Leith Sucks.net

(EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS SATURDAY 28th JULY 2007)

HERITAGE chiefs were under growing pressure today to drop plans to turn one of Leith’s most historic buildings into flats. The National Trust for Scotland is currently negotiating the sale of 17th century Lamb’s House to city council-owned development company, EDI. Up to 12 apartments and new offices would be created in the landmark building, just off the Shore. A 1960s extension would also be knocked down and replaced with a modern block. The NTS are confident EDI would carry out a “sensitive” redevelopment and believe the venture is the best way to secure the future of Lamb’s House.  Campaigners believe though the A-listed building is one of the best options for a proposed Leith museum and they are to lobby the city council to help persuade the NTS to have a change of heart.

The trust today insisted it did not have enough resources to turn the four-storey building into a museum or visitor centre. John Mark Di Ciacca, EDI’s director of property and development, said: “We’re working closely with our architects, planners at the council and the NTS to ensure that this challenging development is a success. “We recognise that Lamb’s House is a grade-A listed building of historical importance, which now requires significant refurbishment and attention.”

However Graham Chapman, chairman of Leith Harbour and Newhaven Community Council, said that while he supported new housing in the area, it should not be at the expense of opening up Lamb’s House for the public. He said: “A museum of Leith is long overdue and would be a far better use for a listed building like this than more apartments. It’s also obvious that a new visitor attraction like that would have a lot of public support.”

Lothians Green MSP Robin Harper added: “It would be completely bizarre for somewhere like Lamb’s House to be turned into luxury flats, particularly bearing in mind its conservation listing.” Independent MSP Margo MacDonald said: “Lamb’s House is an integral part of Leith and I’d hope the council would be able to intervene and try to get the idea of a museum in there properly off the ground.”

Jim Tweedie, chairman of Leith Local History Society, also backed the calls for a museum, saying: “We’ve been arguing for the creation of a museum of Leith for years. It’s something we’d love to see created in the area.” Bryan Dickson, head of buildings at the NTS, said however they had to ensure that all their properties were managed effectively to protect Scotland’s heritage. He said: “We don’t have the resources available to take forward any kind of proposal like a museum and it’s also important that any plan is appropriate for the building.”

I have been monitoring your website for about a month now and being a person who knows about community centre management committees and especially constitutions I simply ask the following. Does the current Chairperson have either a place of study or a place of employment within the catchment area of the centre? Failing that, does she attend any groups or activities in the centre? If not why is she a member of the centre at all? If she does not attend any centre groups how can she be representative or act in the interest of users as she has no locus or experience of using the centre she is part of managing?

I think you will find if you check your constitution that the current chairperson does not meet the criteria to be Chairperson under your existing rules. The Scottish Charities Commissioner may have a thing or two to say about this matter.

Information just in to Leith Sucks. It has been brought to our attention that the reason the Council (Children and Families) want the Management Committee of Leith Community Centre to buy the shop unit next door is to accommodate Paul James who currently rents an office at Pennywell House for an absolute fortune. It seems he wants to get out of this rental arrangement before the Council find out he is using Council staffing budgets to pay rent and move into premises the Management Committee will be paying for. Derek Suttie was doing the same thing with the Prentice Centre but recently was stopped from paying them £4,500 per annum. Beware - things are not what they seem down Leith way these days.

Can the sender of this email please get back in touch with us - we would like to follow this matter up with you in complete confidence?

At a meeting of the Leith Community Centre Management Committee the subject of the Leith Sucks website was raised by Councillor Gordon “Slimeball” Munro and especially confidentiality, hold on, is this the same Munro that was excluded from attending committee meetings for his story telling, surly this is a clear case of the pot calling the kettle black. Now the “Slimeball” has been added to the list of puppeteers pulling the strings. Ironically Ilene “The Puppet” Davidson is so unintelligent that she cannot see the wood for the trees and realise the “Slimeball Munro, Fat Boy James and Hard As Nails MacKay” are pulling the wool over her eyes. When it goes pear shaped the powers that be walk away and the committee is held responsible

The Committee have been convinced that “The Puppet” is the bee’s knees. Councillor Munro suggested that the committee write to the local press showing concerns about this site and that all the posts are false, and in addition backing “The Puppets” actions (or in actions as case maybe) Well what better publicity could we ask for in highlighting what is going on in Leith? This shows the mentality of Councilor Munro trying to keep this site low profile.

We have no reason to doubt whatsoever that the situation down in the Community Centre concerning “The Puppet” to be false or inaccurate, and more so how can the Council, “The Puppets” employers continue to let her carry on this embarrassment. The centre belongs to the good people of Leith, for how long? The challenge his still open to “The Puppet” and her employers to answer previous questions. Although the comments facility is not fully operational posts and comments can still be made through the “contact us” page

I can’t understand why Ilene Davison is getting away with this fiasco. What actually does Ms Davidson have to offer us Leithers? In addition how can Christine Mackay and Paul James dictate as to what should happen and what shouldn’t, do any of these people actually stay in Leith.

Perhaps Councilor Munn should stand up for the people who elected him into his current post and fight for what WE believe to be right and not just the select few with the intention of lining their own pockets and boosting their own ego, are they trying to exhilarate the new Council into keeping their jobs and to make them look good???

Now is the time for the newly appointed head of the Children and Families department Gillian Tee to look at the corrupt staff employed in her charge?

Ilene “The Puppet” Davidson is defying the good people of Leith YET AGAIN. It was anonymously decided at the AGM in May to keep the Management Committee numbers to twelve, “The Puppet” has gone against this and is co-opting additional persons on even although the constitution does not have the provision to do so. Is this a case of putting the cart before the horse, surly the constitution should be restructured, approved at an Extra Ordinary General Meeting and then additional persons co-opted on. On the other hand it could be that the dog is waging the tail and Christine “Hard As Nails” MacKay has knobbled “The Puppet”.

Sandy Campbell the godfather of the Leith Festival Taliban , is one of the persons to be co-opted on, is this the same Mr Campbell that verbally abused the centre’s Community Education Worker Earl “The Weasel” Ross who in turn tried to have the minutes of a meeting doctored and have this accusation removed as mythical. The plot thickens!!