City residents 'still happy' despite woes of trams and bins

THE Capital's happiest residents live in the north-west of the city in areas including South Queensferry and Cramond, a major survey has found.

A city poll found people in the Almond ward, which covers South Queensferry, Dalmeny, Cramond, Kirkliston and Newbridge, were the most content, with 97 per cent satisfied with where they live. Leith consistently scored lowest in the satisfaction ratings, with the port coming bottom of the rankings in 11 out of 28 categories.

The poll showed significant improvements across large parts of the city in key areas, including street cleaning, the general management of neighbourhoods and road and pavement repairs.

There were also big jumps in satisfaction when it came to dealing with disputes, vandalism, housebreaking and dog fouling. However, across parts of the city there remain serious concerns about crime and safety, the provision of social housing and the facilities available for teenagers, young children and the elderly.

The Annual Neighbourhood Survey was carried out by private firm Research Resource at a cost of 34,000, using a mix of face-to-face surveys with shoppers, commuters and people using libraries, community and leisure centres. Door-to-door interviews were also conducted and around 5,000 people in total took part.

Council leader Jenny Dawe said: "These results show that Edinburgh's method of delivering services at a neighbourhood level is really working and should be seen as a model other local authorities could follow.

"I'm delighted that satisfaction is up in so many different services and in the way they are being delivered.

"This survey also highlights areas where we need to make improvements and we will start looking into what can be done without delay."

According to the survey, the "best things" that residents listed about their neighbourhoods were that they lived in a "nice/quiet area", other residents were friendly, the location was good, amenities were close by and it was near to shops.

Most Happy

CRAMOND, Kirkliston and the Royal Burgh of Queensferry are all part of the council's Almond ward, an area stretching over a wide part of west Edinburgh.

The area has attracted a host of celebrity residents including former Hearts and Scotland star Steven Pressley, pictured, and singers Jim Kerr and Shirley Manson.

One of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in the city, it boasts miles of coastline and parkland, as well as easy access to the motorway network.

Residents were unsurprised to find it had the highest satisfaction levels in the city. They say a close-knit community, low crime levels and an attractive environment make it a good place to live.

Architect Douglas Flett, the chairman of Queensferry Business Association, said: "There are so many benefits to living here. We're surrounded by beautiful estates on three sides, and on the other side there's the water. We're superbly placed for transport, and it only takes 12 minutes by train to get to the city centre.

The survey found that more than 90 per cent of people are happy with many local services, including street cleaning, recycling and the way antisocial behaviour is dealt with. Ninety-two per cent of residents feel safe going out after dark.

John Dods, of the Cramond Association, said: "I'm not surprised by this. I've lived here for 37 years, and I never really think about the quality of life, but just accept it. The folk are friendly, it's open and there's lots of places to walk."

Least Happy

WITH its array of restaurants and bars, the Ocean Terminal complex and Leithers' traditional pride in their port, you'd expect the area to be one of the most popular with locals.

But scratch the surface and it is clear that there are growing bones of contention within some quarters of the community.

Some residents feel that Leith regularly gets a raw deal, or is "forgotten" by Edinburgh.

Alongside the "yuppy" flats, sit pockets of deprivation.

Scott Finnigan, who was brought up in Leith and is now salon manager of Muse Hair on Ferry Road, said: "The level of crime is quite high. We've been broken into twice in the last year, and one of our employees was attacked by a drunk. There are a lot of homeless drug addicts and alcoholics living around here.

"The Shore area has really improved in recent years. It's in sharp contrast to the bottom of Ferry Road."

There is a growing feeling that the area simply doesn't get a fair deal in a number of ways, according to Rob Kirkwood, of the Leith Links Residents Association. "We've been dumped with things like the Seafield stench, and now this planned biomass plant," he said. "We've got terrible problems getting the police to take prostitution seriously. It seems we have to fight to have a decent way of life."

All is not doom and gloom though. Behind the bar of Sofi's, in Henderson Street, owner Anna Christopherson, said: " I think Leith has a very strong community."