Make your Voice Heard on Climate Action!

May 11 @ 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Hear from Ian and Gordon on how best to engage with your MPs and MSPs for maximum impact.

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Edinburgh Climate Café Online

April 23 @ 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

As this will be a Zoom Café, feel free to have some coffee or cake at home while you meet virtually with us

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Community Action Against Climate Change

April 12 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Reinforcing that climate action can be created and sustained through small and tangible steps.

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Living Streets Edinburgh Group: Election Hustings (online)

Tuesday, 12 April at 5pm

Hear from candidates for the council elections about their vision for a walkable Edinburgh

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The Impact of Enslavement on Scotland’s Built Heritage

Jennifer Melville provides historic examples of the acquisition and enhancement of properties in Scotland by Scots living in the West Indies,


Edinburgh and East Lothian Doors Open Days is supported by:

Arnold Clark Community FundHinshelwood Gibson TrustEuropean Heritage DaysScottish Civic TrustUrwin Studio Edinburgh Web Design

Event Sponsor

Pedal on Parliament Feeder Ride

SATURDAY, 23 APRIL 2022 FROM 10:45-14:30

10 years after we first did it, we will be doing our first ‘classic PoP’ in several years on Saturday 23 April 2022 at 1pm

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By Leaves we Love: Rediscovering Patrick Geddes’ Edinburgh

24th April

A day of celebration looking at the life and work of the radical Scottish thinker Sir Patrick Geddes

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Hustings 2022 – Another Edinburgh Is Possible

Thursday 21st April

The Another Edinburgh Is Possible group is holding an online hustings event on Thursday 21st April from 6.30am until 8pm

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Forth Bridge Experience

Posted on: March 4, 2022

The Cockburn Association has been consistent in its support for all aspects of the ‘Forth Bridge Experience’

The Cockburn Association has been consistent in its support for all aspects of the ‘Forth Bridge Experience’

Cockburn Response

The Cockburn Association has been consistent in its support for all aspects of the ‘Forth Bridge Experience’.

We support this LBC application as for the first time in the bridge’s history, the public will be able to access this world-famous structure, to explore its heritage and to  access outstanding, world-class views.

Suitable assessments  and safeguards must be put in place to secure the bridge’s historic fabric for future generations.

We also support the refreshed proposals are for a  a single-storey reception hub to the east of the Forth Bridges which echoes the industrial heritage of the area.  But particular care is required to ensure that the stated aim of sympathetically positioning the proposed hub in the existing landscape while minimising the impact on the surrounding environment is achieved.

Proposals for new active travel and accessible access provision require ongoing consultation with appropriate local and amenity stakeholders.

Image taken from Planning Application 22/00358/FUL and copyright remains with the owner 

Jenner’s Department Store

Posted on:

Overall, the Cockburn is strongly supportive of these proposals to bring back to life one of Edinburgh’s most iconic buildings.

Overall, the Cockburn is strongly supportive of these proposals to bring back to life one of Edinburgh’s most iconic buildings.

Cockburn Response

The Association has studied the plans for the redevelopment of the former Jenner’s Department Store and wishes to give its full support the proposals developed by AAA United A/S with David Chipperfield Architects.

Over the past year, the developers and their professional teams have engaged fully with the Cockburn at all stages and shared their thinking as the proposals emerged.  This open, positive and constructive discussion gives us the confidence that scheme proposed is well-considered, sensitive and respectively of this iconic building but also creative and exciting in both ambition and vision.

In terms of use, we are delighted with the retention of retail on basement, ground and first floor levels.  The restoration and re-use of the main hall or Grand Saloon as the premier retail space is particularly welcome.

We have no objection to the hotel use, noting the original dormitories for staff in the original building as a possible precedent for this change of use.  Again, the proposals are sensitive to the historic fabric and make good use of spaces in more modern interventions.  Our one issue here is the use of Rose Street as the main entrance into the hotel with the potential for vehicular conflict on a pedestrian retail and hospitality street.  This is not an insurmountable problem but will need special attention.

In terms of elevational treatment, we support the remodelling of the later Princes Street elevation, which will open up the glazing to create a ‘double-height’ shopfront and support the change from a curved to straight window head. Similarly, the major works to the Rose Street building involve the adaption of an already insensitive building thereby improving its presentation to the street.  We were particularly impressed by the response by the architects to this part of the development, taking a strong lead from the building itself.

We are confident that the design team will deliver sensitive stonework repairs to the highly decorate facades.  In terms of elevational alterations, the most controversial element is the new turret at the corner of Rose Street and South St David Street.  This will be highly visible across St Andrew’s Square and nearby environs.  Like Historic Environment Scotland, more could have been borrowed from the existing facades, but we have confidence in the architects to prepare a well-proportioned, coherent intervention here.

Overall, the Cockburn is strongly supportive of these proposals to bring back to life one of Edinburgh’s most iconic buildings.