Pride of Place funding will help transform Craigmillar - Donald Anderson
The award of £20 million ‘Pride of Place’ funding last Friday is a huge step forward for Craigmillar. Like any community, Craigmillar has its issues, but the last 20 years have seen huge investment in new homes, facilities and a new high school. The community and lives of local people have been dramatically improved.
Almost every neighbourhood in the area looks a million times better than they did in the 1980s when a TV news feature was made about ‘Craigmillar, down but not out’.
That highlighted a community blighted by poor housing, crime and chronic unemployment. You can still find the footage on YouTube. It’s a sobering reminder of how bad things became and how far the area has come since those dark days.
With many of the larger scale investments having taken place, the regeneration can focus on protecting all that major investment, improving residents’ lived experiences and closing the gap on perceptions of Craigmillar and other communities.
The funding is £20m over ten years. It’s targeted to do exactly the kind of things that the area needs. The funding is specifically targeted at the eastern side of Craigmillar and includes the neighbourhoods Niddrie, Bingham, Magdalene and The Christians.
Local groups work hard and have done an amazing job of helping make the lives of local people better, with food banks, community centres and facilities kept going despite the long-term challenges of funding constraints. The work done to organise positive activities on November 5 has also been outstanding. Pride of Place funding will help build on all that hard work.
Funding will directly involve local residents because those taking the decisions will need to show how they’ve consulted residents on the plans. That will ensure that the plans make a real difference to the area, with an emphasis on the things local people want to see.
Projects could include revitalising shopping areas, preserving local heritage, providing housing, creating jobs, boosting productivity and skills, improving health and wellbeing, creating new transport links, providing education and opportunity and improving safety and security.
And there are some great foundations to build on. The Community Alliance Trust has a long and successful record of acting as a positive voice for local people. That’s just one of the many organisations helping make Craigmillar better.
Recently I had the privilege of joining in at the start of a major project that will help transform public spaces in the wider Craigmillar area. I joined the Friends of Craigmilar outside the Health Centre on Niddrie Mains Road to plant daffodil bulbs and make the entrance more attractive. It was hard work, but we were given great help by a local resident, Ringo who saw what we were doing and joined in.
It’s a small start, but a significant one. The plans will be rolled out to look at all the green spaces in Craigmillar. Soon Craigmillar will have parks and public places awash with spring colour.
Craigmillar has already been transformed, and there are huge strengths to build on.
Pride of Place funding can be the boost that ensures Craigmillar residents are involved in making the area better, and have more pride and confidence in Craigmillar as a great place to live and work.