Craigmillar and Niddrie - Living Well Locally

We wanted to hear your views on Niddrie Mains Road and the High Street, the public spaces, and local facilities that exist in the Craigmillar local area. The project area is part of the Council’s 20-minute neighbourhood strategy and aims to provide better access to local facilities and open spaces across the city through quality transport and active travel links. We also want to improve local spaces for recreation and socialising.

We received 113 responses where 86% of respondents either live, work, visit, or study in the area.

The main reasons for visiting the High Street on Niddrie Mains Road and local area are:

1. To visit shops, cafes or restaurant (52%);
2. I live in Craigmillar or Niddrie (50%); and
3. To access local services or facilities (49%)

Most people get to the High Street:

• Every day, by walking / wheeling (37%) and driving (22%);
• Regularly, by public transport (32%) and driving (25%);
• Occasionally, by public transport (42%) and cycling (23%); and
• Never, by cycling (44%) and driving (22%).

The top three words to describe how the Niddrie Mains Road area feels were Busy, Traffic, and Congested. Of the 243 words submitted, 14% were positive and the top words associated with this sentiment were Good, Improving, and Comfortable.

When asked about what could improve the experience of spending time on the High Street, most comments were about maintenance, safety, environment, and amenities, such as:

• Better care and maintenance of public realm around shopfronts, more bins, and upgraded street furniture.
• More greenery, benches, better pavement, and less traffic.
• More police presence to deter antisocial behaviour.
• More local shops, family friendly cafes, pubs, and better leisure facilities.

For suggested improvements to make it easier to access the High Street by walking, wheeling, cycling or public transport most commented on road safety, maintenance, wider transport access, and sustainable travel.

The main barriers to movement identified in the area are:

• poor quality of dropped kerbs, pavements, roads;
• lack of provision for cyclists and safe junctions;
• cars parked everywhere; and
• frequent vehicle speeding and traffic jams.

The top greenspaces visited regularly were Craigmillar Castle Park (70%), Holyrood Park (61%), and Hunters Hall Park (27%).

36% of respondents are satisfied with the greenspaces in the local community. Respondents felt strongest about the following improvements they would like to see in their greenspaces: maintenance (55%), trees and planting (48%), spaces and activities for teenagers (44%), community spaces (42%), and places to sit (42%).

About what kinds of cultural opportunities, facilities, and services that respondents would like to see more of in the local area, 50% of participants provided input that support themes and ideas including:

• Community activities: live music, art centres, food banks, youth projects, more evening activities, fairs and markets, nature workshops, outdoor exercise groups, craft / knitting groups
• Cultural traditions: places to build a sense of community and highlight the unique history of the area; conservation work and ‘heartbeat of communities needs to be retained’
• Healthy living: inclusive parks, play areas, sport facilities, locally grown and sourced food, more accessible leisure centre, better support for local charities
• Performance space: a local theatre, community hall, better supported community centres
• Independent cafes and shops: greater range of social spaces and places to eat, family friendly play cafes; community-focused shops; post office

We would like to thank everyone who participated in this survey. The input and comments provided are valued insights which will help the project team develop a concept design of the High Street on Niddrie Mains Road.

Updates on the project will be available on the following webpage: Our 20-minute neighbourhood approach – The City of Edinburgh Council.