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'Edinburgh Harbour' plan sparks campaign by outraged Leithers

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Published Date: 16 February 2009
By CATHERINE SALMOND
THOUSANDS of Leithers have signed up to a campaign against plans to name a multi million-pound development in the port "Edinburgh Harbour".
Residents came out in their masses last week to back a campaign fighting for the retention of Leith Docks as the main title for the development by Fort Ports, which is due to begin this year.

A final push for more signatures was made at the we
ekend as community activists campaigned at The Foot of The Walk.

Protesters believe the name change will strip Leith of its historic identity and warn of a community uprising if the Edinburgh Harbour brand is put in place.

Some signing the petition said that if Edinburgh Harbour is used, they will campaign for Edinburgh Castle to be renamed Leith Castle to prove a point.

Cliff Lutton, 84, a retired doctor, is, along with son Ian, distributing petitions across the port, in pubs, cafes, shops and businesses, before they present the names to councillors at the city chambers.

The former Leith Hospital doctor said: "If this name is passed, councillors will live to regret it. Leithers are extremely different from Edinburgh people. They are proud of their history."

Leith councillor Gordon Munro is one of many politicians backing the campaign, describing it as a "no brainer".

But Forth Port officials say people have misunderstood how the development will be named.

Charles Hammond, group chief executive, said: "Leith Docks will remain as the umbrella name for the overall development project. The name Edinburgh Harbour was chosen for this area of Leith Docks, which will include a cruise ship terminal, as it highlights the fact that Leith is the gateway into Scotland's capital city."

Forth Ports has applied for outline planning permission for developing the area around Ocean Terminal. The first two of nine "urban villages" will include 1870 new homes.





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  • Last Updated: 16 February 2009 10:55 AM
  • Source: Edinburgh Evening News
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Forth Ports
 
1

elayne,

16/02/2009 12:39:48
edinburgh harbour my ****!!!!!its leith and should remain so
2

Eighteen Seventy-Four,

16/02/2009 12:42:11

"Leithers are extremely different from Edinburgh people"

Aye nice one, I'll start it off;

6 fingered hands
1 eye heid's
4 Teeth max in every mouth
1 tattie field in each ear
&
1 Giro book kept snuggly in the inside pocket of their tartan suit jacket.

3

Boswall,

16/02/2009 12:49:33
Oh good g0d....nothing at all wrong with renaming it, just the Leith numpty hard core and people who can't spell Elaine that seem to be bothered.
4

Mallory,

Edinburgh 16/02/2009 12:51:26
Hasn't the Cooncil got it yet? Folk want affordable social houses and jobs not prestige 'world-class' architecture, luxury five-star hotels and 'mixed-use development'.
5

upthehill,

Leith 16/02/2009 13:24:28
The petition is in lots of the shops and pubs in Leith, if you see it - sign it! The comments in the Facebook group "Save Leith Petition 2009" are well worth reading aswell, hundreds more signed up there.

They really were not thinking things through properly when they came up with this renaming - so much for consultation - it would not have taken long to see how much the public were going to reject the idea.
6

Hibernia,

16/02/2009 13:28:33
#2 = @rse
7

Polwarth Soldier,

16/02/2009 13:37:55
"Leith" actually ENDS at the bottom of the walk - hence the name.
The Leith Links are in "South Leith" - check any map.

Therefor teh VAST majotity of these "leithers" are from Edinburgh - Oops

That said, Leith is indeed the harbour, always has been, always should be.
8

Polwarth Soldier,

16/02/2009 13:42:10
Elayne, if they call it Leith Harbour, you have to get your ****!!!!!its out
9

Bill MacD,

16/02/2009 13:51:19
Leith hasn't been a separate town for the past couple of hundred years, and it's ridiculous to pander to the conceit of the idiots there who think it it's somehow different. Edinburgh has lots of districts, each with their own identity, and Leith is just one of these alongside Morningside, Corstorphine, Wester Hailes, etc. etc. Leith is just another district, which once happened to be separate but is now indistinguishable in most ways. Live with it guys. The world moves on, and we're not interested in your petty identity stuff.
10

Hibernia,

16/02/2009 13:57:40
#5 Up The Hill all the way!
11

FreddieIII,

16/02/2009 14:07:29
The docks down at the harbour at Leith are called Victoria, Albert and Edinburgh and have been since the nineteenth century. Why the controversy now? The Scottish Government building is called Victoria Quay - what is wrong with Edinburgh Harbour?
12

jtdx,

16/02/2009 14:09:24
#7 Leith harbour has been controlled and run by Edinburgh much longer than it has been controlled by Leith. This has traditionally been a great source of resentment in Leith. Some things never change I guess

http://www.electricscotland.com/history/leith/31.htm
13

Leila,

Edinburgh 16/02/2009 14:12:23
Instead of "nine urban villages" they should build a major music etc venue (like SECC), and large-scale indoor leisure facilities (like Glasgow has).
14

MikeN,

Edinburgh 16/02/2009 16:19:31
Leith was made separate from Edinburgh in 1827 and returned to the city in 1921 - a period of less than 100 years. Apart from that 94 year period, it has belonged to the City of Edinburgh, and served as Edinburgh's port, since at least 1414 when it was purchased by the city. 'Edinburgh Harbour' or 'Edinburgh Port' or even 'Edinburgh Dockland' (ugly IMO) would be entirely appropriate names for the new development
15

The Ayrshire Bard,

16/02/2009 17:25:59
If you were born south of Albert Street then you will never understand what being a Leither is. It's the equivalent of what Yorkshire or Cornwall mean to those born there and Leithers will always be proud of their birthplace, and rightly so!!
16

Canuckman,

Edinburgh 16/02/2009 17:26:35
Why don't you ask the good people of Australia, Canada, US, the EU , etc if they'd like to book a cruise which includes a stop at 'Leith Harbour'? Imagine the blank response you would get... Stop being so parochial people! If Edinburgh is to market its waterfront - sorry, Leith's waterfront - to the wider world they need to play to the strengths of Scotland's capital city. Edinburgh has international recognition, Leith does not.
17

elayne,

16/02/2009 17:37:29
#15 true!
#13 a good music venue would not go amiss
#8 aye and if they name it edinburgh harbour YOU have to walk the full length of leith walk with your drawers down
18

Finbarr Saunders,

16/02/2009 18:12:11
These so-called Leithers who bang on and on about Leith being separate from Edinburgh are really quite irritating.

It's gonnae be called "Edinburgh Harbour". Accept it. It's not as if any of you will actually get to go onboard any of the cruise ships anyway!
19

me150,

16/02/2009 19:04:09
Leither really are different.....THICK!!!

Leith is part of Edinburgh so shut it!!!
20

Drat,

Edinburgh 16/02/2009 19:04:47
#16 Cruise liners already have as a port of call, Leith. They have had for a number of years and as each year goes by the numbers calling in to the Port of Leith have been increasing. Why then do they feel that they have to change the name? If it aint broke then don't fix it.
21

Goat Boy,

16/02/2009 20:29:53
Leith will be that run down, congested place you need to pass through to get to the 'Harbour'.

It will be sacrificed to ensure the success of this development.
22

krusty the klown,

16/02/2009 21:21:15
#9 Bill - spot on, this is a joke
23

elayne,

16/02/2009 22:14:02
build a good music venue and tehn ill not give a **** what its called(still prefer leith obv)
24

Scottyt,

Saint Paul, 16/02/2009 22:33:44
Well said, numbers 11 and 9.
25

tumshie heid,

17/02/2009 00:27:19
I'm surprised that there are so many "Leithers" who could write to sign the petition.
What a bunch of bampots, Leith is just another part of Edinburgh and no amount of insular thought will change that. Next they will be calling for more banana flats to be built and harking back to the good old days of the 80's with the Heroin problems of that time.
26

mpc,

Leith 17/02/2009 14:40:04
I've lived here for nearly 5 years and I love it. Leith is an awesome community and entity - what is the obsession with combining everyone and everything into 'Edinburgh'. How dare they presume they can use Leith Docks and rename it as they so please. Leith is peoples home - we choose to live here and not in Morningside for a reason.
27

mpc,

17/02/2009 14:45:49
and another thing - those people on here harping on about Leith Docks serving Edinburgh for years, Victoria, Albert etc etc blah blah blah - when was the last time you took a Sunday and walked around Leith and found out what it was all about. it doesnt want to be conjoined to Edinburgh - it is different, it is special, it does belong to the people who live their lives there.

 

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