24-hour McDonald's - 'Our approach to late opening is unbalanced'

There is no doubt at all that Edinburgh is a 24-hour-a-day city - at least during the month of August.

For the rest of the year we seem to struggle to embrace a true round-the-clock culture.

It is easy to understand why. Fears about attracting late-night noise, litter and louts are natural in a country in which binge drinking is such a popular pastime.

So there are good reasons behind the protests over McDonald's plans to permanently open one of its city restaurants for the first time.

• Should McDonald's on London Road be allowed to open 24 hours a day? Vote here

Let's face it, all those extra burgers and fries will do nothing for our waistlines at a time when almost a quarter of Scots are classified as obese.

Despite these reservations, what McDonald's is proposing might just be a step in the right direction.

There is an imbalance about our historic approach to late-night opening which can only fuel our binge drink culture.

It is a truism that you can easily buy alcohol all through the night in Edinburgh, but you will still struggle to find a coffee.

If it gets the go-ahead, the 24-hour McDonald's must be closely monitored so that any problems can be tackled.

But, as long as they are properly managed, the more places you can buy food and non-alcoholic drinks throughout the night, the better it must be for Edinburgh.

Spreading them further across the city should help the crowds disperse more quietly and gradually rather than bottle-necking them all to the same handful of late-night haunts.

Make a start

have you ever thought about a small thing you could change in your life which would help protect the environment?

That is what the Brotchie family of Kirknewton did by pledging to cut down on their use of their tumble dryer among other things.

They won our Green Start competition and were yesterday congratulated by Prince Charles.

The Prince was in Edinburgh to promote his Start in Scotland initiative, which encourages us all to take one small step towards saving the planet.

Over the last few weeks we have been running a series of features full of tips and ideas on everything from cycling to recycling. We hope you have enjoyed them - now it's over to you.