013
Considerate Constructors, Discover Tollcross leaflet, closed path in Princes Street Gardens, non-retail street clutter, Flodden 400, return of the dragons.
April 2013
An American academic’s view of Edinburgh, North & South Bridge 1952 and now, recording Royal Mile lives, Our (Old) Town Stories website, Motel One, party flats, street clutter and ‘tat’, the Owl & the Pussycat tree sculpture.
January 2013
A BID for the Grassmarket, (lack of) control of large-scale developments and retail outlets, the Tron Kirk on fire in 1824, Fringe aftermath, Castlehill improvements, Winter Wall in the Canongate.
2012
September 2012
Control (or lack of) pavement clutter from shops, Caltongate development bought by Artisan Real Estate Investors, hostel instead of hotel in former women’s Salvation Army hostel, dendrochronology in Advocate’s Close, big wheel in Princes Street Gardens, proliferation of tartan tat, shopping on the Royal Mile 1952 and 2012, Tim Gilzean, gifted book sculptures, Enlightenment bus tour.
April 2012
City Council elections in May, repair of Wardrop’s Court dragons, Esplanade stands, Holyrood Gymnastic Club, bouquets and brickbats for planning decisions, historic discoveries in the former Castlehill School, photo-essay on attractive shopfronts.
January 2012
Guidance for buskers in Edinburgh, disappearance of Wardrop’s Court dragons, exotics beasts raise awareness of endangered species, household waste containerisation trial, litter in the High Street, Tattoo stands, closure of Edinburgh Room, walking tours in Spanish, Google (mis)directions, review of Hidden Gardens of the Old Town by Jean Bareham.
2011
September 2011
Deterioration of public realm, photo-essay on building maintenance problems, new tattoo stands, computer maps can’t handle a city of levels, new access and facilities at National Museum of Scotland, World Heritage Young Guides, repair of willow cottage at Cowgate Under-5s Centre, filming of historic dramas in the Old Town, tartan tat hanging on shopfronts, Scotsman Steps marbles by Martin Creed.
April 2011
Buskers, Grassmarket Community Project in Candlemaker Row, revised design for student accommodation at Moray House, new gates for Scotsman Steps, ‘quiet’ sign … in the New Town, Ronald Rae lion sculpture moves to St Andrew Square, future of the Tannary site, archaeological excavation in the University’s Old Quad, menu lecterns.
January 2011
Buskers – a blessing or a curse, Canongate Venture: missing school bellcote and bell, ancillary use on shops, restoration of the statue of Charles II, review of Renewing Old Edinburgh by Jim Johnson and Lou Rosenburg.
2010
September 2010
Major developments in the Old Town, trees blocking distant views of the Old Town, range of housing in the Old Town – from palaces to hostels, Angels with Bagpipes raises the tone, make-over of the quadrangle of Old College, using the World Wide Web to explore the Old Town, redrawing of Westminster constituency boundaries.
April 2010
Economic development skewing the mixed character of the Old Town, archaeological excavation on the Esplanade, Acheson House Revamp, developing gardens in the Old Town, success of publishing house Canongate.
January 2010
Review of night-time economy and control of shop frontages, advertising banners, seasonal lighting, Greyfriars Church and its churchyard, consultation on The Fringe, bean bags gifted to the Scottish Poetry Library, improvements in the National Library on George IV Bridge, idiosyncratic shops, archaeology beneath the tram route.
2009
September 2009
UNESCO Mission report on the Edinburgh World Heritage site, Museum of Edinburgh in Huntly House, new stands for the Tattoo proposed, review of The Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre, reducing carbon footprint of our homes.
April 2009
Clearing slope between Johnston Terrace and Kings Stables Road, statue of Charles II in Parliament Square, Castlehill and traffic conjestion. Greenyonder Tours, history of Khushie’s Indian restaurant, Films, TV and the Old Town, Hotel du Vin in Bristo Place.
January 2009
UNESCO to report on the state of the Edinburgh World Heritage site, Malaysian view of the Old Town by Ruzaimi Mat Rani, Adam Smith’s Panmure House to become Edinburgh Business School, disquiet over using empty property for official fly-posting, the City Council and property maintenance, reviews of Edinburgh’s Old Town and its Environsby Malcolm Cant andLost Edinburgh by Hamish Coghill.
2008
September 2008. Review of World Heritage Site status of Edinburgh Old and New Towns; new statues of Adam Smith and James Braidwood; tide of tartan tat; the Magdalen Chapel; Grassmarket upgrade update; new logo for OTA.
April 2008. Grassmarket upgrade; Caltongate / New Waverley; action on pavement clutter and antisocial behaviour; drilling rigs on Esplanade; Friends of Riddle’s Court; aftermath of winter festival in East Princes Street Gardens; community policing; stained glass in the Old Town.
January 2008. Tartan Tat, willow cottage at Cowgate Under-5s Centre; statement of licensing policy after 2005 Licensing Act; March Stones; beauty of uncleaned stone of Old College; The List, herringbone pattern of Edinburgh’s closes.
2007
September 2007. New City Council elected by single transferable vote; needs of the Old Town; floodlighting in Edinburgh; The John Murray Archive to come to the National Library of Scotland; Riddle’s Court; City Car Club; Gift Aid; local development committee becomes neighbourhood partnership.
April 2007. Single transferable vote for local council elections; world heritage status of Edinburgh Old and New Towns; Well House Tower below Edinburgh Castle; Hotel du Vin in Bristo Place; pavement clutter; Edinburgh Common Good in decline; pillar box at City Chambers.
January 2007. Grassmarket upgrade; new home for Dovecot Tapestry Studio in Infirmary Street Baths; archaeology of Edinburgh Tolbooth; development of The Fringe; antisocial behaviour; Old Town Community Council.
2006
September 2006. Old Town development, conservation and accountability; Grassmarket upgrade; High Street setts; Esplanade: castle ticket office, tattoo stands and possible escalator from Johnston Terrace; fly-posting for sectarian marches; Hunter Square; drinkers and smokers.
April 2006. New Waverley; proposed demolition of New Street School; aftermath of winter fair in East Princes Street Gardens; fly posting by late-night licensed venues; Patrick Geddes and Granny’s Green; ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces; James Clerk Maxwell; Mary King’s Close.
January 2006. Rebuilding and regeneration within the Old Town; New Waverley; winter fair in East Princes Street Gardens; wheelie bins; Standards for Street publication; Old Town Community Council; demise of St Ann’s Community Centre; Old Town Brownlee Trust.
2005
October 2005 to come
June 2005
G8 Summit effects on the Old Town; Hunter Square; draft civic code; extract fans at HBOS; recycling; prize for John Hope’s master plan for Holyrood North; central area traffic management; farmers’ market.
April 2005
Licensing Bill published; congestion charge rejected; City Archives in a parlous state; Patrick Geddes at 150; sale of Council property; joined-up planning; farmers’ market; rights and responsibilities; recycle to cycle; eota.org.uk
January 2005
Retaining retail premises; referendum on congestion charging; getting to the new parliament building; upgrade of Old Town streets; masterplans in Potterrow; outrageous application for pub to use flat as kitchen; statue of Robert Fergusson; filming in the Old Town; amenity body or watch dog; Canongate Community Council; steps at High School Yards.
2004
September 2004 (link to come)
Demise of city centre retail; residential status of Victoria Street in doubt; containerisation of refuse; markets in the Old Town; setts and flags; complaint about early cleaning; steps at High School Yards; archaeology in the Cowgate; vacancies on the committee.
April 2004
Nicholson Review of liquor licensing laws; changes to planning system; design champion for Edinburgh; environmental wardens; the Edinburgh Room at the Central Library; Living Memories; fanfare for Sir Alick Rankin.
January 2004
Congestion charging; South Bridge and Tron Kirk; Bank od Scotland building on The Mound.
2003
September 2003
Trial of containerisation of refuse postponed; Nicholson Report into liquor licensing; pedestrianisation of the upper High Street; farmers’ market; trams.
July 2003
Trial of containerisation of refuse; Cowgate fire site planning brief; Moray House pavilion; A-boards; South Gray’s Close.
April 2003
Cowgate fire site; approval of new council offices; revision of licensing laws; over-provision of pubs and bars; anti-social behaviour; parking payment machines now solar powered; community safety forum.
January 2003
Cowgate Fire; summer closure of the High Street; rethinking the Royal Mile; redevelopment of former Royal Infirmary.
2002
October 2002
Representation at Westminster; traffic congestion; pedestrianisation; Twin Town: Nice, France; proposed student residence next to St Cecilia’s Hall.
May 2002
New Council HQ in Waverley Valley; excess of licenses premises; proposed hotel on Bristo Place; congestion in the Cowgate; containerisation of refuse; High Street traffic restrictions; space for kids; City Car Club.
January 2002
Closure of the upper High Street; licensing law revision; mystery no-right-turn sign. Local development committee.
2001
October 2001
Filling gap in Blackfriars Street turned down; road maintenance; science centre in Market Street; Fruitmarket Gallery lighting; Edinburgh World Heritage Trust; OTA visits to buildings of interest.
May 2001
Old Town and Southside Neighbourhoods Project; obstruction by A-boards; obstructions by commercial refuse bins; obstruction of sea-view by proposed Council offices; obstruction of view of Calton Hill; traffic management disappointment.
January 2001
Hogmanay street party; city centre CCTV; extending buildings upwards; flags; new parliament building visitor centre; New Town traffic management; Old Town traffic management.
2000
October 2000
Farmers’ market; closure of High Street during festivals; new building for Cowgate Nursery; car-free day in September; late opening of Planning Department; introduction of Gift Aid.
July 2000
Special issue on Princes Street Shopping Mall.
May 2000
Public transport improvements; lottery funding for community action forum; night-time closure of Cowgate to through traffic; relocation of residents’ vehicles; adopt a monument scheme; developments at West Port; access to new Royal Infirmary; recycling.
January 2000
Inquiry into proposed redevelopment of Waverley Station; bus links to Holyrood; possible night-time closure of Scotsman Steps; Hogmanay tickets; controlling licensed premises; building work for new Parliament; Guid Crack Club.
1999
October 1999
High Street Closure; shop staff as unofficial tourist information; improvements to Holyrood Road and Dumbiedykes; removal of public toilets; public local inquiry into Princes Street shopping mall; control of A-boards and pavement tables.
May 1999
Oscar Faber proposals to control traffic in Canongate and Holyrood Road; repairs to Scott Monument; licensing the High Street for the festivals; speeding up planning applications; formation of Edinburgh World Heritage Trust; City Centre Representatives; poster pollution.
January 1999
Festival chaos; closure of Holyrood Road/Cowgate junction; proposed redevelopment of Waverley Station; Abbey Strand Sanctuary; awards from the Borwnlee Old Town Trust.
1998
October 1998
Designs for Parliament building; containerisation of refuse; over-provision of hotels; merger of Edinburgh Old Town Renewal Trust and Edinburgh New Town Conservation Committee; traffic regulation orders; adverse effect of shutters; vacant shops; control of advertising boards.
May 1998
Too many hotels will affect balance for Old Town residents and users; hand-crafted signs; vacant shops; change in the Canongate; public sculpture; partial closure of Museum of Childhood reversed; bus information; small projects regeneration fund.
January 1998
Scottish Parliament building to be at Holyrood; containerisation of refuse; bus services in the Old Town; museum charges introduced; bank branches in the Old Town; definition of a bar; street clutter; St Giles’ Appeal..
1997
October 1997
Development of Holyrood North and South sites; Brownlee Old Town Trust; extensions for licensed premises limited; site for new Scottish Parliament; Mountbatten Building to be Apex Hotel.
May 1997
Urban Villages Charter; health care provision; Auld Reekie Today poem by George Brown.
January 1997
Liquor licences after 1.00 am; residents’ parking permits; Italian Cultural Institute for Blackfriars Street; compulsory purchase of aerial gap-site; unauthorised signs in the Cowgate.
1996
October 1996
Traffic ban on Princes Street; retuning videos for Channel 5; residents’ parking permits; controlled parking scheme; leisure facilities; bobbies on bikes; focus on Royal Mile ignoring other streets; redevelopment of Chambers Street; Lawnmarket canyon.
May 1996
OTA will continue into its third decade; noise from open-top tour buses; proposal to build on Waverley Market; lighting of streets and closes; abuse of open spaces; Brownlee Old Town Trust, OTA commemorative bench.
January 1996
Old and New Towns of Edinburgh inscribed on list of World Heritage Sites; Highland Tolbooth to be new home for Edinburgh International Festival; access to Esplanade; Infirmary Street Baths; Brownlee Old Town Trust; the OTA at 20.
1995
October 1995
New offices for Old Town Renewal Trust; golden summer; East Edinburgh Smoke Control Area; closure of post offices; hospitality for Bosnia theatre groups; Grassmarket Mission.
May 1995
Brownlee Old Town Trust; Art in Public Places; future of Highland Tolbooth Church; library extension proposed for Cowgatehead; hotel developments.
January 1995
Call for new members; Edinburgh’s Hogmanay; homelessness in Edinburgh; Rob Hunter; Mountbatten Building to be an hotel; St John’s Hill.
1994
October 1994. Street clutter; cladding the Mountbatten Building; narrowing of the High Street carriageway; Castlehill reservoir; Brownlee Old Town Trust, Anja Amsel wins William Y Darling Award.
May 1994. Analysis of 1991 census; trial of finger posts; planning of Holyrood North site; Scott Monument not to be cleaned.
January 1994. Campaign against third Forth Bridge; housing gained and lost; Edinburgh and Montpellier.
1993
October 1993. Museum City of York; loosening the Green Belt; The Big Issue; Royal Mile paving; Hunter Square.
May 1993. Nuisance of commentary from open-top tour buses; improving route from the Meadows to The Mound for pedestrians; traffic-calming measures in the High Street; Joint Authorities Transportation and Environmental Study recommends trams for Edinburgh; control of liquor licensing in the Old Town; proposed re-use of gap-site in Market Street for a science ‘explorarium’, office block in Advocate’s Close wins appeal.
January 1993. Outcome of European Union summit in Edinburgh; success of distribution of information about the summit; success of Lux Europae light sculptures; street clutter; ‘Camelot’ character of signage in Edinburgh Castle; Council Tax makes finding owners of property difficult; Edinburgh Old Town Charitable Trust; Chris Fyfe to leave Edinburgh; bequest from Sybil Brownlee.
1992
October 1992. European Union summit in Edinburgh; closure of pillar boxes during events; Holyrood project; ‘islands’ of ‘real’ shops essential for living; Buchanan Court; building proposed for part of garden of St Patrick’s Church ; effects of too much student housing; The Central Times; Blackfriars Street hostel, Heriot-Watt university leaves the Grassmarket and puts the Mountbatten Building on the market; temporary tent on top of Waverley Market, anthemion sculpture in Jeffrey Street
May 1992. Old Town Action Plan; Draft Central Edinburgh Local Plan; merger of Old Town and South Side News and Tollcross Times to form The Central Times.
January 1992. Launch of Edinburgh Old Town Renewal Trust; poor air quality if central Edinburgh; Edinburgh District Council Leisure Plan 1991-92; Cockburn Street shopfronts; St Margaret’s Well.
1991
October 1991. Royal Mile Enhancement Project; Edinburgh Old Town Trust with Old Town Committee for Conservation and Renewal to merge to form Edinburgh Old Town Renewal Trust; Central Area Local Plan; Holyrood redevelopment proposals affect Royal Mile Primary School; Royal Museum of Scotland extension designed by Benson & Forsyth; Old Sailors’ Ark voucher scheme.
May 1991. Merger of Edinburgh Old Town Trust with Old Town Committee for Conservation and Renewal; guiding principles for OTCCR; redevelopment of Holyrood Brewery site; Edinburgh Old Town Trust social audit; Esplanade favoured option for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo; Canongate Youth Project; Old Town Business Association formed.
January 1991. Issues with the Edinburgh Military Tattoo; parking arrangements for residents for special events; Old Town Business Survey conducted by Edinburgh Old Town Trust; spoiling the appearance of North Bridge and Abbeyhill viaduct; proposal to replace Grassmarket hostel with a hotel; render repairs; stone or concrete paving slabs.
1990
October 1990. Audible commentary from open-top tour buses; gap-sites in West Port and Advocate’s Close; parking arrangements for residents during the Edinburgh Military Tattoo; late licences to be allowed in the whole of the Old Town; railings to be reinstated at the National Gallery; height of parapets of North Bridge; pedestrianisation of the High Street; principles of an Urban Village; residential developments in and around Blackfriars Street.
May 1990. No need for ‘artificial’ visitor attractions; response from St James’s Palace to letter providing information; dilapidation of Abbeyhill viaduct; experimental traffic management scheme for the High Street; proposal for a credit union in the Old Town; proposed building in Advocate’s Close and the view of the Scott Monument; historic names revived for closes in Scandic Crown development.
January 1990. Refusal of planning consent for yet another licensed premises a good sign; over-tourism; Old Town Community Planning Day organised by Old Town Committee for Conservation and Renewal; Regional Council’s road widening policy for The Cowgate; hotel proposal for 7-8 Hunter Square; raising the parapet of North Bridge will restrict views.
1989
October 1989. Merger of Moray House College of Education with Heriot-Watt University; Edinburgh School of English Studies move to former Cranston Street Church; Scottish & Newcastle Breweries to move experimental brewery to former Morison’s Brewery in Holyrood Road; problems for disabled or less-able pedestrians; activity of the Edinburgh Old Town Trust; provision of paper recycling bins.
April 1989. Meeting called by Lothian Black Forum following racial attach in Old Town; erratum for January newsletter; response to Public Transport Options for Edinburgh; proposals for Bishop Sydserf’s House in North Gray’s Close.
January 1989. No restrictions on late-night liquor licences; sale of property in Council ownership; proposed demolition of Jeffrey Street office block and plans for its and tannery site; new flats for West Port at Lady Wynd; bins for dog poop required in Gullan’s Close.
1988
October 1988. Changes to planning regulations to allow change of use from retail to financial and professional services; retrospective planning applications; activity of the Crime Prevention Panel; redevelopment of St Mary’s Hall; lack of letter boxes in government offices.
May 1988. Threat to Canongate Youth Project; sale by Barratt’s of High Street / Blackfriars Street / Niddry Street gap-site to Scandic Crown hotel company; visual impact of satellite dishes; South Side and Old Town Crime Prevention Panel; provision of ‘real’ shops in St Mary’s Street and High Street; future of tenement at 62 Canongate; Canongate Youth Project.
January 1988. Barratt’s to start on High Street / Blackfriars Street / Niddry Street gap-site; more traffic issues; Edinburgh Area Public Transport Study; recent planning applications; sale of office block in Jeffrey Street and future of tannery site behind; Edinburgh Council for Single Homeless.
1987
October 1987. Issues with 1976 Liquor Licensing Act; refurbishment of buildings for housing affecting pigeon accommodation; redevelopment in West Port held up by Highways regulations; unauthorised advertising hoardings on Cowgate/Guthrie Street gap-site; siting of gas meter in Ramsay Garden.
June 1987. Old Town Enterprise Trust; issue of upper floor vacancy; Royal Mile is Museum Mile; redevelopment of roundabout at top of Leith Walk, a relic of inner-city road scheme; housing in multiple occupancy.
January 1987. Barratt’s proposal for High Street gap site; loss of buildings for Croft-an-Righ sheltered housing; refurbishment of south side of West Port; new pedestrian crossings for the Old Town; developments in the Cowgate by High Court and Sheriff Court; proposals for Edinburgh Castle.
1986
October 1986. Ten years of the Old Town Association; redevelopment of brewery site at Croft-an-Righ; redevelopment of Holyrood and Park brewery sites; shop signage.
July 1986. Jim Johnson to be Director of Old Town Committee for Conservation and Renewal; OTCAC to have office in Advocate’s Close; Fountain Close development by Castle Rock Housing Association; Ian Begg to be architectural advisor for Barratt’s High Street gap site; development of site on Cowgate and Guthrie Street for student housing; shop fronts in general; Fringe façade; report on Edinburgh Castle.
January 1986. Tenements on Lauriston Place saved. Old Town Enterprise Trust founded by OTCAC; disposal and collection of domestic rubbish.
1985
October 1985. Activity of housing associations; loss and degradation of closes … and some restoration; breakdown of association membership.
June 1985. Edinburgh Castle loses top ranking of visitor attractions in Scotland to The Burrell Collection; Old Town Committee for Conservation and Renewal and planning blight; principles for development in the Old Town; former UP Church in Blackfriars Street; High Street gap site.
January 1985. Formation of Old Town Committee for Conservation and Renewal; St Ann’s Community Centre; proposed car park to east of Waverley Station; Deaconess Hospital closing; revision of Regional Structure Plan; Western Relief Road Parliamentary Enquiry; publication of Edinburgh volume of Buildings of Scotland.
1984
October 1984. Old Town Study Group to report on economic and physical state of the Old Town; more demolition of stone buildings; Tailor’s Hall; glass recycling.
April 1984. Redevelopment of Advocate’s Close; Barratt’s development in West Port; provision of local shops; Tron Kirk and Tolbooth St John’s; sheltered housing at St Ann’s Brewery, Croft-an-Righ; demolition of stone buildings; modern road standards in a medieval town; proposed Health Board building in Lauriston Place; access to the Esplanade.
January 1984. Work of the Old Town Association committee; liquor licences; future of Regent Morton’s House; creation of local residents’ associations in Blackfriars Street and Chessels Court; progress with Old Town Fabric Survey.
1983
October 1983. Barratt’s scheme for Blackfriars Street / Niddry Street site refused; closure of Scottish & Newcastle Breweries Holyrood Brewery announced; future of brewery sites; Old Town News revived by Old Town Community Development Project.
July 1983. Threat from proposed West Approach Road; redevelopment of Advocate’s Close; new facilities in St Giles finished; use of ground floor in Castle Trades and Fountain Close; Closure of South Bridge Primary School; Old Town CAC Fabric Survey.
April 1983. Old Town Conservation Advisory Committee; building by Barratt’s; yet more housing refurbishment; Bonnington Mill; West Approach Road; Canongate Youth Project; St Ann’s Community Centre; launch of Old Town Trust.
January 1983. Gap sites in Lower High Street, new housing in West Port; demolition in Gullan’s Close; “Some Aspects of Planning – Architecture” by James Dunbar-Nasmith.
1980-82
October 1982. Traffic developments; housing rehabilitation; restoration of Advocate’s Close; Old Town Conservation Advisory Committee.
June 1982. Election to Lothian Regional Council; District Council local plan for the city centre; Old Town Conservation Advisory Committee; former police and fire station in West Port; use of Blackfriars Street / Niddry Street “Hole in the Ground” as a car park.
November 1980. Activities of the Old Town Association; good and bad housing news; proposed development of Blackfriars Street / Niddry Street “Hole in the Ground”; Central Library to keep fiction and children’s rooms; Old Town Community Development Project.
1976-79
July 1979. increase in housing stock: new build and renovation; Gladstone’s Land; Castle Trades; loss of local shops; falling church rolls.
November 1978. Tourists vs the Old Town, good and bad effects of tourism, the tourist experts.
April 1978. Article about Old Town in “Ideal Home”; compulsorily purchase of property by the district council; new look for St Giles; Lothian Region Structure Plan; sale of council property for refurbishment for residential use; National Trust for Scotland to re-open Gladstone’s Land; Calton Studios; Infirmary Street Baths re-opened.
November 1977. Events of first year; Old Town Conservation Area. Blackfriars Street / high Street / Niddry Street “hole in the Ground”; plans for compulsory purchase of High Street from Blackfriars Street to St Mary’s Street; restoration in Lawnmarket area; refurbishment of Whitefoord House.
September 1976. Notice of meeting to form the Old Town Association.