Planning Committee
10am Thursday 6 December 2012
Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World
Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
Item number Report number Wards City Centre, Inverleith, Corstorphine/Muraryfield, Meadows/Morningside, Southside/Newington
L inks Links
Coalition pledges P40
Council outcomes CO17 CO18 CO19 CO22 CO23 CO26
Single Outcome Agreement SO4
Mark Turley Director of Services for Communities
Contact: Jenny Bruce, World Heritage Site Co-ordinator
E-mail: [email protected]| Tel: 0131 529 3510
Executive summary
Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site: Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
S um m a ry Summary
The purpose of this report is to advise Committee of the completion of a monitoring report for the World Heritage Site for 2009-11.
A responsibility of inscription as a World Heritage Site is to monitor its state of conservation. The report includes a series of indicators that measure changes and trends across the Site. The overall conclusion is that the general state of conservation of the Site is good.
Recommendations
It is recommended that the Committee: • notes the World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 – 11; and
• agrees that the next Monitoring Report should be modified to match the priorities set out in the 2011-16 Management Plan and Action Plan.
Measures of success
The Monitoring Report contains a set of indicators to measure success in the protection and enhancement of the World Heritage Site.
Financial impact
This report has no financial implications.
Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site: Monitoring Report 2009/2011, Planning Committee, December 2012 - v 1.3 Page 2 of 6 Equalities impact
There is no relationship between the matters described in this report and the public sector general equality duty. There is no direct equalities impact arising from this report.
Sustainability impact
The Monitoring Report for the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site aims to monitor the condition of the Site to inform the decision making process for the protection and enhancement the city’s unique environment which contributes the aims of sustainable development.
Consultation and engagement
The Monitoring Report was produced by the City of Edinburgh Council on behalf of the Edinburgh World Heritage Site Steering Group and has been signed off by Historic Scotland and Edinburgh World Heritage. As a monitoring report, there is no requirement for public consultation.
Background reading / external references
• The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2007/08 • The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2008/09
Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site: Monitoring Report 2009/2011, Planning Committee, December 2012 - v 1.3 Page 3 of 6 R e p o r t Report
Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site: Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
1. Background
1.1 The monitoring of the state of conservation of the World Heritage Site is an obligation that follows inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Every six years, the World Heritage Committee requires State Parties to submit a report on the application of the World Heritage Convention. Annual monitoring reports form part of the management cycle and evaluation, and are focused on providing an evaluation of the state of the Site. Outcomes from the monitoring are incorporated in an Action Plan, which breaks down the Management Plan into actions. Appropriately carried out, monitoring is critical to the decision making process of the World Heritage Committee, the Site’s management and to anyone with an interest in the Site.
2. Main report
2.1 This Monitoring Report is produced by the City of Edinburgh Council on the behalf of the Edinburgh World Heritage Site Steering Group: which includes representation from Historic Scotland, the City of Edinburgh Council and Edinburgh World Heritage. It focuses on the state of conservation, Outstanding Universal Value, authenticity and integrity of the Site. Those values are affected by numerous factors due to the complexity of the city centre. The scope of the monitoring indicators, therefore, includes the state of the social, physical and economic environment. It also looks at the effectiveness of actions and strategies aimed at the sustainable safeguarding of the site.
2.2 This report covers the period from April 2009 to March 2011. The previous Monitoring Report covered April 2008 to March 2009, and the first Monitoring Report for the site covered the period from April 2007 to March 2008.
2.3 The indicators used to monitor the Site are grouped under the following headings: • Statutory Protection • Condition of Built Environment • Condition of The Natural Environment
Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site: Monitoring Report 2009/2011, Planning Committee, December 2012 - v 1.3 Page 4 of 6 • Development and Change • Conservation Projects • Existing Uses, Economic & Social Values • Learning and Outreach • Resources and Management
2.4 This monitoring period has not been one of significant change. The assessment therefore suggests that the state of conservation of the World Heritage Site generally remains good. The range of indicators was reviewed at the time of the last Monitoring Report to capture the particular characteristics of Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site and this formed the basis for this Report. The main outcomes that can be drawn from this period are the following:
• the impact of the tram on air quality and pedestrian footfall in the city centre, which will remain in flux until the tram works are completed.
• the influence of energy efficiency projects that have informed planning guidance on the use of double glazing in listed buildings.
• the ongoing work to complete the flood prevention scheme.
• the new development categories introduced in the Planning Act that have led to the formation of a protocol allowing for involvement in the major application process at the earliest stage.
• the ongoing learning and outreach programmes that reach beyond the boundaries of the Site.
2.5 It is proposed that future monitoring should be realigned to reflect the priorities in the Management Plan 2011-16 and the Action Plan. The next stage in the monitoring process is the 6-yearly Periodic Report to UNESCO, which will be completed in Spring 2013. Once this is completed, it is proposed to start work on the 2011-2013 Monitoring Report, which will be completed by the end of 2013.
3. Recommendations
3.1 It is recommended that the Committee: • notes the World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009/11, and
• notes that the next Monitoring Report should be modified to match the priorities set out in the 2011-16 Management Plan and Action Plan.
Mark Turley Director of Services for Communities
Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site: Monitoring Report 2009/2011, Planning Committee, December 2012 - v 1.3 Page 5 of 6
Links
Coalition pledges P40. Work with Edinburgh World Heritage and other stakeholders to conserve the city’s built heritage.
Council outcomes CO17. Clean - Edinburgh’s streets and open spaces are clean and free of litter and graffiti CO18. Green - we reduce the local environmental impact of our consumption and production. CO19. Attractive places and well maintained - Edinburgh remains an attractive city through the development of high quality buildings and places and the delivery of high standards in the maintenance of infrastructure and public realm. CO22. Moving efficiently - Edinburgh has a transport system that improves connectivity and is green, healthy and accessible. CO23. Well-engaged and well-informed - Communities and individuals are empowered and supported to improve local outcomes and foster a sense of community. CO26. The Council engages with stakeholders and works in partnership to improve services and deliver on agreed objectives.
Single Outcome Agreement SO4 Edinburgh’s communities are safer and have improved physical and social fabric.
Appendix 1: Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site: Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site: Monitoring Report 2009/2011, Planning Committee, December 2012 - v 1.3 Page 6 of 6 APPENDIX 1
Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site
Monitoring Report 2009-11
Table of Contents Introduction ...... 5 1. STATUTORY PROTECTION ...... 6 1.1 The Management Plan and Action Plan...... 6 1.2 The Development Plan...... 6 1.3 Edinburgh Planning Guidance ...... 7 1.4 Buffer Zone...... 7 1.5 Guideline for the Protection of Key Views...... 7 1.6 Conclusion...... 7 2. CONDITION OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT ...... 8 2.1 Conservation Areas and Listed Buildings ...... 8 2.3 Archeology ...... 10 2.4 Buildings at Risk...... 11 2.5 Public Realm...... 14 2.6 Edinburgh Tram Project ...... 15 2.7 City Centre Footfall ...... 16 2.8 Street Cleanliness...... 18 2.9 Energy Conservation in Historis Buildings ...... 19 2.10 Energy Efficiency for Edinburgh World Heritage Site Project: December 2009 – March 2010 ...... 20 2.11 Green Heritage Project: April 2010 – March 2011...... 20 2.12 Conclusion...... 21 3. CONDITION OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT...... 21 3.1 Environmental Policies in the Local Plan ...... 21 3.2 Gardens and Designed Landscapes (GDL)...... 22 3.3 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) ...... 23 3.4 Local Nature Conservation Sites (Local Biodiversity Sites) ...... 23 3.5 Local Landscape Designations (LLDs)...... 24 3.6 Trees Preservation Order (TPO) ...... 24 3.7 Water of Leith...... 25 3.8 Flood prevention scheme...... 25 3.9 Conclusion...... 26 4. DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE...... 26 4.1 Major Developments...... 26 4.2 Commercial development ...... 28 4.3 Conclusion...... 27 5. CONSERVATION PROJECTS ...... 29 5.1 Edinburgh World Heritage Conservation Funding Programme (CFP) & EWH Projects...... 29 5.2 Details of Grants Awarded 2009-10 and 2010-11 ...... 29 5.3 Edinburgh World Heritage Grants Towards Statutory Notice Projects 32 6. EXISTING USES, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL VALUES...... 35 6.1 Demographic background ...... 36 6.2 Institutions within the World Heritage Site...... 37 Tourism ...... 37 6.4 Visitors’ experience ...... 39 7. LEARNING AND OUTREACH...... 44 7.1 Promotion ...... 45 7.2 Learning ...... 46 7.3 Activities in 2009 - 2010 ...... 47 7.3 Conservation skills and training...... 56 7.4 Conclusion...... 57 8. RESOURCES AND MANAGEMENT...... 57 9 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 57
List of Figures
Figure1. Conservation areas within the World Heritage Site Figure 2. Number of listed items in the World Heritage Site Figure 3. Number of listed items in conservation areas within the World Heritage Site in August 2011 Figure 4. Scheduled Ancient Monuments Figure 5. Summary of Building at Risk Register Survey for different cities in Scotland Figure 6. Summary of Building at Risk Register Survey for Category A listed buildings additions and deletions in the World Heritage Site in 2009 and 2011 Figure 7. City centre footfall by street 2008 to 2011 Figure 8. CIMS Cleanliness Index for Edinburgh and Edinburgh city centre 2005 to 2011 Figure 9. Applications for Listed Building Consent for slim cavity double glazed timber windows 2009 to 2011 Figure 10. Gardens and Designed Landscapes in the World Heritage Site Figure 11. Landscape designations within the World Heritage Site Figure 12. Approved major developments in the World Heritage Site and analysis of present major developments Figure 13. Commercial developments (Ward 11 - city centre) at 31 December 2010 and 31 December 2011 Figure 14. Conservation Funding Programme Awards Figure 15. Edinburgh World Heritage Grants Towards Statutory Notice Projects Figure 16. Residential population in the World Heritage Site Figure 17. Employment Structure in the World Heritage Site at 2010 Figure 18. Visitor Numbers 2007 - 2011 Figure 19. Most impressive aspects of a visit Figure 20. Edinburgh major attractions Figure 21. Influences in visiting Edinburgh Figure 22. Activities undertaken during visit to Edinburgh Figure 23. Attractions visited in Edinburgh
Appendices
Appendix I. The Old and the New Town of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Appendix II. Conservation Areas in the World Heritage Site Appendix III. Map of Listed Buildings in the World Heritage Site Appendix IV. View cones from and within the World Heritage Site Introduction The monitoring of the state of conservation of the World Heritage Site is an obligation that follows inscription on the UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization) World Heritage List. Every six years, the World Heritage Committee requires State Parties to submit a report on the application of the World Heritage Convention. Annual monitoring reports form part of the management cycle, and are focused on providing an evaluation of the condition of the Site. Outcomes from the Monitoring Report inform the action plan process, which breaks down the World Heritage Site Management Plan into actions. Appropriately carried out, monitoring is critical to the decision making process of the World Heritage Committee, the Site’s management and to anyone with an interest in the Site.
The monitoring exercise requires the ongoing collection of data for analysis and interpretation. The methodology requires the selection of monitoring indicators, which are tailored to a particular site. The scope of indicators is necessarily different for every World Heritage Site, reflecting their unique character as embodied in the Outstanding Universal Value (Outstanding Universal Value). The managers of the Old Town and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site, comprising the Edinburgh World Heritage, City of Edinburgh Council and Historic Scotland, have developed the monitoring methodology over the years since the World Heritage inscription in December 1995. This experience contributed to the development of the International Council on Monuments and Sites of the United Kingdom (ICOMOS UK) Toolkit for World Heritage Site Monitoring Indicators, which forms the basis of this report.
This report was produced by the City of Edinburgh Council on behalf of the Edinburgh World Heritage Site Steering Group. It focuses on the state of conservation, Outstanding Universal Value, authenticity and integrity of the Site. Those values are affected by numerous factors due to the complexity of the living city. The scope of the monitoring indicators, therefore, includes the state of the social, physical and economic environment. It also looks at the effectiveness of actions and strategies aimed at the sustainable safeguarding of the site.
The report considers the monitoring of the Site in terms of: • Statutory Protection – the range of plans and guidance which protect the outstanding universal value. • The Condition of the Built Environment – A range of factors which influence the built environment is included. • The Condition of the Natural Environment - A range of factors which influence the natural environment is included. • Development and Change – Major development within the Site. • Conservation Projects – Projects which have benefited from Edinburgh World Heritage funding. • Learning And Outreach – Promotional and educational initiatives within the Site.
This report covers the period from April 2009 to March 2011. The previous Monitoring Report covered April 2008 to March 2009, and the first Monitoring Report for the site covered the period from April 2007 to March 2008.
1. STATUTORY PROTECTION
1.1 The Management Plan and Action Plan
The first Management Plan for the Old Town and the New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site was published in July 2005. A revised Management Plan was published in May 2011 following a comprehensive consultation process. It was prepared in line with best practice, by a partnership of the City of Edinburgh Council, Historic Scotland and Edinburgh World Heritage. It provides a link between the international requirements of World Heritage, the planning process and the wider management issues involved in protecting a complex Site like Edinburgh . Its purpose is to provide an effective management framework for the World Heritage Site that will sustain its OUV, by enhancing understanding of the Site and its context within a thriving capital city and safeguarding the elements that make it important and must be protected.
The issues and objectives that affect the various elements of the outstanding universal value and the objectives designed to manage them are considered in the Management Plan. The actions that follow from this are included in a separate Action Plan
1.2 The Development Plan
The strategic development plan covering the World Heritage Site is formed by The Edinbugh and Lothians Structure Plan 2015, which sets out the long term vision and framework for land use development, and the Edinburgh City Local Plan.
The overarching aim of the Structure Plan is to provide in full for the development needs of Edinburgh and the Lothians in accordance with the principle of sustainable development, whilst maintaining and enhancing the environmental heritage that underpins the area’s quality of life. The following is the most relevant built heritage policy in the Structure Plan: ENV 1 C: International and National Historic or Built Environment Designations - Development which would harm the character, appearance and setting of the following designated built or cultural heritage sites, and/or the specific features which justify their designation, should be resisted: World Heritage Sites, Listed Buildings, Scheduled Ancient Monuments, Royal Parks and Sites listed in Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes.
The Edinburgh City Local Plan was adopted on 28 January 2010. The Local Plan includes a new Policy ENV 1 which specifies the following in terms of the protection of the World Heritage Site: Development which would harm the qualities which justified the inscription of the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh as a World Heritage Site or would have a detrimental impact on the Site's setting will not be permitted. In addition Policy ENV 1 in para 4.6 gives recognition to the World Heritage Site Management Plan:
______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
6 The management plan may itself be a material consideration for decisions on planning matters. The Outstanding Universal Value of the Edinburgh World Heritage Site, as agreed at inscription, including its authenticity and integrity, is a key material consideration when decisions are taken on applications for planning permission and other relevant applications, whether by the Council or Scottish Ministers.
The Development Plan is currently under review. Until a Strategic Development Plan has been approved (mid-2013), the current Structure Plan will continue to have statutory force. The Council is preparing the new Local Development Plan for its area and once adopted (expected to be in 2015) it will replace the two existing local plans.
1.3 Edinburgh Planning Guidance
The importance of the World Heritage status is referenced in other relevant guidance such as: the Standards for Streets, Standards for Urban Design and Standards for Sustainable Building, the Built Heritage Strategy, and the Guidelines for Managing Edinburgh’s Built Heritage. These documents provide everyone involved in shaping the future of the city with broadly agreed standards.
1.4 Buffer Zone
No formal buffer zone has been designated. However, the setting of the World Heritage Site is protected by the combination of the guidance for the protection of key views and the seven conservation areas which adjoin the World Heritage Site (See Appendix I). The effectiveness of this protective tool will be a subject of future monitoring.
1.5 Guideline for the Protection of Key Views
Planning Guidance on the protection of Key Views was introduced in order to protect Edinburgh’s unique skyline and the setting of the World Heritage Site. The Guidance is a tool used for the assessment of the potential impact that development may have on the historic skyline, the setting of the World Heritage Site, landmark buildings, landscape features in the urban area and the overall landscape setting of the city (see Appendix II and IV). The Guidance for the Protection of Key Views was approved in June 2008 and has been incorporated into the Edinburgh Planning Guidelines.
1.6 Conclusion
______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
7 In terms of statutory protection, it is of great importance that World Heritage Site status is now recognised as a material consideration in determining planning applications. This was included in the new Edinburgh City Local Plan during the monitoring period, and, combined with the layers of guidance in place that inform how development within the site is shaped, now provides significant protection. A strong message is conveyed to developers and decision makers of the importance of protecting the key attributes of the Site.
2. CONDITION OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT
2.1 Conservation Areas and Listed Buildings
The Edinburgh World Heritage Site incorporates all or parts of seven conservation areas (See Appendix II) out of Edinburgh’s 40. Along with their status and associated character appraisals, they are material considerations in the determination of planning applications.
Figure 1. Status of conservation areas affecting the World Heritage Site
Conservation Area Date of Most recent Other Changes designation C.A. Designation Coltbridge and Wester Coates 10-04-1987 09-03-2007 Extended 29-03-1996 (part) Dean Village (part) 20-02-1975 09-03-2007 Extended 13-10-1977, 29-03-1996 Marchmont and Meadows (part) 09-01-1987 29-03-1996 29-03-1996 extended to former Marchmont CA 28-09-2007 extended to Brunsfield New Town (part) 13-10-1977 08-12-1995 08-12-1995 amended, incorporates former St Andrew and Calton CAs Old Town (part) 20-09-1977 29-03-1996 Amendments: 14-03-1980, 25-02-1983, 12-09-1986
South Side (part) 18-10-1975 29-03-1996 Amended 25-02-1983 Extended 12-06-1987 West End (part) 14-03-1980 08-12-1995 None
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8 Source: City of Edinburgh Council
Figure 2. Number of listed items in the World Heritage Site
2008 2011 Change Edinburgh 2008 Edinburgh 2011 A listed buildings 656 655 -1 877 918 B listed buildings 863 864 +1 2699 2663 C listed buildings 157 157 0 1178 1300 Total for the World Heritage Site 1676 1676 0 4754 4881 Source: Historic Scotland
Figure 3. Number of listed items in conservation areas within the World Heritage Site in August 2011
Conservation Area A listed B listed C(S) listed Total Old Town 114 274 68 456 New Town 519 506 60 1085 Dean 7 22 2 31 Coltbridge and Wester Coates 1 0 0 1 West 11 19 18 48 Marchmonts, Meadows and Bruntsfield 2 4 0 6 Southside 4 25 4 33 Total 659 849 152 1660 Source: Historic Scotland
The number of listed buildings remains stable at 1676 (see Appendix IV). The only change over the period has been the downgrading of a Lamp Standard on Great Stuart Street from Category ‘A’ to Category ‘B’. The number of listed buildings within the World Heritage Site, in comparison to the entire city, indicates the Site’s distinctiveness in terms of the concentration of built heritage, 71% of the ‘A’ listed buildings and 28% of the ‘B’ listed buildings in Edinburgh are located in the World Heritage Site.
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9
Figure 4. Scheduled Ancient Monuments SAM Index Scheduled Classification Grid Ref Condition Survey Number Monument Date Condition 90127 Edinburgh Abbey Strand Secular NT268739 n/a
90130 Edinburgh Castle Secular NT249734 n/a 90132 Edinburgh, Palace of Holyroodhouse Secular NT269739 n/a
2901 Edinburgh Town Wall, Flodden Wall and Telfer Wall, Secular NT253732 23.02.19 2 Heriot Place 99 3013 Edinburgh Town Wall, Drummond Street to Secular NT261733 23.02.19 2 Pleasance 99 3012 Edinburgh Town Wall, Johnston Terrace to Secular NT252733 23.02.19 4 Grassmarket 99 10805 Holyrood Abbey and Palace Gardens Secular NT269739 n/a
10801 Queen Mary’s Bath and Privy Garden Secular NT267739 n/a KEY – Condition 1 Optimal 2 Generally satisfactory but with minor localised problems 3 Generally satisfactory but with significant localised problems 4 Generally unsatisfactory with major localised problems 5 Extensive problems
Source: Historic Scotland
2.3 Archaeology
Between 2009 and 2011, 40 programmes of archaeological investigation have been undertaken across the World Heritage Site, ranging from set piece excavations to watching briefs and historic building recording exercises. This work has been undertaken principally in response to archaeological conditions attached to planning consents following advice from the City of Edinburgh ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
10 Council Archaeology Service (CECAS) and undertaken under its direction.
In 2009, 11 programmes of archaeological investigation were undertaken. Highlights of the year included the discovery of human remains close to the Cowgate belonging to a late medieval parish grave yard attached to St Giles Cathedral. After careful recording, the remains were left undisturbed. Work at George Heriot’s Grassmarket campus provided evidence for the industrial use of the Grassmarket in the 19th and 20th centuries and for the construction of the boundary wall for Greyfriars Kirkyard.
In 2010 there were 16 programmes of archaeological investigation. These ranged from set piece excavations to watching briefs and historic building recording exercises, including the discovery, recording and preservation of an unknown 16th century painted ceiling in Advocate’s Close behind 344 High St.
Perhaps the most significant excavation undertaken in 2010 was carried out across the Old College Quadrangle of Edinburgh University. The works carried over into 2011 and resulted in the discovery of, not only the graveyard attached to the historic Kirk o Field’s Kirk, but also the remains of the original 17th century Old College buildings. The building remains have been preserved in situ. Of real significance was the discovery of chemical samples/residues and laboratory vessels from the Chemical Department situated in the 17th century library, which played a key part in the development of modern chemistry during the Enlightenment.
In 2011, 13 programmes of archaeological investigation were undertaken. This included historic building recording and analysis of the new Primark Store on Princes Street, revealing evidence of the original 18th century New Town tenements that had been obscured by 19th century and later developments. Excavations carried out to the rear of 9 Victoria St (The Liquid Rooms) unearthed over 4 metres of important archaeological deposits dating back to the 12th century, including two large 12th to 14th century pits containing metal working residues indicating the nearby location of a smithy.
2.4 Buildings at Risk
The National Performance Framework (NPF) is the Scottish Government’s system for monitoring and assessing its activity against a number of key objectives. Within this, a National Indicator has been established for the historic environment to improve the state of Scotland’s historic buildings, monuments and environment. Each of the indicators and targets within the NPF requires a single measure. In the case of the historic environment, the measure which has been selected is a decrease in the percentage of 'A' listed buildings recorded as ‘at risk’ on the Buildings at Risk Register (BARR).
Buildings at Risk are the subject of annual monitoring. In 2011, Edinburgh contained 19% of all the Category ‘A’ listed buildings in Scotland. The following table provides a comparison of the Category ‘A’ listed buildings which have been identified as At Risk ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
11 between Edinburgh and five other urban areas in Scotland. This indicates that Edinburgh performs significantly better than other local authorities in terms of the National Performance Indicator for the Historic Environment.
In 2008-9 when Edinburgh was assessed for the NPF, a total of 29 Category A listed buildings were considered to be at risk. As Edinburgh had 909 Category A list entries, this equated to 3% of the total Category A list entries being at risk.
This was significantly lower than the Scottish average of 8.7%, indicating that, compared to other local authorities Edinburgh’s historic environment is very well-maintained.
The NPF Survey concluded the following: Overall, the City of Edinburgh’s stock of Category A-listed buildings is in a very good condition. This reflects, in part, the traditional wealth and importance of Edinburgh as the financial centre of the nation. It also reflects the Council’s proactive approach towards planning and building maintenance. Considering the number of A-listed buildings in Edinburgh, the number At Risk is very low. It is also notable that many of the At Risk buildings are being kept wind and water tight and enjoying basic maintenance. As a result, very few of the buildings are considered to be at High (and none at Critical) risk.
At 2011, there was a net reduction in Category A listed buildings on the register, with seven restored and removed from the Register, four currently undergoing restoration and a further six added.
Figure 5. Summary of Building at Risk Register Survey for different cities in Scotland – 2009 & 2011
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12 CATEGORY A LISTED BUILDINGS AT RISK, 2009 – 2011
Number of A- Number of % of A-listed listed Buildings at Risk A-listed items items At Risk
2009 2011 2009 2011 2009 2011
Aberdeen 22 21 68 68 32% 30.8%
Dundee 16 71 82 82 20% 20.7%
Edinburgh 29 24 909 918 3% 2.6%
Falkirk 3 3 27 27 11% 11.1%
Glasgow 35 47 281 282 12% 16.6%
Stirling 11 9 93 93 12% 9.7%
*An individual listed item may include a number of individual listed buildings. The 909 listed items in Edinburgh comprise approximately 2,490 individual buildings.
Figure 6. Summary of Building at Risk Register Survey Category A Listed Buildings Additions and Deletions in the World Heritage Site – 2009 & 2011
Address Condition Risk Status 1&2 Royal Terrace N/A N/A Restored and Removed ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
13 7 Forres Street N/A N/A Restored and Removed Acheson House N/A N/A Restored and Removed City Observatory Good Low Remaining on BARR 1 Baxter’s Place Fair Moderate Remaining on BARR 2-3 Baxter’s Place Fair Moderate Remaining on BARR 4-5 Baxter’s Place Poor High Remaining on BARR Tron Kirk Fair Moderate Remaining on BARR 3-3A St Andrew Square Fair Moderate Remaining on BARR 42 St Andrew Square Fair Moderate Remaining on BARR 3 Dublin Street Lane Poor Moderate Remaining on BARR 29-31 George Street Fair Moderate New addition Riddle’s Court Good Minimal New addition 1-2 India Buildings Fair Low New addition 3-4 India Buildings Fair Low New addition 5-6 India Buildings Fair Low New addition
At 2011, two non Category ‘A’ listed buildings in the World Heritage Site were included on The Buildings at Risk Register: “ North Gray’s Close and 6 Market Street.
2.5 Public Realm A number of public realm projects have been completed during this period of monitoring. These reflect an overall improvement in the streetscape of the Site. They include the following sites:
• Grassmarket • St Andrew Square • The National Portrait Gallery • The Royal Museum of Scotland • George IV Bridge • The Usher Hall • Gardner’s Crescent
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14 2.6 Edinburgh Tram Project Work on the Edinburgh Tram Project has continued throughout the Monitoring Period. It has been subject to some delay and amendments have been made to the project programming. It is now anticipated that the tram system is expected to be in operation from the airport to St Andrew Square/ York Place by 2014.
Date Project’s Progress May 2002 Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE) was formed to deliver major transport projects for the City of Edinburgh Council. TIE was a private limited company, owned by the City of Edinburgh Council September 2006 Tram details – the document explaining different stages of the tram system’s development. February 2007 Quality Policy Statement - The project adopted a quality management system which conformed to the principles and requirements of BS EN ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management Systems. October 2007 First public presentation of trams design. October 2007 TIE appointed BBS, which is a consortium comprising Bilfinger Berger and Siemens Group, in order to construct and maintain the tram system. November 2007 CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles) is chosen to deliver 27 tram vehicles with structural warranty for a period of up to 30 years. December 2007 The Final Business Case was prepared by TIE outlining: • the rationale for implementing a new tram system, • detailed financial costs and projections, • the design and development of the tram system new line. The Business Case was approved by the City of Edinburgh Council in December 2007
May 2008 The City of Edinburgh Council formally approved the Edinburgh Tram Project. February 2009 Tram works started in Princes Street. Almost immediate delays occurred with utilities diversion works and sub-ground conditions problems, which largely increased expenditure. This led to a dispute over costs. June 2011 The City of Edinburgh Council reviewed the governance, financing, programming of the project, and proposed revisions of scope and timetabling for the first phase of the tramline 1a. This was based on an independent review of the Business Case. Decision was also taken to stop the tramline at St Andrew Square.
The City of Edinburgh Council has a duty to monitor air quality. As the tram network is not as extensive as originally proposed it ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
15 is possible that the current level of bus service will be retained and a proportion may be rerouted (especially from Princes Street) for Tram operations. Therefore, the potential air quality impact on the adjacent road networking arising from displacement requires to be assessed and evaluated. However, until the tram is operational and traffic has flow has stabilized in the city, it is not possible to provide reliable trend information.
2.7 City Centre Footfall
In December 2007, in support of the Business Improvement District, 18 pedestrian counters were installed in the city centre measuring the number of people passing through key locations.
Figure 7. City Centre Footfall by Street 2008 - 2010
Counter Weekly Footfall 2008 Weekly Footfall 2009 Weekly Footfall 2010 Princes Street (M&S) 304,299 232,186 256,171 Princes Street (Carphone 232,712 229,520 225,390 Warehouse) Princes Street (Next) 232,413 172,866 174,300 Princes Street (Frasers) 195,197 173,622 175,300 St Andrew Square (Harvey 112,012 99,672 90,212 Nichols) High Street (Radisson Hotel) 104,377 104,151 103,166 Rose Street (Black & Lizars) 104,279 99,443 90,632 South Bridge (Offbeat Clothing) 99,087 73,683 68,749 South Bridge (Latest News) 96,270 44,125 37,748 Shandwick Place (Specsavers) 81,255 78,931 63,459 Shandwick Place (Lothina Buses) 73,824 80,020 73,307 High Street (Bella Italia) 72,040 63,841 82,005 George Street (Dome) 68,547 103,388 64,950 Lothian Road (Pizza Hut) 54,615 52,532 51,828 George Street (Whistles) 51,279 77,508 51,642 Grassmarket (Costume Haha) 50,161 49,074 70,407 ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
16 George Street (Rohan) 47,843 45,187 34,980 Lothian Road (B&L) 34,005 30,456 46,873
TOTAL 2,014,215 1,874,008 1,816,324
Source: City of Edinburgh Council
The highest footfall remains in Princes Street, due to its retail importance and its importance as a focal point for transport links. Special emphasis should be placed on the pedestrian experience in Princes Street and potential improvements should be considered as a part of the implementation of the tram system.
The level of footfall is unexpectedly low in George Street, given its concentration of shops, offices, banks, clubs and restaurants. George Street’s character has altered over the last 10 years, changing from a commercial location to a retail and leisure destination. Many large office occupiers have relocated to the purpose-built Exchange District at Lothian Road. In 2009, there was a distinct spike in footfall on George Street, which corresponded with a drop in Princes Street’s footfall. This can be attributed to diversion works associated with the tram. Again, it can be said that, until the tram is operational and affected streets are re-opened and fully accessible, reliable trend information cannot be provided.
Although Lothian Road is not the main pedestrian route in the city centre, reflected in a low position in the ranking, it plays a role as a link between the West End, Castle Terrace and the Exchange District. Currently, Festival Square is underused and any future changes in the area should consider improvements that would raise public interest in the area.
Footfall in the Grassmarket has increased, which should, in part, be attributed to the successful completion of the Capital Streets Project, which has enlivened the area as well as assisting local small businesses.
The overall footfall in the city centre has reduced by a total of 197,891 between 2008 and 2010. This could be attributed in part to the road diversions and the relocation of bus stops while tram works continue, or simply as a result of the economic downturn. However, it is important that the City of Edinburgh Council continues to take steps to improve the pedestrian experience within the city centre. The footfall in the World Heritage Site should be regularly monitored in order to assist in targeting public realm priorities.
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17 2.8 Street Cleanliness
Cleanliness of the streets is one the most challenging issues in the City Centre/World Heritage Site. The reason for this is the complexity of factors that have to be considered in order to maintain a balance between the Site’s visual aesthetics and convenience. The high footfall and general high activity within the city centre area require additional attention to environmental cleanliness. The situation becomes particularly difficult during big, citywide events such as the Edinburgh Fringe.
Figure 8. CIMS Cleanliness Index for Edinburgh and Edinburgh City Centre, 2005-11
CIMS Cleanliness Index (100 =litter free)
80 70 60 50 40 30 CIMS score 20 10 0 Apr-06 Apr-07 Apr-08 Apr-09 Apr-10 Apr-11 Dec-05 Aug-06 Dec-06 Aug-07 Dec-07 Aug-08 Dec-08 Aug-09 Dec-09 Aug-10 Dec-10 Aug-11 Dec-11
City Wide City Centre
The diagram shows that the situation remains steady in both the City Centre and Edinburgh generally, due to initiatives such as “Keep Edinburgh Clean”. The World Heritage Site is subject to special attention by the Modernising Waste Group, which includes representatives from the City of Edinburgh Council, Historic Scotland, and Edinburgh World Heritage. The Group is piloting a ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
18 rage of options within the Site to improve waste management.
A specialist containerisation strategy is in place specifically to manage the collection of domestic waste within the World Heritage Site. This is managed by the Modernising Waste Group. In 2009, the City of Edinburgh Council Transport, Infrastructure and Environment Committee committed to carrying out an audit of streets to identify suitable locations for a range of containerisation and collections methods, concluding that any given approach should take into consideration the setting of the Site, and the quality and character of the environment. This work is being overseen by the Modernising Waste Group, the street audit has been carried out and the findings are being considered and options will be piloted.
2.9 Energy Conservation in Historic Buildings Edinburgh World Heritage granted £40,465 towards a pilot project to demonstrate how historic buildings can be made more energy efficient. The project has a strategic objective aimed at achieving the protection of historic buildings in the future, keeping them comfortable and energy efficient without placing occupants at risk of fuel poverty (see Appendix VII).
Edinburgh World Heritage worked in partnership with Changeworks and the City of Edinburgh Council, in installing a range of energy efficiency measures in Category B listed Georgian properties on Lauriston Place, owned by the Lister Housing Co- operative.
A series of sympathetic energy saving measures were introduced such as secondary glazing, draught proofing, replacement shutters, floor and loft insulation, low energy lighting, smart monitors and energy advice. Energy rating software projected the following results:
• Annual energy cost for each flat reduced by an average of £175 (in some cases up to £400) ; • Annual CO2 emissions of each flat reduced by an average of over 1 tonne (in some cases 2.4 tonnes); • Annual energy consumption of each flat reduced by an average of 5,000 kWh (in some cases up to 12,000 kWh); • The National Home Energy Rating (NHER) of each flat increased by up to 1.5.
Solar panels were installed to serve 49 tenement flats: the panels were sited in hidden roof valleys, and pipework was run down through the buildings so that householders on all floors (even basement level) could benefit from solar powered water heating.
• Traditional and historic properties can be made more sustainable, and help contribute to local and national carbon reduction targets.
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19 Lessons learnt from the project have been detailed in a best practice guide, published by Changeworks in May 2009, which details good practice for householders and professionals.
A further trial involved the use of a variety of double glazing measures in listed traditionally constructed properties. This allowed analysis in terms of comparative performance, aesthetics and sustainability. The results of this Window Trial have informed a proposed amendment to the Edinburgh Planning Guidance on Replacement Windows and Doors. The guidance continues to place emphasis on repair and refurbishment of original windows in listed buildings, however, it is now amended to allow slim cavity double glazed timber windows that fit into existing frames without a significant affect on the appearance of the window. This was adopted in August 2010 and application numbers for this type of application have sharply increased.
Figure 9. Listed Building Consent applications for Slim Cavity Double Glazed Timber Windows
Total No. Granted No. Refused No. Other Decision 2009 10 8 2 - 2010 20 20 - - 2011 76 70 2 4 Source: City of Edinburgh Council
In 2009, the applications refused were contrary to the guideline at the time and those granted represented an improvement in all cases, for example, involved the replacement of non-original windows (in some cases aluminium or uPVC) with timber frames matching the original detailing but with slim line double glazing. By 2011, using the amended guidance, more applications were received and granted. Those refused failed to retain the original timber frames or failed to match the detailing of the original windows. A small number of applications were for refurbishing and draught sealing the original windows and required no consent.
2.10 Energy Efficiency for Edinburgh World Heritage Site Project: December 2009 – March 2010 This project has helped inform householders in the World Heritage Site of a series of initiatives, from introducing energy saving measures, to promoting good practice. A project officer was employed in January 2010. A key achievement of the project includes a total carbon savings of 499.69 tonnes of CO2 in the 16 month period.
The Coinyie House Close Project under this umbrella was nominated by the Cockburn Association (Edinburgh Civic Trust) for ‘My Place Awards’ (Scottish Civic Trust Awards)
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This project follows on from the success of the Energy Efficiency Project, which expanded to consider other WHS residents’ aspirations and needs, delivering community-led regeneration projects such as heritage vegetable gardens and carrying out energy efficiency activities in many other traditional tenements and historic areas around the site.
The idea for this project was generated by the residents associations and communities in South Canongate, Campbell and Brown’s Close, Brown’s Place, Calton Road and Broughton asking us to help with different projects. A key achievement of this project has been the total carbon savings of 138.37 tonnes of CO2 in the 12 month period, exceeding the amount initially forecasted by 45 tonnes.
The Acheson House Community Garden Project was awarded the Central Scotland Green Network Orchard Scheme Award and was also selected as one of the Exemplar Projects, because the Panel was impressed by the project.
2.12 Conclusion
Preserving and enhancing the condition of the built environment is critical to safeguarding the key attributes of the Site. A number of measures are in place to ensure the built fabric is protected, and buildings at risk monitored. The Site is entirely covered with conservation areas and includes a large number of listed buildings and scheduled monuments. The conservation area character appraisals are a material consideration in determining planning applications and listed building and scheduled monument status offers its own statutory protection. A number of enhancement projects are ongoing and, in the case of the tram, have remained in a period of flux throughout the monitoring period. This has impacted upon city centre footfall and air quality, which will continue to be closely monitored. The ongoing energy efficiency study has informed planning guidance for replacement windows in listed buildings during the monitoring period. The success of this project has led to increased funding to take forward other ‘green heritage’ initiatives.
3. CONDITION OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
3.1 Environmental Policies in the Local Plan
Policy Env 6: Historic Gardens and Designated Landscapes, protects character and important views from and within sites recorded in the national Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes, which is compiled by Historic Scotland. The criteria for assessment is included in Annex 4 to Scottish Historic Environment Policy (SHEP) available on Historic Scotland’s website. ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
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3.2 Gardens and Designed Landscapes
The City of Edinburgh Council commissioned a survey by Peter McGowan Associates with Christopher Dingwall on gardens and designed landscapes in Edinburgh. The survey is ongoing and to date 48 sites have been researched in detail and published on the City of Edinburgh Council website,.
The aim is to identify and describe sites of regional and local importance that need special attention within the planning system and protection from detrimental development. Collected information and analysis would provide the basis for Supplementary Planning Guidance in accordance with the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland compiled by Historic Scotland. Supplementary Guidance was approved in August 2009.
Figure 10. Gardens and designed landscapes in the World Heritage Site Name and Description Values (Inclusion Date) Work Historical Horticultural Architectural Scenic Nature Archeological of Art Conservation Dean Cemetery (2001) An important example of a mid 19th Century cemetery. Existing planting demonstrates the O O S O S H S picturesque theories of landscape design applied to 19th century burial. Palace of Holyroodhouse (1987) Holyrood Palace and Park make a major contribution to the Edinburgh scenery and have rich historical associations with the L O L O O O Augustinian Abbey since the 12th century and as a Royal residence since the 16th century. The Park is a Site of Scientific Interest.
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22 The New Town Gardens (2001) The internationally recognized New Town Gardens comprise a series of 18th and 19th century town gardens, squares and walks. Although broadly contemporary with other O O S O O H H developments in city planning, Edinburgh New Town has the most extensive system of public and private open space, designed to take full advantage of the topography and Edinburgh townscape. O – Outstanding H – High S – Some L - Little Source: Historic Scotland
3.3 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)
In accordance with the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004, SSSIs are notified by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). They comprise either land or water areas that contain plants, animals, geological features or landforms of special importance and are selected as representing the best examples of their kind found in Scotland. SNH monitors condition of the sites every six years. On the basis of the monitoring SNH notifies, seeks protection, informs owners and occupiers about any implications related to the sites.
There are two SSSIs in the World Heritage Site: Calton Hill managed by the City of Edinburgh Council and Caste Rock managed by Historic Scotland .
3.4 Local Nature Conservation Sites (Local Biodiversity Sites)
Local authorities through the Local Plan process designate Local Nature Conservation Sites. In 2006 Scottish Natural Heritage published guidance “Establishing and Managing Local Nature Conservation Site Systems in Scotland”, providing an explicit ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
23 purpose for Local Nature Conservation Sites, namely “to identify biodiversity and geodiversity of at least local importance, and to assist efforts to protect and enhance these interests”. The guidance recommends use of consistent methodology and nomenclature.
Designations have been reviewed and the resulting Local Biodiversity Sites and Geodiversity Sites will form part of the emerging Local Development Plan.
There are currently two Local Nature Conservation Sites in the World Heritage Site: the Water of Leith Valley and Calton Hill . Three further sites identified for their local geodiversity value are proposed: Edinburgh Castle Rock Craig and Tail, Canongate Wall and the Stockbridge to Dean Village section of the Water of Leith. 3.5 Local Landscape Designations (LLDs)
Local Landscape Designations are non statutory designations defined by local authorities through the development plan process with a view to safeguarding areas of regional or local landscape importance from inappropriate development. Different nomenclature and methodologies used in designations throughout Scotland were identified by Scottish Natural Heritage and Historic Scotland in Guidance on Local Landscape Designations (2005).
The current Local Landscape Designations are reviewed in conjunction with the development plan cycle. Existing designations will be replaced with the more consistently defined Special Landscape Areas (SLAs). 22 candidate Special Landscape Areas were approved by the Planning Committee in for inclusion in the emerging Local Development Plan. There are five candidate Local Landscape Designations in the World Heritage Site: Water of Leith, Castle Rock, Princes Street Gardens, Calton Hill, Holyrood (part of the Grounds of Palace of Holyrood)
3.6 Trees Preservation Order (TPO)
Trees are protected through the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, (Tree Protection Orders – Section 160), and Planning conditions (Section 159). Tree Preservation Orders are identified by local authorities to protect individual trees, groups of trees or areas of woodland which make a significant contribution to the local landscape or townscape.
As of 2012, there are 162 Tree Preservation Orders in the City of Edinburgh, including 6 in the World Heritage Site. This is an overall increase of ten from the previous monitoring report, with no new Orders in the World Heritage Site.
Figure 11. Landscape Designations within the World Heritage Site
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Designation Total No. in 2009 - 2011 Gardens and Designed Landscapes (GDLs) 3 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) 2 Local Nature Conservation Sites/ Biodiversity Sites 2 Local Landscape Designations (LLDs) 5 Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) 6
Source: City of Edinburgh Council
3.7 Water of Leith The valley of the Water of Leith is a river corridor that runs through the Site and is within a short walking distance of the city centre. It contains the original mill settlements of Bell’s Mills, the village of Dean and part of Stockbridge. It is managed, conserved and enhance through the work of the Water of Leith Conservation Trust. The Trust promotes education and recreation and works with volunteers and community groups to deliver over 50 river clean-ups and habitat improvement tasks annually. The Trust produced the first 10-year Management Plan for the Water of Leith in 2010. It includes actions to deliver environmental improvements, whilst balancing the needs of all stakeholders and user groups.
3.8 Flood prevention scheme Flooding poses a threat to a limited part of the World Heritage Site, principally around the Dean Village and Stockbridge. Flood prevention measures are, therefore, an important factor in monitoring the conservation of the Site. Following the severe flooding of April 2000, the Council considered the feasibility of building flood defences on the Water of Leith. The Council promoted the Water of Leith Flood Prevention Scheme in April 2003 and planning consent was obtained in July 2004. Scottish Ministers confirmed the Flood Prevention Order in March 2007 following a public local inquiry.
The design was complete and tenders were invited in September 2008, however, at that time insufficient funds were available and the Council was unable to award a contract for the construction of flood defences. In June 2009 the Council agreed that the scheme should be carried out in phases to match available funding.
Tenders were invited for Phase 1 of the flood defence scheme in June 2010. Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering Ltd, Carillion Capital Projects (Civil Engineering), Lagan Construction Ltd, Morrison Construction and Volker Stevin Ltd all returned tenders on 5 October 2010. ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
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The Financial Bids ranged in value from £11,63,665.05 to £13,957,406.00 including alternative proposals submitted by three of the bidders. Following a full financial check of all of the Bids, Lagan Construction were found to have submitted the lowest priced complying tender in the sum of £11,463,665.05.
Phase 1 works started on site in spring 2011 and will take approximately 21 months to build. Funding to complete the scheme beyond Phase 2 has not yet been confirmed. These works are presently on hold until the funding required can be secured.
3.9 Conclusion The World Heritage Site is protected by a number of natural heritage designations, which serve to safeguard its special landscape assets such as the Water of Leith, Calton Hill, castle rock and Princes Street Gardens. During the monitoring period, the Water of Leith Conservation Trust has produced a 10 year Management Plan for the river corridor and work has commenced on the flood defences.
4. DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE
4.1 Major Developments
• Further to the Development Plan and Edinburgh Planning Guidance referred to in Chapter One, the development process is governed by government legislation. Changes to the Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006 from 6th April 2009 define three categories of developments – national, major and local. National Developments are set out in the National Planning Framework 2.
Figure 12. Approved major developments in the World Heritage Site and analysis of present major developments
App. no. Decision Address Description
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26 09/03291/PAN Approved 91 - 93 Princes Street A flagship retail development of over 6,500m2 across six floors (including basement) with active frontage to Princes Street and new active frontage to Rose Street (as revised).
10/01123/FUL Approved 91 - 93 Princes Street Flagship retail development with frontage to both Princes Street and Rose Street, target minimum net retail area: 70,000 square feet (Primark)
Proposed redevelopment of redundant brewery buildings and site to create a mixed use development comprising fully Canongate, 160 / Holyrood Road, 41, 49, 10/00746/FUL Approved managed student accommodation functioning as 53 aparthotel/hotel accommodation during non core term time, with associated reception/atrium/admin and support facilities, plus 5 residential dwellings (as amended). c. 8,300 sqm GIA Application for planning permission in principle for redevelopment and refurbishment including demolition works and new buildings to provide mixed use development Canongate / Holyrood Road / St. John 10/02474/PPP Approved comprising education (Class 10) and associated ancillary Street (just outwith WHS boundary) uses, retail (Class 1), food and drink (Class 3), offices (Class 4) and purpose built student accommodation and associated works (as amended) c. 31,000 sqm flsp Mixed use development including alterations to 1-3 Chambers 11/02998/FUL Approved Cowgate [fire site] Street comprising hotel, bar, restaurant, cafe, retail, commercial and nightclub uses and reconstruction of existing single storey annex to 207 Cowgate. c. 10,000 sqm flsp Period : 1 April 2009 to 6 July 2012
Major development' as in hierarchy of developments in Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006 and Scottish Planning Series Circular 5 2009: Hierarchy of Developments
In response to process changes and the redefining of development categories, a Protocol has been established between Edinburgh World Heritage and City of Edinburgh Council to ensure that the impact of proposed development on the Outstanding ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
27 Universal Value of the Site is brought into discussion at the earliest possible stage.
4.2 Commercial Development The figures below illustrate that office, retail and student housing consents have continued to come forward, although the rate of completion and construction is varied. Hotel and leisure developments remain steady over the monitoring period. Figure 13. Commercial developments (Ward 11 - City Centre) at 31 December 2010 & 31 December 2011
Hotel developments (rooms) Offices (sqm flsp) 2010 2011 2010 2011
completions 122 169 completions - - under construction 194 425 under construction 25,504 22,523 consents 1,471 1,449 consents 25,296 77,451
Industrial (sqm flsp) Retail (sqm flsp) 2010 2011 2010 2011
completions - - completions - 7,880 under construction - - under construction 8,750 - consents - - consents 57,186 85,943
Leisure (sqm flsp) Student housing (beds) 2010 2011 2010 2011
completions 1,300 290 completions - 65 under construction 290 29,272 under construction - 338 consents 33,155 7,238 consents 467 1,568
note : data from CEC Development Activity Schedules 2011
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28 4.3 Conclusion Changes in legislation have led to the opportunity for more structured discussion on the protection of the Outstanding Universal Value of the Site through the introduction of a Protocol. Whilst there have been relatively few major developments within the Site over this time period, those that have progressed have included early consideration of the key attributes of the World Heritage Site.
5. CONSERVATION PROJECTS
5.1 Edinburgh World Heritage Conservation Funding Programme (CFP) & EWH Projects
The Conservation Funding Programme provides two type of funding: Project Funding for public, community and charitable projects and Repayable Grants for residential and commercial historic buildings.
Project Funding:
• Gives added value – for example additional conservation funding for works carried out under statutory notices; • Facilitates community projects by providing an effective framework to realise projects and attract match-funding from other collaborators; • Enables projects such as in the public realm (gardens, railings, shopfronts and appropriate signage); • Encourages partnership working to help implement complex conservation schemes; • Acts as a catalyst by part funding Conservation Statements to help project develop which may often have been blighted by longstanding conservation challenges .
Repayable Grants:
• Established to create a revolving grant fund which will provide a sustainable way to benefit others in future; • Empowers group of proprietors and individuals to care for and repair their properties; • Encourages business and commercial owners to invest in and improve their properties; • Helps owners to reinstate missing original details that would not otherwise be possible; • Up to 2010 -’11, £1,847,331 worth of Repayable Grants have now been offered since the beginning of the CFP. ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
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Figure 14. CFP Awards
Year 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 20009/10 2010/11 Number of grants 21 16 24 34 18 23 (71 35 (76 households) households) Amount £ million 1,071,480 1,188,255 1,493,070 1,345,310* 1,187,829** £551,402.79** £595,822.14** * The figure represents funding spent on conservation schemes and projects in the public realm, environmental improvements to areas in need for regeneration. Edinburgh World Heritage grants provide a lever for further funding and in 2009/10 23 grants awarded worth £551,402.79 levered in additional funds to meet the total project costs of £2,382,998.50. **Respectively for 2010/11 35 grants awarded worth £595,822.14 out of total project costs of £3,666,153.50
It is worth noting that due to funding cuts, the grants budget has reduced by £400,000.
5.2 Details of Grants Awarded 2009-10 and 2010-2011
The following projects received grant funding over the period 2009-10 and 2010-2011:
Figure 15: Details of Grants Awarded 2009-10
NO. DATE REF Property/Project AMOUNT PURPOSE OF GRANT TOTAL PROJECT COST OF AWARDED OFFER 1. 25-05-09 1307 Geddes Pillars £1,200.00 Project Funding towards the restoration and £6,447.75 (Roseburn Cliff) conservation of entrance pillars to Roseburn Cliff. 2. 27-07-09 1299 Greyfriars Kirkyard £5,000.00 Project Funding towards conservation and repair of up £10,000.00 to 25 broken or damaged funereal monuments erected in the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries. 3. 21-08-09 1300 Scotland Street £5,000.00 Project Funding for Phase 1 enabling works with the £15,000.00 Tunnel Tunnels Youth Project towards the creation of a bespoke youth shelter. 4. 21-08-09 1301 Church of St John £7,000.00 Project Funding towards the repair and consolidation of £47,780.00 the Evangelist at least 30 priority memorials and 40 metres of graveyard ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
30 wall. 5. 16-09-09 1302 15 Hillside £89,695.82 Non-repayable Grant to 10 proprietors towards £474,850.04 Crescent/30-32 enforced work to renew/repair all spalling masonry to Hillside Street the street elevations. 6. 16-10-09 1305 Coinyie House £24,314.50 Project Funding towards regeneration works in Coinyie £55,925.33 Close House Close gardens. 7. 16-10-09 1306 Double Glazing £15,000.00 Project Funding towards the testing and analysis of slim £34,394.66 Trial double glazing technologies. 8. 20-10-09 1303 35-37 Hillside £24,399.06 Non-repayable Grant to 8 proprietors towards enforced £148,995.28 Crescent work to stonework repairs to front elevation. 9. 20-10-09 1304 15a-19 Hillside £43,165.84 Non-repayable Grant to 20 proprietors towards £242,331.11 Crescent enforced work to carry out stonework repairs to the mutual parapet wall and rebuild 7 vent front elevation chimney to Hillside Crescent, and carry out stonework repairs to Hillside Street front elevation and renew/repair 8 vent chimney to front elevation.
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NO. DATE REF Property/Project AMOUNT PURPOSE OF GRANT TOTAL PROJECT COST OF AWARDED OFFER 10. 30-11-09 1308 Panmure St Ann’s £6,414.00 Project Funding towards the construction of a garden £13,000.00 Growing & Building and the design of a mural. Project 11. 04-12-09 1309 14/14b Eton £134,940.48 Repayable Grant to 5 proprietors towards stonework, £296,855.68 Terrace/1 Lennox ironwork and other repairs to the external elevations. Street 12. 22-12-09 1310 107 Montgomery £7,864.00 Non-Repayable Betterment Project Funding for £84,127.05 Street enforced works towards the restoration of the decorative moulded stone architraves around the window openings. 13. 22-12-09 1311 1-3 Greyfriars Place £8,600.00 Non-Repayable Betterment Project Funding for £77,246.27 enforced works towards the reinstatement of the north gable wallhead chimney stack to restore missing original detail. 14. 31-12-09 1331 Tron Kirk £5,500.00 Project Funding towards a Conservation Statement. £11,000.00 15. 16-02-10 1312 2-4 Stafford Street £49,549.85 Non-Repayable Grant for enforced works to 6 £122,465.99 proprietors towards the taking down and rebuilding of two chimneys in stone; indent repairs to stonework on elevations; associated repairs to roof and gutter leadwork; lead flashings to rooflights; repairs to ironwork on balconies. 16. 23-02-10 1313 Atholl & Coates £1,762.50 ProjectFunding towards Conservation Statement for £10,000.00 Crescents proposals for publicly owned gardens on tram route. 17. 23-03-10 1298 Nelson Monument £38,700.33 Supplementary Project Funding towards restoration of £330,416.73 Nelson Monument. 18. 31-03-10 1314 Acheson House £39,961.33 Project Funding towards the reinstatement of Carmyllie £136,793.00 stone slates as part of re-roofing works.
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NO. DATE REF Property/Project AMOUNT PURPOSE OF GRANT TOTAL PROJECT COST OF AWARDED OFFER 19. 31-03-10 1315 63&65 Frederick £43,335.08 Non-Repayable Grant to 6 proprietors for enforced £265,370.01 Street/38 Queen works towards stonework repairs to Frederick Street Street gable wallhead chimney and front elevation, and to rear 3 vent wallhead chimney, all to match original detail exactly. NO DATE OF REF Property/Project AMOUNT PURPOSE OF GRANT TOTAL PROJECT COST . OFFER AWARDED
1. 12-05-10 1318 Greyfriars Kirkyard £2,417.00 Project Funding towards the repair of the Mortsafe Gate to £4,834.00 the Lindsay Tomb in Greyfriars Kirkyard. 2. 03-08-10 1320 22-28a Dundas Street £12,993.00 Non-repayable Grant to 31 co-proprietors towards enforced £175,497.00 & 37 Northumberland work to carry out stonework repairs to front elevations, 2, 4, 5 Street and 20 vent chimneys and parapet wall. 3. 03-08-10 1321 1-3 Lynedoch Place £46,708.40 Non-repayable Grant to 11 co-proprietors towards enforced £296,234.33 work to carry out stonework repairs to the front elevation. 4. 14-01-11 1322 2, 4 & 6 Alva Street £27,862.08 Non-repayable Grant to 17 co-proprietors towards enforced £285,713.67 & 15-20 Queensferry work to carry out stonework repairs to the front elevation, Street mutual parapet and chimney gable walls. 5. 29-03-11 1323 Gardner’s Crescent £90,000.00 Project Funding towards improvements to the historic fabric £492,368.66 and to create a community garden at Gardner’s Crescent. Work to include stonework repairs to garden boundary walls and the reinstatement of the original cast and wrought-iron railings, with new gates and gateposts. 6. 22-02-11 1333 Scotland Street £2,500.00 Project Funding towards the preparation of a Conservation £5,000.00 Tunnel – Phase 1a Statement for King George V Park. 7. 31-03-11 1335 15 Johnston Terrace £91,743.20 Repayable Grant towards stonework repairs to chimneys and £988,945.00 (Castle Rock Hostel) other original decorative stone features, and the restoration of missing original details. 8. 22-02-11 1337 Canongate Venture £3,000.00 Project Funding towards the preparation of a Conservation £8,000.00 Statement/Feasibility Study.
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NO DATE OF REF Property/Project AMOUNT PURPOSE OF GRANT TOTAL PROJECT COST . OFFER AWARDED
9. 22-03-11 1338 58-64 Candlemaker £5,338.60 Non-repayable Grant to5 co-proprietors towards enforced £29,388.14 Row work to take down and rebuild the gable wallhead chimney to match the original exactly. 10. 29-03.11 1341 Acheson House, 140 £6,134.25 Project Funding towards Phase 1 – investigative and survey £12,268.50 Canongate – Phase 1 work for repairs to the large original chimney on the east elevation of this Category A listed property. 11. 21-03-11 1343 Acheson House, 140 £100,000.00 Project Funding towards the internal refurbishment of £350,000.00 Canongate – Internal Category A listed building at risk. (estimated) Fit Out 12. 07-02-11 1309 14/14b Eton Terrace £8,912.14 Supplementary Repayable Grant to 5 proprietors towards £17,824.28 & 1 Lennox Street stonework, ironwork and other repairs to the external elevations.
World Heritage Projects 2010-11
NO DATE REF Property/Project EWH DESCRIPTION TOTAL PROJECT COST . FUNDING AWARDED
1. 02-08-10 1316 Allan Ramsay Statue, £1,452.00 Project Funding for a condition report and cost estimate for £1,452.00 West Princes Street conservation repairs. Gardens 2. 30-06-10 1317 High School Yards £1,302.00 Project Funding towards conservation statement/ feasibility £3,325.00 Steps, Cowgate study. 3. 16-11-10 1319 Scotsman Steps, £70,000.00 Project Grant for conservation work to A-listed Scotsman £370,632.00 Market Street (plus up to Steps including stone consolidation and replacement, paint (estimated) £8,000.00 towards removal,wrought iron repairs, new gates, and improved professional fees) lighting. 4. 28-09-10 1324 David Livingstone, £4,093.00 Project Funding and Grant towards cleaning, conservation £18,523.00 Adam Black & and refinishing of three bronze statues. Professor John Wilson Statues, East Princes Street Gardens 5. 06-10-10 1326 Statue of King £21,468.00 Project Grant towards the repair and restoration of 17th £58,255.58 Charles II, Parliament century lead equestrian statue. (estimated) ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
34 Square 6. 10-11-10 1327 James Craig £1,500.00 Project Grant for new graphic interpretation for the restored £7,494.00 Interpretation Panel, James Craig Plans. Museum of Edinburgh 7. 10-11-10 1328 Playfair Plaque, Old £200.00 Project Funding towards new granite plaque commemorating £1,090.00 Calton Burial John and James Playfair at unmarked grave. Grounds 8. 09-12-10 1329 Hillside Crescent £1,000.00 Project Grant towards the preparation of Outline Proposals £3,000.00 Gardens and Cost Estimate for improvements to the gardens. 9. 16-02-11 1330 Mackenzie Place £41,058.00 Project Grant towards the repair and repointing of the rear £195,098.00 wall and storage cellars at the site of new allotments. 10. 10-02-11 1332 Canongate Mercat £225.00 Project Grant towards the replacement of missing bronze £450.00 Cross, Canongate plaque. Kirkyard 11. 17-02-11 1336 CEC Swift £200.00 Project Grant towards building 20 swift boxes in cedar wood. £5,200.00 Biodiversity Project 12. 18-03-11 1339 Grannys Green, £26,238.47 Project Grant towards a public realm enhancement project. £55,713.57 Grassmarket 13. 24-03-11 1340 William Henry £10,000.00 Project Grant towards development of monument to William £250,000.00 Playfair Statue Henry Playfair. (estimated) 14. 24-03-11 1342 Freemasonry and the £1,500.00 Project Grant towards publication costs of book. £12,570.00 Enlightenment: Architecture, Symbols and Influence 15. 17-03-11 1344 Edinburgh Graveyard £2,200.00 Project Grant towards Consultation Project and community £9,000 Consultation Project day even. 16. 01-03-11 1345 Burns Monument £882.00 Project Grant towards new interpretation panel £1,382.00 Interpretation 17. 11-11-10 1346 Acheson House £1,295.00 Project Funding towards ascertaining costs of refurbishing a £1,295.00 Feasibility Study listed building at risk. 18. 22-03-11 1347 Historic Homes £2,600.00 Project Funding towards research and writing new leaflet £2,600.00 Homeowner Guide: Roofs and Dormers 19. 01-03-11 1348 Tron Kirk Feasibility £3,000.00 Project Funding to estimate costs of proposal to adapt and £3,000.00 Study reuse listed building at risk.
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35 5.3 Edinburgh World Heritage Grants towards Statutory Notice Projects
Statutory notices are issued by the City of Edinburgh Council in order to either alert or inform owners that repair works have been identified in their building. Notices are served under the terms on the City of Edinburgh Council Order Confirmation Act 1991. Edinburgh World Heritage has assisted with funding enforced works from their Conservation Funding Programme and grants have been used as a lever to raise quality and to encourage proprietors to take responsibility for their property.
6. EXISTING USES, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL VALUES
6.1 Demographic background
Figure 16. Residential population in the World Heritage Site
Population of World Heritage Site 1991 2001 2010 New Town 8,006 9,474 10,235 Old Town 4,013 5,161 6,408 West End 4,577 5,331 6,170 WHS 16,596 19,966 22,813 1991 is Census count 2001/2010 mid year small area population estimates
Age 2008 2009 2010 0-4 633 675 694 5-9 529 534 500 10-15 624 681 657 16-19 1,094 1,090 1,142 20-24 3,742 3,656 3,563 25-29 3,627 3,484 3,667 30-34 2,395 2,498 2,709 35-39 1,679 1,724 1,761 ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
36 40-44 1,488 1,499 1,515 45-49 1,151 1,233 1,191 50-54 1,084 1,200 1,142 55-59 1,104 1,113 1,074 60-64 957 1028 991 65-69 585 646 642 70-74 538 568 522 75-79 400 414 392 80-84 323 330 313 85-89 210 241 209 90+ 106 121 129
Total 22269 22,735 22,813
Source : 2008, 2009 & 2010 mid year small area population estimates
The population of the World Heritage Site is growing and it is anticipated that this trend will continue, with the largest population being between the ages of 20 and 40. The population increase can, in part, be attributed to housing development such as that at the former Royal Infirmary site and an increase in popularity in the return of townhouses to residential use.
Figure 17. Employment structure in the World Heritage Site at 2010
Employment structure of WHS 2010 count percent Agriculture, forestry & fishing 0 0.0% Mining, quarrying & utilities 600 0.8% Manufacturing 300 0.4% Construction 1,700 2.2% Motor trades 100 0.1% Wholesale 500 0.7% Retail 7,500 9.8% Transport & storage (inc postal) 2,100 2.7% Accommodation & food services 11,200 14.6% ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
37 Information & communication 2,800 3.7% Financial & insurance 8,000 10.4% Property 1,100 1.4% Professional, scientific & technical 8,800 11.5% Business administration & support services 8,000 10.4% Public administration & defence 8,300 10.8% Education 4,100 5.4% Health 7,500 9.8% Arts, entertainment, recreation & other 4,000 services 5.2% source : Business Register & Employment Survey 2010 note : all figures rounded to nearest 100; potentially disclosive data suppressed note : BRES has different ethodology and coverage to previous ABI survey. 2010 data can not be compared with 2006 data.
6.2 Institutions within the World Heritage Site Headquarters for a number of major national institutions are located within the WHS, such as: • Scottish Parliament • City of Edinburgh Council • Court of Session • High Court of Justiciary • HQ of the Church of Scotland • Holyrood Palace • Scotsman Group • The National Museum of Scotland • The National Gallery of Modern Art • The Scottish National Portrait Gallery • University of Edinburgh • The Edinburgh College of Art • Bank of Scotland HQ • Chalmers Hospitals and The Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion • The Royal Scots Regimental HQ • BBC Parliamentary Studios • British Council ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
38 • Architecture and Design Scotland • Creative Scotland
The employment structure data cannot be compared with that of the previous Monitoring Report as different methodology and coverage has been used. However, it is nevertheless interesting and offers a breakdown that includes retail and leisure uses that were previously missing. Combined, retail, accommodation and food services employ over 24% of the working population within the site.
A number of national institutions are located within the World Heritage Site, which defines the City’s function as a capital city. Most of the working population in the World Heritage Site (33%) works in professional, scientific or technical services, business administration and support services, and public administration and defence. This reflects the number of main national institutions such as government, courts and other subservient bodies that the City hosts.
Tourism According to Edinburgh 2020 – the Edinburgh Tourism Strategy the city’s growth aspirations are challenging but achievable. The principle aim of the strategy is to increase the value of tourism to the city and to its tourism industry. The report sets three objectives to be met by 2020:
• To increase the number of visits to the city by one third; • To increase the average spending of visitors to the city by 10% (at 2010 prices); • To reduce seasonality across the sector.
Edinburgh Tourism Attraction Group (ETAG) strategic priorities relating to the city centre include:
• Well planned and coordinated day-to-day management of the public realm, including addressing issues such as litter, graffiti and begging. • Formulating and delivering a coherent vision for the Royal Mile, enhancing the quality of the streetscape to support retail and improve the visitor experience, managing it as a five star visitor attraction. • Defining the identity of Princes Street and its role in the city and implementing action to achieve it. • Improving the availability and promotion of things for visitors to see and do during the early evening (5-8pm). • Making Waverley Station and Bridge a superb central arrival point for many visitors.
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39 Figure 18. Visitor Numbers 2007 - 2011
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Tourist bednights UK visitors 5.40 5.60 5.58 5.17 million Overseas visitors 8.79 5.38 7.21 6.86 million
Tourist trips UK visitors 2.10 2.10 2.14 1.96 million Overseas visitors 1.34 1.28 1.28 1.31 million
Tourist spending UK visitors £488 £505 £526 £491 £ million - 03 prices Overseas visitors £467 £436 £438 £524 £ million - 03 prices
Hotel occupancy rates .. January to March 64% 62% .. April to June 80% 76% .. July to September 90% 84% .. October to December 71% 70%
Hotel room occupancy rates 76% 73% .. as ratio of Scottish rates 1.17 1.14
Conferences / business tourism World ranking as conference centre 36 28 36 29 38 EICC - no. of events 108 104 92 86 87 EICC - conference value £20.4 £19.4 £ million
6.4 Visitors’ experience
______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
40 The following data comes from the Edinburgh Visitor Survey undertaken by Lynn Jones Research, which begun surveying visitors to Edinburgh in May 2004.
Figure 19. Most impressive aspects of a visit
Most impressive aspect of Edinburgh All 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 Response N=5365 N=1702 N=1962 N=1701 Architecture / buildings 81% 78% 82% 83% Beautiful / picturesque setting 67% 62% 66% 73% Castle 65% 62% 63% 71% Old Town 64% 58% 65% 69% Historic town / buildings 61% 59% 61% 64% Everything is in walking distance 60% 59% 61% 61% Atmosphere / ambiance 58% 53% 60% 63% Views 54% 49% 55% 57% Plenty to do and see 53% 50% 54% 54% Friendly / helpful people 52% 49% 53% 53% Green spaces / gardens 43% 39% 43% 47% Everything / the whole city 34% 34% 38% 30% Pubs / bars 11% <0.5% <0.5% 34% Attractions 10% <0.5% <0.5% 31% Restaurants 10% <0.5% <0.5% 31% Shopping 9% 0% <0.5% 28% Museums 8% 0% <0.5% 26% Art galleries 5% 0% <0.5% 16% Festivals on at the time 4% <0.5% <0.5% 12% Nightlife 3% <0.5% <0.5% 10% Other 1% 1% <0.5% 1%
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41
The data from the Edinburgh Visitor Survey should be read in conjunction with the footfall study. Although pedestrian activity in the World Heritage Site is relatively high for most of the year, both studies show that the peak points are in the summer and winter.
In August, the Edinburgh Festivals, which attract people from all over the world, contribute to increased visitor numbers. The same situation can be observed over Christmas and Hogmanay. Christmas shopping activity, increases, and the attraction of the Christmas Market on the Mound and leisure activities in Princes Street Gardens increase footfall and visitor numbers. High footfall and number of visitors in December and January are a result of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations.
The table on the most impressive attraction to visit indicates the importance of Edinburgh’s historic assets. 83% per cent respondents pointed out that they were impressed by Edinburgh’s architecture/buildings. The second most common reason, with 67%, is historic town/buildings. The second position in the ranking is the beautiful/picturesque city at 73% of respondents and the Castle alone at 71%.
Figure 20. Edinburgh major attractions
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Visitor numbers (P=paid entry F=free) *Edinburgh Castle (P) 1,230 1,128 1,196 1,210 1,303 thousand Edinburgh Zoo (P) 608 662 637 thousand Edinburgh Bus Tours 505 518 531 518 554 thousand Our Dynamic Earth (P) 291 298 298 296 332 thousand Former Royal Yacht Britannia (P) 256 256 258 249 283 thousand Palace of Holyroodhouse (P) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a thousand Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre (P) 221 220 239 252 288 thousand Mary King's Close (P) 170 180 175 thousand Scott Monument (P) 47 55 66 73 74 thousand Georgian House (P) 36 37 41 thousand Gladstone's Land (P) 31 37 41 thousand Lauriston Castle (P) 39 39 52 65 66 thousand John Knox House (P) 12 11 15 thousand Nelson Monument (P) 13 12 6 20 24 thousand
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42 Royal Museum / M. of Scotland (F) 842 615 590 619 1,495 thousand Royal Botanic Garden (F) 607 505 n/a 707 791 thousand National War Museum of Scotland (F) 468 474 494 529 504 thousand St. Giles Cathedral (F) 487 530 654 710 851 thousand National Gallery of Scotland (F) 938 843 890 969 926 thousand Museum of Childhood (F) 221 218 247 222 238 thousand Scottish National Portrait Gallery (F) 199 237 53 53 thousand Scottish Nat. Gallery of Modern Art (F) 173 185 169 312 301 thousand City Art Centre (F) 56 86 36 43 92 thousand Fruitmarket Gallery (F) 173 199 178 thousand Dean Gallery (F) 133 110 106 thousand People's Story Museum (F) 74 65 72 63 58 thousand Museum of Edinburgh (Huntly House) (F) 53 47 60 52 53 thousand Writers' Museum (F) 46 50 53 46 44 thousand Collective Gallery (F) n/a n/a n/a thousand Surgeon's Hall Museum (F) 9 13 12 thousand Travelling Gallery (F) 18 19 20 19 18 thousand Greyfriars Kirk (F) 18 18 20 thousand
Total visits to attractions listed above 8,068 7,761 7,206 thousand * bold attractions located in WHS * red attractions top 10 visited note : data compiled from various sources for Planning Information's Key Indicators
Figure 21. Influence in visiting Edinburgh
Influence(s) in visiting Edinburgh All 2008/09 2009/10 Response N=4895 N=1966 N=1689 Historic city 70% 68% 71% Castle 48% 45% 52% A previous visit 27% 28% 27% Personal recommendation 23% 24% 22% Friends / relatives in the city 20% 20% 21% Museums 15% 12% 21% ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
43 A specific event being held in the city 13% 14% 13% Art galleries 11% 10% 14% Attractions 10% 1% 26% Pubs / bars 7% 1% 20% Shopping 7% 1% 18% Restaurants 6% 1% 15% Edinburgh's World Heritage Site status 6% <0.5% 17% Edinburgh's reputation as a Festival city 5% 0% 13% Outdoor activities / sports 4% 5% 5% An exhibition being held in the city 2% 2% 2% Nightlife 2% 1% 6% Work / Business Trip 2% 2% 1% Other 13% 13% 11% note : multiple response questions - sums may exceed 100%. note : data from Edinburgh Visitor Survey 2009-2010 (Lynn Jones Research)
Figure 22. Activities undertaken during visit to Edinburgh
Activities undertaken during visit to Edinburgh
All 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 Response N=5376 N=1706 N=1966 N=1704 Walking around the city 94% 94% 93% 94% Shopping 79% 81% 80% 76% Visiting attractions 73% 74% 74% 71% Going out to pubs / bars or restaurants 53% 78% 78% Not Available Visiting museums 47% 45% 45% 49% Visiting art galleries 29% 29% 28% 30% Visiting exhibitions 26% 25% 27% 26% Going out to restaurants 23% 0% <0.5% 72% City bus tour 21% 24% 21% 18% An excursion out of the city 20% 21% 20% 20% Going out to pubs / bars 19% 0% 0% 61% Organised walking tour 13% 11% 14% 13% Attending an Edinburgh festival event 10% 10% 9% 11% ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
44 Attending a cultural event 6% 6% 6% 5% Going to the theatre 5% 5% 4% 6% Going to concerts 5% 5% 6% 5% Watching a sporting event 5% 3% 5% 5% Participating in an outdoor sporting / leisure activity 5% 3% 6% 6% Participating in an indoor sporting / leisure activity 2% 2% 2% 3% Other 2% 1% 2% 2%
Figure 23. Attractions visited in Edinburgh
Attractions visited in Edinburgh All 2007/08 2008/09 Response N=5128 N=1616 N=1890 Edinburgh Castle 80% 81% 81% St Giles Cathedral 32% 28% 32% Palace of Holyroodhouse 29% 29% 27% National Gallery of Scotland 28% 29% 27% National Museum of Scotland 25% 25% 24% Arthur's Seat 23% 22% 25% Scotch Whisky Experience 20% 23% 18% Scottish Parliament 18% 8% 25% The Real Mary King's Close 17% 19% 18% Royal Yacht Britannia 14% 14% 15% Camera Obscura 12% 12% 13% Edinburgh Dungeon 11% 12% 11% Royal Botanic Gardens 11% 12% 11% Museum of Childhood 10% 9% 12% Scottish Gallery of Modern Art 8% 9% 8% Our Dynamic Earth 7% 8% 6% National Portrait Gallery 6% 7% 6% Edinburgh Zoo 4% 3% 5% Other 8% 7% 9%
Eight out of ten of Edinburgh’s major tourist attractions are located within the World Heritage Site, raising its profile within the city. The visitor numbers to Edinburgh Castle have been surpassed by those visiting the Royal Museum and the Museum of Scotland in 2011. The museum has enjoyed a comprehensive refurbishment and visitor numbers more than doubled since its reopening. ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
45
The outcomes from the vistor survery show that heritage assets are the main reason for tourist visits. The use of the World Heritage emblem should be reviewed in order to raise awareness of the Site and its status and demarcation of the Site’s boundary should be considered to promote easier and more legible navigation around the Site.
6.5 Conclusion
The World Heritage Site is a dynamic city centre with a population that continues to grow. It remains host to a number of national institutions. Government, the courts and other administrative and support services remain significant employers. The city remains an important world tourist destination and heritage assets within the city are a significant draw for tourists. There is an opportunity to promote World Heritage Site status in conjunction with other city branding initiatives.
7. LEARNING AND OUTREACH
7.1 Promotion
Promoting appreciation of World Heritage is a requirement under the World Heritage Convention. Article 27 of the Convention states:
1. The State Parties to this Convention shall endeavor by all appropriate means, and in particular by educational and information programmes, to strengthen appreciation and respect by their peoples of the cultural and natural heritage defined in Article 1 and Article 2 of the Convention. 2. They shall undertake to keep the public broadly informed of the dangers threatening this heritage and of the activities carried on in pursuance of this.
The last Periodic Report on the condition of UK World Heritage Sites was submitted to the World Heritage Committee in 2005 (available on UNESCO's website). The report highlighted lack of promotion and lack of awareness in the local community, as the
______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
46 main weakness in the management of the World Heritage Site.
The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Management Plan states the importance of encouraging everyone to appreciate the World Heritage Site. This will not only add value to and enrich everyone’s lives, but is also the best way to secure long-term support in protecting the World Heritage Site for future generations. The objectives are:
• To engender a sense of custodianship for the World Heritage in general and the Site in particular. • To increase the appreciation of the rich history of the Site, its Outstanding Universal Value, and its environmental quality by Promotion, Research, Intellectual Access and Education. • To increase the appreciation of the economic advantages of the Site and its conservation.
The World Heritage Site must also be seen as part of the wider promotion of Edinburgh as a place to visit, live and work. Therefore the strategy takes account of:
• The Edinburgh Tourism Action Group (ETAG) strategy – Edinburgh tourism: A Framework for Growth 2007 – 2015. The strategy describes the World Heritage status as a key strength of the city, and highlights the city centre as an area that defines Edinburgh's image in the 21st century. • The Scottish Executive’s 2006 report ‘Tourism Framework for Change’ • The framework document identifies heritage as a key tourist product for Scottish tourism.
7.2 Learning
Learning, defined as interpretation and education projects, is another tier of Edinburgh World Heritage activity and specialisation. Edinburgh World Heritage placed stronger emphasis and is placing increasingly greater resources on this area of work in order to raise awareness of the World Heritage Site amongst residents, visitors and the city management. Learning strategies help in raising not only a broad awareness of the significance of the World Heritage Site, but also of the process of conservation in the city. This leads to greater support for the concept of World Heritage locally, and consequently fundraising from private sources towards restoration and repair of monuments within the World Heritage Site.
______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
47 The table presented below shows actions from the Edinburgh World Heritage Interpretation and Promotion Strategy. The number of activities focusing on interpretation of particular places within the World Heritage Site and strengthening local identity has increased significantly.
7.3 Activities in 2009 - 2010 Activity in 2009/10 Description Communications World Heritage Day The annual World Heritage day seminar took the theme of ‘Context and Confidence’ with speakers 18 April including Malcolm Cooper, Chief Inspector for Historic Scotland; John Bury, Head of Planning for the City of Edinburgh Council, and John Rodger, Project Director, Blaenavon World Heritage Site. A total of 100 people attended. Newsletters monthly e-newsletters were sent along with updates on EWH events throughout the year. The database of contacts increased to 2,000 people. Journals In May 2009 and December 2009 a new initiative, the EWH Journal, was produced, looking in more depth at EWH Projects and with articles from guest contributors such as architect Neil Gillespie and artist Hugh Buchanan. Each edition of the journal was circulated to 550 people. Media coverage The Twelve Monuments Project received good media coverage, with the restoration of the Nelson Monument receiving particular attention. BBC Scotland and STV Reporting Scotland covered the removal and restoration of the Time Ball, along with good coverage in the press. Other projects covered by press, radio and TV included the Charles II statue, Edinburgh Graveyards World Monument Fund nomination and the History of Your House event with the Central Library. Historic Home The first in a new series of guides for home owners was produced, with editions looking at Guides Ironmongery and External Paintwork. The guide to external paintwork covers everything from windows and doors, to balconies, railings and common stairs. Advice is also given on how to find further information and where permission is needed to make changes. A total of 2,000 copies were distributed to Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre, the council’s planning helpdesk, the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland and to all street associations in the World Heritage Site. Learning Interpretation House Histories Each year EWH promotes a themed campaign, to provide a clear and focused message. In 2009 the campaign theme of House Histories looked at the many human stories associated with Edinburgh’s historic
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48 buildings. The launch in April 2009 received good coverage in The Scotsman, and the e-invite had 3,305 individual views. On the launch day alone there was a total of 6,395 views of the House Histories on-line trail. Trail booklet An A5 trail booklet was produced, guiding visitors through the Old and New Towns. A total of 15,000 copies were distributed to hotels, Edinburgh Waverley and bus station and to museums, schools, libraries and GP waiting rooms. Interactive map The trail is available on-line, accompanied by an interactive map of the World Heritage Site. E-newsletters Six e-newsletters were produced as PDFs, each taking a different look at the House Histories theme, such relics of lost buildings, pubs and peculiar dwellings. Podcasts Six podcasts were produced to accompany the trail, with heritage experts giving tours of buildings such as the Museum of Edinburgh, Riddle’s Court and the Assembly Rooms. The podcasts were downloaded 15,000 times over the year, and have proved to be particularly popular with visitors from North America and China.
The House Histories campaign also included a programme of public events:
Old Town Festival in collaboration with the Scottish Storytelling Centre, EWH supported the Festival in June 2009, and organised activities as part of the programme at the Museum of Edinburgh, using its new learning space. These focused on life in Georgian Edinburgh and involved a costumed interpreter in the character of Mrs Doig and a storyteller in the guise of Donald Black, a sedan-chairman. In collaboration with the National Museums of Scotland, a performance of ‘The Sights and Smells of Old Edinburgh’ was also hosted at the Scottish Storytelling Centre. The Festival as a whole attracted over 4,000 people.
C.Mainland: “Fascinating and so well done. Encouraged me to think about joining a local history group.”
Radnyee: “Great to be taken on a journey in the 18th century.”
Doors Open Day EWH told its own House History with a family event at 5 Charlotte Square. Costumed interpreters brought the original owners Mr and Mrs Grant back to life with presentations for visitors. Over 1,200 people visited and survey responses showed 68% rated the event excellent.
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49 Sarah Hulme: “I liked the opportunity to learn more about the history of the buildings that I walk past regularly and wonder about.”
Scottish Storytelling The Scottish Storytelling Festival was launched by the Culture Minister in September 2009 at the Festival newly restored Burns Monument (see World Heritage Projects). The Festival itself also had EWH input, with storytelling tours of the Museum of Edinburgh, the Writers’ Museum and Gladstone’s Land, in collaboration with the City of Edinburgh Council and the National Trust for Scotland. All of the tours were fully booked, and visitor surveys showed that they were well received.
History of My House Held in collaboration with the Central Library, this week-long event in November 2009 included talks, surgeries and workshops encouraging residents to use the Edinburgh Room archive to research the history of their own house. EWH produced new podcasts to promote the event, looking at some of the folk tales behind historic buildings and interviews with residents who have already researched their own house history. A special ‘History of My House - Question Time’, was also held, where residents posed queries to a panel of experts. Among the mysteries solved were the first escalator in Scotland, and an unusual byre for livestock underneath a New Town house.
Naomi Richardson: “The panel was fantastic, and the whole evening was fascinating!” Family Learning In 2008 EWH awarded a grant of £5,000 to the Museum of Edinburgh, to develop a new learning Space at the Museum space as facility for families and schools visits, opening in 2009. of Edinburgh The new facility opened in June 2009 and incorporates a variety of art activities for children, including building an Old Town house. Dressing up costumes are available to try on, representing different characters in the Old and New Towns in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and a handling collection of historical objects illustrating everyday life in the past. Children from Royal Mile and Abbeyhill Primary Schools attended the launch of the learning space and helped to evaluate the activities. The new facility has since proved to be popular with families and school groups, with much positive feedback. Navigator System As part of the city’s Capital Signs strategy, the Navigator pedestrian wayfinding system was updated in summer 2009. EWH provided photos and text for the Visitor Information Points set up at car parks, the bus station and Waverley Station. In addition, EWH provided the text for a new interpretive panel added to each of the 35 navigator posts in the city centre. Each post also displays a local and city wide map, providing visitors with on-street navigation and interpretation. Nelson Monument – A key part of the recent conservation of the Nelson Monument (see World Heritage Projects) was a ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
50 learning project learning project, to raise awareness and understanding of its significance. Thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, EWH managed the following key outputs: A new exhibition covering Lord Nelson and Trafalgar, the development of the monument and the Time Ball. A Doors Open Day event in September 2009, with costumed interpreters and art activities, which attracted 1,367 visitors. A series of storytelling tours for primary schools was held in November 2009 at the Nelson Monument. A total of 150 school children from Leith, Craigentinny and Abbeyhill Schools took part, and the tours were led by Donald Smith, Director of the Scottish Storytelling Centre. A multi-lingual leaflet was produced, (translated into Chinese, French, Bengali, Arabic, Italian, German, Spanish, Urdu and Swedish), available from websites and at the monument. A teachers’ pack, funded by the Ernest Cook Foundation, was produced and distributed to all Edinburgh primary schools. Following the completion of the project, VisitScotland re-assessed the monument and has now upgraded it to a four star visitor attraction. Cruise Edinburgh EWH contributed to the joint project, led by Forth Ports, to promote Edinburgh as a destination for project cruise liners. EWH provided interpretive text, photos and tour suggestions for one of the key outputs of the project, a website targeted at cruise operators.
Education Looking Up! From September 2009, EWH worked with St Thomas of Aquin’s school on a project looking at Old and New Town architecture. Pupils toured the World Heritage Site for inspiration, and then designed their own house based on the historic buildings they had seen. The project completed with an awards presentation at the school, with friends and family invited along. A total of 140 school children took part between September 2009 and March 2010. Learning website A new on-line resource for teachers was developed over the autumn and winter of 2009-10. This new micro-site will provide suggested lesson plans, downloadable maps, photos and documents, to enable teachers to include the World Heritage Site in their studies. Outreach In the autumn of 2009 EWH began work on planning a three year Outreach Project. The aim is to target those sections of the community who tend not to engage with the World Heritage Site, such as teenagers and the elderly, people living in deprived areas and those without formal qualifications.
Activity 2010/11 Projects ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
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Communications A survey of 34,000 Tripadvisor users placed Edinburgh as the most recommended UK World Heritage Site. A survey of 250,000 Tripadvisor users placed Edinburgh as the fifth most recommended World Heritage Site out of 936 properties. Media coverage EWH projects received substantial positive media coverage in 2010-11, in the press, TV, radio and on-line. The Twelve Monuments project continued to attract media attention, particularly the conservation of the Charles II statue and the cleaning of statues in Princes Street Gardens. A great success was the coverage of EWH’s thermal imaging survey as part of the Climate Challenge Fund project. The survey was covered on BBC Reporting Scotland and on the main BBC news website, where it received 422,000 views, and was in the top 10 most read stories for the day (the same day as the Royal Wedding was announced). Website A redesigned EWH website was launched in April 2010. The main changes were in terms of graphic design and the site navigation, with the aim of giving it greater impact and displaying its rich content more clearly. New features include a multimedia section, with photo galleries and videos, an interactive map of the World Heritage Site and a portfolio of EWH projects to illustrate better the breath of EWH’s work. E-news The monthly EWH e-news and event updates continued to attract subscribers and positive comment through the year. A new e-broadcast was also started for teachers, to promote on-line learning resources and workshops. In October 2010 the e-news was re-designed with a new look to match the updated EWH website. The enews contacts list totalled 2,400 by the end of the period. EWH Journal The third EWH Journal was produced in July 2010, with features on projects and with guest contributors offering opinion and insights into aspects of the World Heritage Site. Art historian Dr Patricia Andrew revealed some of her research into St. Bernard’s Well, architect Alexander Fairweather discussed Edinburgh’s ‘enigmatic’ police boxes, and Dr. Ian Baxter of Glasgow Caledonian University reviewed the future of the heritage sector in the light of public spending cuts. A total of 1,000 copies were distributed, with 558 being sent directly to city stakeholders and the wider heritage sector. World Heritage In the autumn of 2010, EWH worked in collaboration with Scottish Enterprise and Edinburgh Tourism Business Action Group to produce a Business Opportunity Guide for the city’s tourism sector. The initiative Opportunities Guide followed a series of workshops aimed at highlighting the opportunities for businesses in using the World Heritage Site for marketing and promotion. The guide explains the concept of World Heritage and the historic qualities that give the Old and New Towns the coveted status. It also covers visitor ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
52 profiles and the importance of the city’s built heritage in attracting tourists and shaping their experience whilst in the city. The guide was launched at the ETAG conference, where it attracted much interest, and as a result an additional briefing was arranged for April 2011 to meet the demand. Learning Interpretation Auld Reekie learning As part of its on-going communications strategy, Edinburgh World Heritage promotes an annual campaign learning campaign. These incorporate a variety of different media, providing a focused message and effective way of interpreting the World Heritage Site for a wide audience. In 2010, the theme taken was ‘Auld Reekie’, looking at Edinburgh at the end of the eighteenth century, as the New Town was first being planned and built. The learning campaign was completely funded by a generous gift from a private donor. Visitor surveys and evaluations all show that the campaign was successful. From the available data, the audience for the campaign has been around 19,600 people, and comments have been very positive. Trail leaflet 15,000 trail leaflets were distributed between May – November 2010 to venues in the city centre, and 120 copies were sent to Edinburgh primary schools. EAE distribution reported a high pick-up rate at their dispensers, particularly at Waverley Station. The on-line version of the trail had 3,618 page views between June 2010 and March 2011. Costumed Presentations held at the Museum of Edinburgh were led by a costumed interpreter in the character of presentations Mrs Doig, wife of merchant Alexander Doig, a tenant in the building in the 1760s. The eight presentations (one Saturday per month, from April to November) attracted an audience of 344 people and a host of positive comments. TripAdvisor, Museum of Edinburgh, 14 November 2010 I found the info on the internet about the people doing the show and thought it sounded different. I had a great time. She was really funny and told us some real gems of history like how to drink your wine and stuff like that, she got the audience involved - there was something for everyone to do young or old. The best bit was the coach ride or how to get in to an 18th century coach - really good fun. This woman, Mrs Doig also wanted to move to the New Town of Edinburgh and showed us how we would ride there in the coach. This was the last one - I was sorry I'd missed the others, but I'll be back next year for more. Special Events A series of events were held as part of the Old Town Festival June 2010. A mobile performance ‘Excuse me sir are you a genius…?’ featuring two sedan chairmen and their chair, started at the National Museums of Scotland and finished at the Scottish Storytelling Centre. A storytelling event was held over two weekends, with four performances per day at Gladstone’s Land and the Scottish ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
53 Storytelling Centre. 448 people attended Excuse Me Sir are you a genius..?, and all respondents rated their enjoyment of the event at 5 out of 5, and 378 people attended the storytelling event, with all respondents rating their enjoyment of the event at 5 out of 5. Edinburgh Adventures of Edward Topham - Six short films were produced looking at everyday life in Georgian Edinburgh, and hosted on the EWH website. The films were based on the accounts of Edward Topham, an English visitor to the city in 1774. Presented by a narrator in costume and shot on location around the World Heritage Site, they also featured specially commissioned artwork to help illustrate each topic. James Craig Plan exhibition In October 2010 EWH awarded a grant to the Museum of Edinburgh for a new interpretive display on the original James Craig plan for the New Town. The original plan and a later ‘circus’ version were conserved earlier in the year, and as a result they were to be re-displayed in the museum. EWH also provided much of the text and images for the new display, and donated materials for a New Town reading room where visitors will be able to explore the subject in more depth. Education Schools workshops A total of 20 workshops for primary schools were hosted at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, as part of the Auld Reekie theme. ‘Tales of Auld Reekie’ were based around three stories featuring the adventures of Jenny and Johnny, young orphans making a living as caddies in Georgian Edinburgh. ‘The Old Town Mouse and the New Town Mouse’ was a lively puppet show for younger pupils telling the story of the Old Town Mouse who goes on a journey to visit his New Town cousin. ‘Cadie Capers: Tales of Auld Reekie and New Toon’ was a storytelling tour of the Old and New Towns with presenters in character. A total of 482 primary school children took part in the workshops. Susan MacDonald, Leith Walk Primary The children were totally captivated with the stories. Tim related to them so well and captured their attention and imagination. Sarah Christie, Milnathort Primary School We were all delighted with the stories and wonderful entertainment and most importantly we all learned a lot. Penny Browning, Abbeyhill Primary School The session was superb! It entirely fulfilled its expected objectives and my class (and I!) thoroughly enjoyed it. Learning website In July 2010, the new learning micro-site was launched with a similar but distinctive look to the main EWH website. The site features an Edinburgh timeline and three suggested lesson-plans based on the history of the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh as a World Heritage City and the conservation of ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
54 the WHS. To support this there is a resource section, with downloadable photos, maps, drawings and city guides. Outreach World Heritage Day With the help of small EWH grants, community groups from around the city joined in with a variety of activities to celebrate World Heritage Day in April 2010. Activities included writing poetry, staging exhibitions, experimenting with printmaking or taking a guided walk around historic buildings. St Crispin’s School interpreted Edinburgh’s architecture through artworks from the collection of Art in Healthcare. The originals and their interpretations were exhibited in St James’ Shopping Centre. WIFIE photographers photographed their personal visions of Edinburgh’s cityscape, and exhibited their work in Tollcross Community Centre. Canongate Youth Project visited Canongate Kirkyard to interpret the views over Calton Hill and the different shapes and textures of grave markers through printing. Edinburgh Printmakers took them around the site and then guided them through the printing process. Their work was displayed and sold in Princes Mall. Niddrie Community Youth Group arranged a photographic excursion, looking for Edinburgh’s landmarks as well as their own, personal landmarks. Revealed, a group of visually impaired photographers led by Rosita McKenzie, showing us their impressions of Edinburgh. The Old Town Association organised a film night, showing footage from the 1930s to 1970s in Edinburgh. Southside Community Writing Group visited Camera Obscura to draw inspiration from different perspectives of the city for their poetry. Their works were read at the Storytelling Courtyard and at the EWH seminar for World Heritage Day. Craigmillar Library intergenerational group went on an excursions to explore Edinburgh’s heritage by visiting Gladstone’s Land and the Georgian House; A City for All Ages, an initiative to improve opportunities for older people, organised a tour to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Getting Oomph Walkers from Wester Hailes Community Centre strolled the closes of the Old Town and visited Edinburgh Castle. Imagine Edinburgh The Imagine Edinburgh project was a joint initiative between Edinburgh World Heritage, Edinburgh Libraries and The Sunflower Garden who support children & young people affected by substance use. Over 12 weeks the group of eight young people visited a variety of historic buildings in the World Heritage Site, recording their experiences and comments afterwards. With the help of writer Mike Nicholson, the group’s work has now been produced as a book. ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
55 World Heritage Skills As part of the Leith Townscape Heritage Initiative, a group of 12 Leith Academy pupils spent five Taster Sessions weeks trying out skills, including decorative plastering, graining and marbling, and stonemasonry. Site visits to St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh Castle and Historic Scotland workshops at Croft-an-Righ were a part of the programme, bringing the young people into contact with apprentices and skilled craftsmen. Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the initiative was a collaboration between the Edinburgh World Heritage, the City of Edinburgh Council, Telford College, and the Citadel and Junction youth centres. St Crispin’s School interpreted Edinburgh’s architecture through artworks from the collection of Art in Healthcare. The originals and their interpretations were exhibited in St James’ Shopping Centre. WIFIE photographers photographed their personal visions of Edinburgh’s cityscape, and exhibited their work in Tollcross Community Centre. Canongate Youth Project visited Canongate Kirkyard to interpret the views over Calton Hill and the different shapes and textures of grave markers through printing. Edinburgh Printmakers took them around the site and then guided them through the printing process. Their work was displayed and sold in Princes Mall. Niddrie Community Youth Group arranged a photographic excursion, looking for Edinburgh’s landmarks as well as their own, personal landmarks. Revealed, a group of visually impaired photographers led by Rosita McKenzie, showing us their impressions of Edinburgh. The Old Town Association organised a film night, showing footage from the 1930s to 1970s in Edinburgh. Southside Community Writing Group visited Camera Obscura to draw inspiration from different perspectives of the city for their poetry. Their works were read at the Storytelling Courtyard and at the EWH seminar for World Heritage Day. Craigmillar Library intergenerational group went on an excursions to explore Edinburgh’s heritage by visiting Gladstone’s Land and the Georgian House; A City for All Ages, an initiative to improve opportunities for older people, organised a tour to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Getting Oomph Walkers from Wester Hailes Community Centre strolled the closes of the Old Town and visited Edinburgh Castle. Imagine Edinburgh The Imagine Edinburgh project was a joint initiative between Edinburgh World Heritage, Edinburgh Libraries and The Sunflower Garden who support children & young people affected by substance use. Over 12 weeks the group of eight young people visited a variety of historic buildings in the World ______Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011
56 Heritage Site, recording their experiences and comments afterwards. With the help of writer Mike Nicholson, the group’s work has now been produced as a book. World Heritage Skills Taster Sessions As part of the Leith Townscape Heritage Initiative, a group of 12 Leith Academy pupils spent five weeks trying out skills, including decorative plastering, graining and marbling, and stonemasonry. Site visits to St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh Castle and Historic Scotland workshops at Croft-an-Righ were a part of the programme, bringing the young people into contact with apprentices and skilled craftsmen. Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the initiative was a collaboration between the Edinburgh World Heritage, the City of Edinburgh Council, Telford College, and the Citadel and Junction youth centres.
7.3 Conservation skills and training Edinburgh World Heritage provides opportunities for volunteers interested in different aspects of the World Heritage management to gain experience in a particular area of the organisation’s activities such as: town planning, conservation, interpretation and education. The number of volunteers working with the organisation is steadily growing, supporting the professional team with its work through various projects and activities. The value of participation lies in the model of World Heritage management where Edinburgh World Heritage takes a coordinative role. It is also an opportunity to participate in cooperation with the central bodies responsible for Edinburgh’s management such as the City of Edinburgh Council and Historic Scotland.
During the period of 2009 to 2010, Edinburgh World Heritage employed six interns. During 2010 to 2012, a further nine interns were appointed. The range of their employment varied from working full time for three months, to working on a part time basis covering a longer period (some interns have remained working on their projects on a permanent part time basis). The interns each bring particular skills and knowledge to the projects they are employed on, from monitoring buildings, research and interpretation, energy efficiency and data management and organising the library. This equates to a significant staff resource and the individuals employed bring their experiences from their varied background institutions or work places, from outwith as well as within the UK. Recent interns have been seconded from the University Jean Monnet in Saint-Etienne, the Technical University of Cottbus in Germany, and Edinburgh College of Art, as well as from the local business community.
7.4 Conclusion
There is a duty under the World Heritage Convention to promote appreciation of the World Heritage Site. Throughout the monitoring period a number of projects have been undertaken, including costumed presentations, schools workshops, traditional
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57 skills workshops, talks, leaflets, trails and e-news. Many of the projects have included collaboration with key partners in the wider promotion of the city. Edinburgh World Heritage provides the opportunity for volunteers interested in different aspects of World Heritage Site management to offer their time and expertise to ensure the diversity of the range of projects delivered.
8. RESOURCES AND MANAGEMENT The first Management Plan for the World Heritage Site was published in 2005 and provided a solid foundation of information to develop a shared understanding of the Outstanding Universal Value of the Site and the partnerships between agencies, the communities, institutions and businesses. It set an agenda for action and outlined the challenges and opportunities for the site.
The key organisations for the implementation of the Plan and protection of the World Heritage Site’s Outstanding Universal Value are the City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh World Heritage and Historic Scotland, which form the core Steering Group. The Steering Group has overseen the production of the second Management Plan, the Action Plan and the Monitoring Report. It is the intention to expand the Steering Group to allow for greater stakeholder involvement. This should help with the delivery of the Action Plan.
The second Management Plan for the Site was in progress during the monitoring period and the draft was the subject of detailed consultation. The draft Management Plan was approved by the City of Edinburgh Council Planning Committee in August 2010.
9. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Monitoring Report 2007 - 2009 identified a number of issues that had been considered and resolved by the Site’s management. Similarly, this Monitoring Report addresses a number of issues that are actively under consideration and will be progressed by the Steering Group via the Action Plan.
Progress from the Monitoring Report 2007 - 2009:
1. The review of the first Management Plan is complete and greater emphasis has been placed on understanding and interpreting Outstanding Universal Value in the revised Plan. A significant step forward since the last report is the recognition of Outstanding Universal Value in the Edinburgh City Local Plan. In line with recent planning reforms, the Outstanding Universal Value will be interpreted at the pre-application stage in order to inform design. A Protocol is in place, having been agreed by the Partners, for the involvement of Edinburgh World Heritage in the planning process. This will ensure that the focus of any comments remains
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58 the impact of development on the Outstanding Universal Value of the Site. A key part of the role of the World Heritage Site Co- ordinator, based within the Council, is to ensure that this process is managed.
2. It is the Partners’ view that existing planning controls such as the Key Views guidelines, abutting conservation areas and Local Plan policies are considered to be effective mechanisms to protect the Outstanding Universal Value of the Site. The effectiveness of these measures will be monitored over time and the need for a buffer zone will be reconsidered when the Management Plan is next reviewed (the finalised Management Plan concluded that the Site was adequately protected without the need for a buffer zone).
3. An ambitious national aspiration for the reduction of Scotland's carbon emissions and improved sustainability is being implemented at the local level. A number of key ‘Energy Heritage’ projects working towards the reduction of fuel poverty and the identification of effective ways of improving energy efficiency in historic buildings have been carried out within the monitoring period. This timeframe has also seen the employment of an Energy Efficiency Officer within Edinburgh World Heritage and a change in Planning guidance to allow slim profile double glazing in historic buildings within the Site. This remains a critical issue and further projects and policy reviews should develop to meet the objectives of the Management Plan and its subsequent Action Plan.
Monitoring Report 2009 - 2011:
For a number of reasons, it is evident that this monitoring period is one of little change. This could be attributed to the global economic downturn. The small number of applications for major developments applied for over the monitoring timescale provides evidence of this.
The state of conservation of the World Heritage Site is, from both a practical perspective and the evidence in this report, satisfactory. However, public funding is increasingly scarce, resulting in greater need to target Edinburgh World Heritage grant strategies in the most efficient way.
Work continues on the Edinburgh Tram Project with a degree of disruption to traffic flow, including bus routes and also pedestrian routes through the city centre. The project follows the parameters set out in the Tram Design Manual. There has been a reduction in footfall during this monitoring period, which will have only a temporary impact on the World Heritage Site. This brings into sharp focus the importance that should be placed on supporting the quality of the city centre through public realm improvements.
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59 The number of listed buildings remains stable at 1676. Again, this suggests that there has been no development pressure within this period for the demolition or redevelopment of sites that include listed buildings. A growing number of Listed Building Consents and Planning Permission for energy saving measures demonstrates that the public is responsive to this national priority.
The survey of the condition of Edinburgh's 'A' listed buildings by the Scottish Civic Trust in 2008 identified an increased number of buildings that require special attention. Most of the new entries are in relatively good structural condition, although vacant, which is an indication of risk. New uses for those buildings should be identified with respect to their contribution to the World Heritage Site's Outstanding Universal Value. It is important to note that the survey indicates that Edinburgh performs significantly better than other Scottish local authorities in terms of the National Performance Indicator for the Historic Environment – the overall number of 'A' listed buildings at risk is far lower than other authorities.
The World Heritage brand remains underused and could be better used and integrated with the city’s broader branding strategy. The frequency of use of the World Heritage emblem should be examined in order to meet the aim of raising awareness of World Heritage Site status. It is intended that this remains under consideration and is taken forward with Marketing Edinburgh.
Over the last five years Edinburgh World Heritage and its partners have placed a stronger emphasis on learning and outreach activities. This has resulted in a number of events to raise awareness of the World Heritage Site amongst residents, visitors and the city management. In a situation of declining public funds for conservation it is crucial to demonstrate the value of the World Heritage Site and how to look after their historic properties. Community engagement is one of the central aspects within this area of Edinburgh World Heritage operation. The aim includes the broad inclusion of residents who live outside the boundary of the World Heritage Site in the cultural life of the city through the World Heritage-related events and activities. This is an area to which more prominence will be given, the aim being to ensure greater awareness and understanding of the Site amongst visitors and residents.
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60 Appendix I. Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site
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61 Appendix II. Conservation Areas in the World Heritage Site
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62 Appendix III. Map of Listed Buildings in the World Heritage Site
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63 Appendix IV. View cones from and within the World Heritage Site
The proposed key views have been numbered to give each view cone a distinct number and to make views more readily identifiable. The city has been divided into five sections; Central (C), North (N), East (E), South (S) and West (W). The map extract below shows the viewpoints from the World Heritage Site. Individual sheets detailing each view follow.
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