Community Fund – Greener Leith – July Update

Vision for Leith Walk Report

Everyone knows that – sadly – the Tram is not coming to Leith.  At Greener Leith we too are very disappointed, but keen to make the best out of this debacle and come up with some good solutions for Leith Walk, while the public realm design is still to be finalised. We also wanted to get local opinions on what should happen.  So, Greener Leith and Leith Open Space got together and organised a massive public consultation to get some fresh and unbiased thoughts about what exactly people were expecting apart from the promised reinstatement of the tarmac on the road.

Too much has been said about Leith Walk aspiring to be the Champs Elysees; the Ramblas of the North.  It turns out that locals have much more down to earth and original ideas about what they want from this much loved thoroughfare.  The 450 people who participated came up with a wish list of twenty items.  Top of the list is came the request to invest in cycling and walking, including separated cycle lanes, something Greener Leith have been campaigning for since the year dot.  Local shopping and a street market are also high on the agenda.  This hopefully will happen once the unsightly clutter of bins, signage and litter have been removed from the pavements – another high priority.  Finally, folk want to see some trees back on Leith Walk, not just to make the place look better but also in view of recent studies that confirm yet again that trees and greenery,  help keep down air pollution.

Greener Leith and Leith Open Space have put themselves fully behind the aspirations set out in the rapport and are busy lobbying councillors, civil servants and anyone else who will listen.  It will be a very happy day when we can report that dedicated cycle lanes have opened on Leith Walk..  We’ll keep you posted.