13 February 2009
The City of Edinburgh Council and PARC have been highly commended at a prestigious national awards ceremony for their work in Craigmillar. The Council, together with PARC, was the only Scottish local authority shortlisted in the Regeneration category at the LGC & HSJ Sustainable Communities Awards 2009.
Director of Services for Communities from The City of Edinburgh Council, Mark Turley said: "We were really pleased to be nominated for this award especially knowing we were the only Scottish Local Authority shortlisted. I know that a great many people have worked hard to get to where we are and this award recognises that what we are doing will make Craigmillar a thriving community centre that residents can be proud of."
Councillor Gordon Mackenzie, Chair of PARC, said: "This is a tremendous achievement highlighting all the hard work put in by the community, the Council and PARC for the regeneration of Craigmillar. PARC delivers real benefits to Craigmillar and makes a major contribution to the city by providing much-needed affordable homes. We were up against some strong competition for this award and it is excellent to have been highly commended."
John Mark Di Ciacca, Acting Chief Executive of EDI, said: "We are delighted to have been given this highly prestigious commendation. It is a formal recognition of our ambition to create a sustainable community for the future and of the commitment and good work of all partners, in particular The City of Edinburgh Council, involved in the long term regeneration of one of Edinburgh’s most deprived areas.”
A spokesperson for the LGC & HSJ Sustainable Communities Award said: "The level of entries has been exceptional this year, both in terms of quantity and quality. This proves that councils, primary care trusts and their local partners are creating and delivering genuinely sustainable communities.
"We would like to offer our congratulations to all the shortlisted entries for their outstanding achievements."
The Assessment Findings said "The regeneration of Craigmillar is a special project with masterplans that tackle every aspect of the SSCI and in many instances go beyond expectations. The community are actively involved in shaping the area. The approach taken to shared spaces is particularly innovative. The regeneration and cultural aspects of the submission resulted in particularly positive impacts in relation to population & health and cultural heritage in the environmental scoping exercise. The submission outlines approaches which relate strongly to each of the SSCI criteria.” There is more at the Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative Report.
The Sustainable Communities Awards 2009, run by the Local Government Chronicle and Health Service Journal in association with DEFRA, took place at The Brewery in London's Barbican on Thursday 5 February 2009.