Craigmillar is Miles Better and even safer than Manchester! - Donald Anderson

Nobody in Glasgow would be less than gallous about their successes. Edinburgh should be too. I’ve been doing pro bono work in Craigmillar and am inspired by what I’ve seen.

A sunset view looking from Little France Park, described by Donald Anderson as some of the best parkland in Scotland

I expected Craigmillar to be good, but what I’ve seen over the last year has been hugely impressive.

One frustration is the lack of any long-term data on the changes and improvements. We research the finest details of our cellular structure but know next to nothing about regeneration in communities. So, I did a deep dive into the statistics.

The recent regeneration was launched in 2002 under PARC (Promoting and Regenerating Craigmillar) and Ian Wall, chief executive of EDI and one of the most influential figures behind Edinburgh’s economic renaissance. Investment and building more than 3000 houses saw around £200 million of investment.

In 2011 the population hit a low of 10,500. Since then, it’s risen to 16,500, an increase of nearly 60 per cent. By comparison the population of Scotland has gone up by less than 5 per cent.

In 1981 unemployment was a horrendous 25 per cent. Long-term unemployment was 10 per cent. Roll forward to 2022 and the unemployment figure had fallen by 75 per cent to 6 per cent (still higher than we’d like) and long-term unemployment has fallen by a staggering 85 per cent to just 1.5 per cent.

At the same time life expectancy has increased. For males it has risen from 65 in 1981 to 74 in 2022. For females the figure has risen from 73 to 81, which is now the same as the Scottish figure.

That population is better educated too. Ten times as many residents have degrees compared to the early 1980s and four times as many have a further education qualification.

Crime is down too. This message needs to ring out wide and far. Craigmillar’s a pretty safe place. Don’t take my word for it, the official statistics show Portobello/Craigmillar is way down at ninth highest of 17 council wards in terms of crimes per thousand residents.

Crime is actually 25 per cent higher in the Manchester City Region. Nobody would think twice about crime before visiting Manchester and the same should apply to Craigmillar.

Even car ownership has risen from 28 per cent of households in 1981 to 68 per c ent in 2022, higher than the Edinburgh average. And I haven’t mentioned the amazing parks and public places - check last week’s column.

There are also fabulous people working and volunteering in the area to make life better for residents. From The Venchie (adventure play), Lyra (Scotland’s only performing arts venue for children and teenagers) to the Community Hub at the White House where long-long-time activist Susan Carr has fought the area’s corner well for decades, through to voluntary groups like The Craigmillar and Niddrie Litterbusters, while a host of council and NHS staff work day in and out to help improve the lives of local people.

So, is the regeneration done and can we all pack up and go home? Well, no, there are still lots of people in the area that struggle, but what the improvements mean is that support can be more closely targeted at those needing help.

But let the word go out, Craigmillar is Miles Better - and it’s even safer than Manchester!