Inside the Edinburgh neighbourhood where locals feel 'forgotten about'

Residents of a city neighbourhood have told of feeling "forgotten about" as the city council ask for opinions on how to improve the area.

Town planners are inviting local residents of Craigmillar and Niddrie to share their views of the authority's '20-minute neighbourhood' vision to see how they can help boost the community and the high street.

This scheme is being promoted by a number of councils in the UK with the aim of enabling members of the public to access basic services without relying heavily on a car.

The city suburb has seen a vast amount of houses being built in recent times while Cameron Toll Shopping Centre and Fort Kinnaird are close by. Officials have just approved plans for 28 two-storey terraced houses and 112 flats in four-storey tenement-style blocks to be part of the Greendykes North Masterplan to regenerate the area.

But residents of the area are pushing for more improvements so Edinburgh Live travelled to Craigmillar to chat to locals to find out their thoughts about what the council could do to help their community.

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Sylvia Schauler, 69, has lived in the area all of her life and said she feels "forgotten about" living in Craigmillar.

"I feel forgotten about, for years now, nothing gets done here. The high street needs somewhere for the kids to go as I ran a youth club for years and that has never happened again."

Alan Little, 67, moved to the area over 20 years ago and described it as "a tip" when he moved to Craigmillar. However, Alan has grown positive on what the council has done. He said: "The redevelopment has improved it immensely, there are a lot more shops."

Alan chuckled as he added: "the only thing that we are missing in Craigmillar is a decent pub."

Bridie grew up in the area and believes that there needs to be more things for young people and families in the area. (Steven Brown)

And he went onto say: "Generally speaking in the last 20 years the change that has occurred has been immense. There is still deprivation, lots of people in the town are deprived of some basic necessities.

"There are still a lot of people unemployed, there are still a massive drug problem but nothing compared to what it was like 20 years ago. In general there has been vast improvements whether that has got to do with the council, I really don't know."

Bridie Mcmillan, 67, grew up in the area and took a different view, claiming it "has not got any better". She went onto say: "The council could do more for teenagers and for children.

"The area could also do with some nurseries as there are only a couple here for young families. There is nothing to do for young people and that is why you get so much vandalism because they have nothing else to do."

Local resident Thomas Boyd, 30, talked about the condition of the roads and the litter in the area.

Thomas talked about bins overflowing and the condition of the roads in the town. (Steven Brown)

He said: "The bins always seem to be emptied a bit late we have massive bin storage but it never seems to be cleared properly and people just stack it up.

"As you can see on the main street there is loads of litter that seems to be ignored but you can tell that the council are trying to improve it. There is a lot of new buildings that have gone up but that is about it."

Stewart Adam, 52, has lived in the area for 12 years and as a keen cyclist wants to see the roads improved. He said: "The condition of the roads going out of Edinburgh from Craigmillar for road cyclists is a nightmare.

Stewart is a cyclist and wants to see the roads improved as he has had damage done to his cycle. (Steven Brown)

"The condition of the roads are worrying. It is not the first time that I've had broken broken spokes, punctures in my tyres but that is Edinburgh wide.

"I think Craigmillar certainly needs a family restaurant or pub sort of thing and that is what the area and community need. Otherwise it is not as bad as people make out."

Sylvia has lived in the area all of her life and feels "forgotten about." (Steven Brown)

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Councillor Joan Griffiths, Education, Children and Families Convener, said: "Our 20-minute neighbourhood strategy is about working together to make the local area better at serving the daily needs of the local community and businesses. Schools are a key part of this and we want them to be at heart of their local communities. Projects like the proposed new primary school in Greendykes provide the opportunity to rethink how community facilities can provide wider use and benefits for everyone to live well locally.

"Our high streets and local centres are also places that bring people together and provide excellent opportunities to live, work and spend time. Craigmillar has benefitted from some fantastic regeneration in recent years, but the High Street still has a lot of potential to become a more vibrant, attractive and inclusive space for everyone.

"We are calling for local people and businesses to share their views so we can develop a plan for school provision in the area, improved public spaces and to encourage people to access the high street, local facilities and greenspaces by active and sustainable travel."

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