Leith Programme 2012-2014

Monday 29 April - 3:00pm to 5:00pm in Printworks Coffee, 42 Constitution Street

Wednesday 1 May - 10:00am to 12:00 noon in The Constitution Bar, 48 Constitution Street

The main works to Constitution Street involve 

Last updated 26 April

Constitution Street - update of 22 April

In advance of the main Constitution Street works starting on Monday 29 April, a Ground Radar Survey will be carried out this week from Monday 22 April to Thursday 25 April between Coatfield Lane and the Foot of the Walk in order to identify the location of all underground services. This survey will take place on the 4 consecutive nights between 1730hrs and 0600hrs. During this time, parking restrictions will be in operation and signage is in place to inform local residents and busineses of this. Due to the nature of the works, any vehicles parked within the restricted area may be relocated to adjacent streets to allow these essential works to be completed as soon as possible.

It will also be necessary to implement a road closure between Laurie Street and the Foot of the Walk overnight on Wednesday 24 April between 1900hrs and 0630hrs in order to allow the contractor to safely survey the carriageway there. A diversion route will be in operation between these times via Queen Charlotte Street, John's Place, Duncan Place and Duke Street. During this, emergency vehicular access and pedestrian flow shall be maintained.

Last updated 22 April

Utilities work - update of 18 April

McDonald Road junction

There has been a 5-day delay to the start date for the closure of McDonald Road to through traffic. This was originally scheduled to commence on Wednesday 17 April but will now start on Monday 22 April. This was to allow for further details around traffic management to be finalised in order to minimise disruption.

All access arrangements to McDonald Road, as previously communicated, remain the same but, as a reminder, these will be via Pilrig Street, Annandale Street and/or Broughton Road.

Last updated 18 April

Work to commence on Constitution Street 29 April 2013 - update of 16 April

Following the essential utilities work, we are pleased to inform that work will commence on site in Constitution Street on 29 April. This will involve resurfacing the existing footpaths and road surface and delivering enhancements identified through consultation including reinstating old tree pits and adding new ones, widening some pavements and providing cycle storage. The trees themselves will not be planted until winter during their dormant period when they will have much better chances of thriving after planting.

The initial contract period will be for 8 weeks and the contractor for the works is Lafarge Tarmac Limited. 'Tarmac' will carry out work to sections 11 (Leith Walk to Coatfield Lane) and 13 (Old Dock Gates to Bernard Street) first and this part of the programme is scheduled to end around mid-June. Section 12 (Bernard Street to Coatfield Lane), the middle section of the street, will follow this. All being well, should archaeological issues or adverse weather conditions not impact during the work, the aim is for the Constitution Street part of the Leith Programme to be completed by mid-August. 

Update information will be put onto our web pages regularly along with our stakeholder emails. We will, of course, be actively engaging with traders and residents in Constitution Street as much as possible before and during the work. While recognising that some disruption will be inevitable given the type of work involved, it is the intention to try to minimise this as much as possible and it is our hope that any short term disruption is made up for by the improved environment that will be created for residents, businesses and visitors to the street.

Last updated 16 April 

Utilities work - update of 15 April

Leith Walk and Constitution Street

The contractors have indicated that the utilities works on Leith Walk and Constitution Street are still on schedule to be completed by the planned finish date of 30 April

McDonald Road junction

The work required to be carried out at the McDonald Road junction with Leith Walk will involve the temporary closure to through traffic to McDonald Road along with a partial northbound bus lane closure around the junctionitself. The temporary closure will be from Wednesday 17 April for up to two weeks. Traffic diversions will be in operation and the alternative access routes to the street will be via Pilrig Street, Annandale Street and/or Broughton Road.

Stead's Place to Balfour Street

The replacement of 25 existing service connections to properties to the new main is currently underway in the footway between Stead's Place and Balfour Street. This work is estimated to be completed by around 20 April.

Last updated 15 April

Funding bid to help improve Leith Walk for pedestrians and cyclists - update 26 February

Following public feedback, the Council is set to seek funding from Sustrans in order to help improve provision for pedestrians and cyclists in Leith Walk.

The Leith Programme currently has a £5.5m budget for a raft of environmental improvements to Leith Walk, Picardy Place, Constitution Street and Picardy Place.

Members of the Transport and Environment Committee will receive an update report on the programme on 19 March 2013 with recommendations to seek additional funding for a more enhanced scheme.

This follows extensive consultation on a set of preliminary designs to gather views on a range of environmental improvements.

The Council has been delighted with the quality of feedback received through consultation which highlighed a range of design concepts that people thought could improve the scheme.

These included ideas for more significant enhancements between Pilrig Street and Picardy Place, at the southern end of Leith Walk, making it easier for pedestrians to cross at key points and safer for cyclists using the route.

These enhancements are beyond the initial budget allocation for the scheme and, as a result, Council officers are now working to explore possible options to extend the scheme to include these additional elements.

Last updated 26 February

Utilities work - update of 19 February

Work has started as scheduled on the utilities element of the Leith Programme at two sites in the area.

Constitution Street - West side from Baltic Street to Maritime Lane - 18 February to 10 March (estimate)

• Most of the work will involve replacing service connections to properties. Works in this section are being carried out in the footway with pedestrians being diverted onto a temporary walkway on the road. A Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) has been advertised allowing a period of three weeks (17 February to 10 March 2013) and suspension of parking and loading bays. This will be managed so far as possible on a day to day basis to minimise disruption. Working hours 7am to 7pm Monday to Saturday.  
  

Leith Walk - West side from Stead's Place to Balfour Street - 18 February to 10 March (estimate)

• Most of the work will involve the replacement of existing service connections to properties to the new main and are being carried out in the footway and the bus lane on the carriageway requiring its temporary suspension. An initial TTRO for this site has been advertised allowing a period of three weeks (17 February to 10 March) and suspension of parking and loading bays to allow flexibility for the works in terms of time and space. This will be minimised so far as is possible on a day to day basis.
• Working hours 7am to 7pm Monday to Saturday. However there will be a requirement for some service disruptions to water supply but these will be carried out during night working hours in order to minimise any disruption. All affected properties will be notified. 
• Work to abandon the old main will involve some more extensive traffic management as minor road closures at Stead's Place and Middlefield will be required. Small diversions will be in place at both locations and access to the timber yard at Stead's Place will be maintained. A further TTRO is expected and we will provide an update once this has been advertised.  

Give the nature of the work involved, some work might transpire to be more complicated than originally planned for and take longer while some may be less so and completed more quickly. We aim to provide information as it becomes available but please note that the timescales are indicative and any changes will be updated on our website and through stakeholder emails

Consultation - update of 12 February

The consultation process for the Leith Programme was completed in January and we would like to provide you with an early sense of the findings. We will publish the findings in full in mid March on our web pages which will coincide with a report on the Leith Programme to the Transport and Environment Committee on 19 March (available in the public domain from 13 March).

The consultation sought views on a set of preliminary plans in order to help inform the development of a final design for the scheme and gave stakeholders the opportunity to provide further feedback. We received extensive commuity input:

• 482 responses to our survey
• 90 people attended our open day
• 49 people took part in our focus groups

Many of the responses received were very thorough and the process has highlighted a number of design concepts and ideas that are being reviewed in the development of a final design. Overall findings are also being used to establish key design principles for a longer term vision for the corridor between Constitution Street, Leith Walk and Picardy Place.

Below is a summary of some key findings from the consultation process:

• Improvements to road and pavement surfaces are welcomed across all groups.
• Many respondents are keen to see changes that benefit and promote walking, cycling and sustainable forms of transport.
• Proposed changes to pedestrian crossings and islands are viewed positively although there is a call for greater pedestrian priority at some specific junctions.
• There is support for domestic refuse bins to be relocated from pavements to dedicated parking bays and a desire to improve the management of trade waste presentation.
• Proposed safety measures for cyclists were seen by many as a positive contribution to cycling safety in the area, however there is a significant contrary view that some aspects of the proposals may have an adverse effect and reduce safety.
• A number of the respondents feel the preliminary designs don't go far enough with regards to provision for cyclists. These respondents generally want segregated cycleways, particulalry in the uphill direction (towards the city centre).
• There is some call for a 20mph limit for leith Walk as a shopping and residential street.
• There is support for additional greening, reinstatement of public art and historical landmarks.
• There is support for an improved, better managed parking system.
• There is support for improved signage to highlight Leith as a shopping and tourism destination
  

McDonald Road pre-utilities trial holes - update of 12 February

The contractor successfully completed the McDonald Road preparatory trial hole excavation work on 10 February.

Last updated 12 February

Constitution Street pre-utilities trial holes - update of 7 February

Utilities - trial holes

In order to finalise preparatory work required, four further short term trial hole investigations will be carried out in Constitution Street.

These investigations will be at the front of numbers 37-41, 85-99, 96-98, 70-174 and are scheduled to commence on Tuesday 12 February. The work is predicted to take four days.

All works are to take place on the footway, with pedestrians diverted onto a temporary walkway on the road surface. Two way traffic will be maintained at all times during these works. There will be parking and loading restrictions linked to this work.

Last updated 7 February

Constitution Street pre-utilities trial holes - update of 30 January

The contractor completed the Constitution Street trial hole work on 29 January and both sites have now been fully reinstated.

Last updated 30 January

Pre-utilities trial holes - update of 25 January

You may see the contractor carrying out some final preparatory work taking place on Monday 28 January for a few days at the front of 46A and 159 Constitution Street (there will be some temporary suspension of Parking bays at 46A) and then at McDonald Road commencing Saturday 9 February 2013. This will involve weekend work and the temporary closure of McDonald Road at the Leith Walk junction.

The contractor will be digging trial holes at these sites ahead of the main work starting the week beginning 18 February. 

Last updated 25 January

Work timescales - update of 15 January

There is an indicative timescale for the start of work to the utilities infrastructure in Constitution Street and Leith Walk.

Work to the utilities infrastructure will start soon, with the contractor mobilising in the week beginning 28 January 2013 and working on site from the week beginning 18 February.

We will update these pages with more detail and will also prepare the notification letters for those properties adjacent to the work sites. We will provide as much detail as possible in these letters.

Details on specific timescales along with any traffic management arrangements will be provided on these pages closer to the works start date. 

Further details or updates on the work will also be published in the following places:

• This webpage
• Our Facebook page
• McDonald Road Library, Leith Library and the Newkirkgate Community Centre

Once the utilities work is completed, contractors will begin to resurface the road along the entire length of Leith Walk and Constitution Street. In addition, the pavements will also be replaced. This will be done in sections to minimise disruption to residents and businesses.

Last updated 15 January