Interactive: Don't portray street workers as addition to the community

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Evening News, 108 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, EH8 8AS

OH DEAR, Margo MacDonald is at it again – an ill-informed polemic on prostitution (News, 24 March). A bit of homework would have shown that the "law against kerb crawling sought by one area in Glasgow" was as a result of the Leith Links Residents' Association here in Edinburgh petitioning the Scottish Government to bring about this law.

Our community has suffered the effects of street workers since "sensible and pragmatic policing" wished them upon us.

Two weeks ago a resident of Leith Links had a prostitute open his car door and climb in, as he parked outside his home.

Street working is not compatible with residential areas because of the kerb-crawling lowlife it attracts. When we have asked Scotpep how many women they have helped out of prostitution, they are unable to answer.

Please don't portray street working as a successful addition to communities – it certainly is not.

Linda Tarbuck, Leith Links Residents' Association

Harmonious sight is the best solution

I WAS very interested to read the article in the Evening News "Caltongate Back to the Future" (20 March) regarding Anta Architecture's proposals for Caltongate. I'm pretty certain there will have been cries of "pastiche" and "Scottish Disneyland" when people read this article.

However, as a resident of Edinburgh (and someone who cares how our city looks) I personally feel in the case of such a sensitive and visual site as the Caltongate, such proposals are the way forward.

Edinburgh has lost a great many buildings of note through systematic destruction and their replacements have not all been an addition to Edinburgh's architectural landscape – Princes Street being a prime example!

In the case of Caltongate there is surely merit in looking to the past and try to develop the site to tie in with the Old Town rather than have it stuck on the side jarring with its surroundings.

There is great scope here for adding pockets of greenery with perhaps the odd fountain or two. The idea of reintroducing arcades also sounds good as there could be outdoor cafes and places for people to set up stalls during the Festival.

Just think how more harmonious the site would sit with the Old Town when viewing it from Calton Hill or Royal Terrace.

Jeremy Lewis, Durar Drive, Edinburgh

One event cannot justify gigantic TV

I WAS astonished at Gavin Fleming's defence of the monstrous television screen on Lothian Road (Interactive, 24 March).

It may well be the case that people gathered round it for one sporting event on one day. But does that justify the thing being switched on all the rest of the time?

Indeed, I passed by it while one of the recent rugby international games was on.

Although the city was awash with French people here to watch their team play Scotland the next day, not a soul even glanced at the telly.

It says a lot about our sense of civic space that we can think of nothing better than to stick a giant, energy-ravenous TV in it.

Gavin Corbett, Briarbank Terrace, Edinburgh

Complainers don't grasp complexity

REGARDING the criticism of the tram project, there is a saying, "if you want to make enemies try to change things".

There are those who, because of their nature, are always complaining and moaning.

In my opinion the reason is most of them don't comprehend the complexity of the work involved in large civil engineering projects of this kind.

More than double the amount of utilities have moved due to the fact that the plans were wrong or incomplete.

At the Gogar depot a major undertaking involved moving a large water main conduit that was unforeseen, and thousands of cubic metres of soil had to be removed.

In the five cities in the British Isles that have trams, all have had similar problems.

Dublin was three times over budget but is now planning extensions, as are the four cities in the United Kingdom.

George Ritchie, North Gyle Terrace, Edinburgh