Save Leith Walk

by Save Leith Walk in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

Save Leith Walk
We did it
On 15th May 2018 we successfully raised £2,520 with 76 supporters in 28 days

Raising funds to kickstart our campaign to prevent the demolition of the 1930s sandstone building and influence what is built on the site.

by Save Leith Walk in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

 New stretch target

We want to use the extra money to help develop an alternative design for the site that can really help Leith Walk regain its status as a unique and vibrant part of our national identity.  


The crowdfunding is initially for the cost of flyers, banners,  promotional material and any other associated campaign cost. The  timeline for the crowdfunding is 4wks.
We have the support of the businesses directly affected and the wider community.
 This is for initial funding only.  We will be holding various fundraisers such as club nights, tea dances, art auction and collections throughout the campaign.

Save Leith Walk is a grassroots public campaign to prevent the demolition of a building, protect the heritage of the Walk, and celebrate the very essence of what Leith is.

The Drum Property Group wants to demolish our much loved red sandstone shops and flats on Leith Walk which despite being built in 1933 are still known as the “New Shops”. Using this area and the land behind it, they want create a 500-bed student accommodation and a linked hotel, along with just 50 “affordable” homes.

The historic sandstone frontage is an iconic part of Leith walk that many Leithers would like to see retained. Here are just three of the reasons why we want to #saveleithwalk:

1 This style of block helps keep Leith Walk a mixed and vibrant area, with a range of building types, housing and businesses. Leith Walk is characterised by having buildings of different sizes and heights and distances from the road. The developer’s current plan is for yet another modern glass-and-concrete block, similar to several new student flat developments further up the Walk.

2 The existing building provides options for small independent businesses. The building could continue to provide those options in the future if it were saved. As with the developments up the Walk, though, the developer’s current plans are likely to be more attractive to multinational and chain companies.

3 The architecture of the threatened building is of historic consideration. The building is in an Art Deco style, of sandstone fascia, with black marble pediment. The basic construction is iron frame and brick, making it a type of building architecture rare to Edinburgh, and its iconic style fits well into this very distinctive part of Leith Walk.

We need your help to make our campaign successful. We face a large property company who has already engaged a well-known PR company.

We want to mobilise our local community but to do this we need publicity materials.  We want to challenge the demolition of the building, the nature of the new building and to campaign for affordable housing to be built instead. 

The crowdfunding is initially for the cost of flyers, banners, promotional material and any other associated campaign cost. The timeline for the crowdfunding is 4wks.
We have the support of the businesses directly affected and the wider community.
We will be holding various fundraisers throughout the campaign.

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