North West Locality Improvement Plan
North West Locality Information
The North West Locality covers 5 ward areas, Almond, Drumbrae/Gyle, Corstorphine/Murrayfield, Forth and Inverleith.
The population of the area is 145,450 including 25,147 people over the age of 65 and 26,457 people under the age of 16.
The locality stretches east from South Queensferry along the shoreline through Cramond, Barnton, Granton and Trinity and moves south to Warriston then west along the northern reaches of the New Town including Stockbridge and continues through Roseburn, Murrayfield, Corstorphinne and past the airport to Ratho Station and on to Kirkliston (including the communities in between).
Key Challenges
- The area is expected to see the larget population growth in Edinburgh - as much as 10% (around 14,000) in coming years. This will put pressure on schools and health services
- North West will see the greatest level of social and afforadable housing investment with around 870 expected to be completed during the life of the LIP
- An ageing population and lifestyle choices mean challenges for health services
- The North 'small area' comprised of Muirhouse, Wester Drylaw, Granton, Royston and Wardieburn has the second lowest average income income in Edinburgh with 30% of children living in households of relative poverty. Muirhouse is currently ranked as one of the top ten most deprived areas in Scotland
The revised priorities
- Social isolation - Many residents across the North West locality suffer from complete or near-complete lack of contact with services and society. Similarly, there are people suffering from loneliness, reflecting a temporary and involuntary lack of contact with other people. Both can greatly impact on health and wellbeing and can affect people of all ages. By understanding specific needs and putting in place improved networks and social interactions we hope to minimise the numbers of people requiring professional healthcare, freeing up valuable resources and improving the quality of life for those individuals.
- Employment and skills - Young people might not engage with formal education or informal learning for a number of reasons e.g. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), negative external influences, mental or physical health issues. Therefore a range of barriers must be overcome before there is any liklihood of achieving a positive destonation.
- North Edinburgh - Within the North West locality, North Edinburgh is recognised as the area where numbers of people experiencing poverty and greater inequality of outcome exceeds that of other areas. Communities and organisations can build on recent experiences of joint working to identify robust plans that can help tackle existing poverty levels. Similarly, communities must be afforded access to service provision and experiences that will help alleviate inequality. The communities and organisation in North must be at the heart of the development of these plans and initiatives.