“Nothing to do with tourism.”
I don’t think that is 100% accurate.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh
"Edinburgh's Hogmanay" - but not YOU, Edinburgh resident in the "Underbelly zone
(77 posts)-
Posted 5 years ago #
-
Couple of articles in the UK media over the last couple of days:
https://www.ft.com/content/b887760a-2be1-11ea-bc77-65e4aa615551
Posted 5 years ago # -
Well I have been visiting and living in Edinburgh a long time now given my extreme vintage. Pictures of me astride Mons Meg just like Cher - as a wee boy in a toorie bunnet. This was before Tourism was invented. What you did was you went to the Capital City as a Scottish citizen or whatever. You bought that shit EDINBURGH rock from the wee shop built into the steps up to the castle. You were a visitor not a tourist.
The whole accidental geography of EDINBURGH - Arthur’s Seat, the Crags, the river lends the city a Disney landscape. Add in the pretty New TOWN ARCHITECTURE BUILT ON SLAVERY and it all starts to get a bit much, before you even start talking about Underbelly Tourism causing anything.
Then you can look at how edinburgh residents themselves are going mental with the Air BNB. This needs regulated and is regulated in other countries. I think the fluff around UNDERBELLY is a distraction from what the council needs to do as a regulatory body around Air BnB.
Sorry if i am even less coherent than usual, I am a bit gubbed from a 100km cycle in big wind.
Fauldhouse was involved. Also Forth. Addiewell too, which is getting a new bridge. Also of course Carnwath and our beloved Apple PIE. NOTHING against these places but Edinburgh is much nicer.
Posted 5 years ago # -
"misses a chance for a slightly more subtle analysis. "
It's a common flaw of much writing from Mr. Small. They're kind of like mash-ups: bit of political positioning here, bit of moralising there; add a pinch of sensationalist exaggeration, and liberally sprinkle with some essence of riding-the-wave-of-twitter-outrage.
There is a need for some more considered analysis and reflection, but I fear our media are not up to the task. The effort which gets nearest to that so far is an article in the FT quoted by Small, which I read the other day. A bit moire nuance and a decent argument founded in critical theory. Well worth a read.
---
The hijacking of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay
Posted 5 years ago # -
@crowriver, indeed the best bits of the national article lifted directly from FT. He drops the ‘pretentious’ reference to Guy Debord, which is a shame and makes no mention of ruffled kilts.
New York does not allow private events in public spaces.
The best thing about edinburgh for me is you can be a flaneur like Debord as long as you don’t mind hills.
You can walk the Crags and arthur’s Seat and pop into the Sheep Heid and see the queen having a spot of lunch/
You can traverse west east and end up in Robbies Bar on the walk.
You can skip across the meadows and end up at Leslies
You can cycle anywhere in the city, often on a path if you are prepared to take a roundabout route.
You can cycle out of the city in all directions pretty quickly and find glorious countryside and beaches.
You can visit the poetry library and just miss Tam Dean Burn getting stabbed.
You can come to the Waverley Bar in the new year and join in their Oulipo Salon as long as you have a little to say and can listen a lot (I am the other way round)
You can run a half marathon all down hill from Balerno to Leith but that is a secret
You can spend many happy days in the Pentlands just by catching a 44 bus
You can spend 1.70 and get to the caravan at Seton Sands
No tourists around
Posted 5 years ago # -
"you can be a flaneur like Debord as long as you don’t mind hills."
Indeed, did just that earlier last year. Possible to find "hidden geographies" which tourists don't even begin to anticipate.
"You can spend many happy days in the Pentlands just by catching a 44 bus"
Also have done this many times.
"You can come to the Waverley Bar in the new year and join in their Oulipo Salon"
When is/was this?
Posted 5 years ago # -
The Oulipo Salon has not happened yet. Still to be arranged.
What happened was 6 buses came past me in Balerno 5 going to Longstone instead of into town and one out of service. This made me very late for meeting a colleague in the Waverley. She was then co-opted by a group of academics who used to meet in The Royal Oak before their leader Paddy (who was revealed as polish not Irish) died. Too sad for them to return to the Royal Oak, they decamped to the Waverley.
My colleague was very impressed by the way one person. Was allowed to speak on a topic and the others listened then moved on to the next person talking. However the B.O. was off putting. So I proposed a similar event but with one other Oulipo constraint that all those involved washed thoroughly before attending.
In other Balerno news - Balerno was an answer in the GUARDIAN xmas xword. As was Tebay (it was a geographical xword). Tebay tho is not an actual place or a geopgraphical feature, it is merely a service station on the M6 that all guardian readers stop at. This made me chortle. Not since Auracaria died have i found good jokes in the monkey puzzle.
Posted 5 years ago # -
“I think the fluff around UNDERBELLY is a distraction from what the council needs to do as a regulatory body around Air BnB.”
Yes.
I still don’t know what any LA can actually do.
Don’t even know if it’s a Holyrood or Westminster thing to legislate for more useful/clear regulations.
As usual, (some) other places do things better.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Pretty easy to regulate short-term holiday lets:
1. Require planning permission for the change of use of a dwelling to a holiday let. The Greens tried to do this by amendments to the Planning (Scotland) Bill - but were defeated by SNP/Conservative votes. The SNP/Conservatives instead supported a fig-leaf amendment, so they could claim to have taken action - but even these proposals will not take effect for several years and do not apply nationally.
2. Amend the Civic Government (Scotland) Act to introduce a licensing system for short-term holiday lets. This could include a "fit and proper person" test for those letting homes and place certain requirements, e.g. fire and gas safety, on properties being let out. Idea currently kicked into the long grass at them moment...I mean out for a "review" involving stakeholders.
3. Robust enforcement of taxation due to be paid by owners of short-term lets.All possible at the Holyrood level. Not much a local authority can really do at the moment, as the legislation isn't really in place to allow them to act. Although there does seem to be a stepping up of planning enforcement action for some cases where it can be proved there is a breach of planning control - but it's a very slow process.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Sydney Australia looked in 2018 to regulate airbnb hosts to having max of 180 nights with guests. Not sure how that is playing out.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Tebay tho is not an actual place or a geopgraphical feature, it is merely a service station on the M6 that all guardian readers stop at.
Tebay really grew up as a railway village, so The Guardian could include it safe in the knowledge that rail aficionados would know it too.
Before the railway and motorway services (steak pie, mash, veg, peas and gravy highly recommended BTW) came, the village was best known for the 18th century prophetess Mary Baines, the “Witch of Tebay”, who forecast the coming of “fiery horseless carriages”. She got that right.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Posted 5 years ago #
-
Re: air bnb just saw this while having a wee scroll through twitter:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/airbnb-and-short-term-lets-the-fightback-tickets-88234442593
Next Wednesday eve.
Posted 5 years ago # -
A friend does airbnb. She's been having problems getting bookings. I did a search for the Hogmanay period and saw loads available, including desirable places that weren't that expensive. I wonder if we're reaching saturation?
Posted 5 years ago # -
There's No Edinburgh In The Festival
Bonnie Prince Bob explains why the Edinburgh Festival has nothing to do with Edinburgh
Posted 5 years ago # -
Vested interests attempting to control debate in the media makes for a ludicrous spectacle. All this "pipe down, stop rocking the golden boat full of cash-laden tourists" is desperate stuff.
I hope the citizens of Edinburgh give it short shrift.
Posted 5 years ago #
Reply
You must log in to post.
posts
