Thursday, December 4 is the date for the switch-on of Balerno's Christmas lights.
The location is in the Main Street and the time is 6.30pm.
A local pipe band and a choir have been booked.
So, save the date. Thursday, December 4 at 6.30pm.
​Picture: Flashback to 2022 with Tony Allen (left) and Ian Hynd inspecting

Guy Fawkes is just around the corner and Balerno Community Council (BCC) met officers of the City of Edinburgh Council to drill down into the legislation regarding fireworks control zones and why this area has been selected.
Richard Henderson, chair of BCC, along with Ian Hynd, Martin Petty and Nigel Duncan, spent nearly two hours with two officers talking through the proposals, questioning how the boundaries were set, and looking longer term.
The plans already agreed at council level will apply in 2025 and 2026 but the BCC representatives stressed the need to fully inform local people why we have been selected along with several other areas in the Capital.
Henderson pointed out that some locals felt “stigmatised” given the notoriety of some of the other areas selected for a control zone and it was pointed out that the order was placed on Balerno because the SSPCA had requested a ban due to the animals housed in the welfare centre at Harlaw Road.
The officials stressed that fireworks set off from an area out with the zone but landing in the zone could attract a fine if the perpetrator could be traced and it was articulated by councillors present that it was important to back-up legislation with action.
The BCC representatives questioned that there had been pre-consultation with local people on the issue, but all at the meeting agreed to move forward and to work constructively to ensure that full information was provided to local people about the second year of the ban in 2026.

Balerno Community Council (BCC) introduced their place plan initiative at the September Farmers Market in Balerno and locals were responsive.
Many stopped at the stand to hear more from BCC members who were led by Mark Galloway.
​Below are some of the pictures from the event and the market as a whole. 

Balerno Community Council was in touch with the City Council on 21 July about the City of Edinburgh Council's (ECC) Fireworks Control Zone consultation.
The city council’s Culture and Communities committee approved its scheme on 21 August.
A significant proportion of the south and west side of Balerno - more than in 2024 - is likely to be included in a control zone and therefore subject to restrictions breach of which could carry criminal penalties.
In commenting on the proposed scheme on 21 July Balerno Community Council (BCC) suggested that the identification of areas to be covered was arbitrary.
In reported and televised comments carried on news bullletins on 9 September, Edinburgh Council conceded, in effect, that the identification of Fireworks Control Zones across Edinburgh was indeed arbitrary.
It is very unusual for any public official to make such an admission, and it would be even more surprising if a public body were to admit to acting arbitrarily in creating potential criminal liability for members of the public.
Such an admission tends, at the least, to undermine such confidence as there might be in the scheme.
BCC think that CEC must therefore modify the scheme insofar as it relates to Balerno.

Balerno Community Council (BCC) are developing a Local Place Plan for Balerno, and they are asking for your help. 
 
We’ll be at the Farmers Market this Saturday, 13 September, and we’d like to hear your views. 
 
What is a local place plan? Simply, it is so communities can develop a specific, local vision for their area's development and future use of land. That’s really important because Edinburgh Council would have to take a Balerno Local Place Plan into account when developing its own development plan. 
 
The plan has to show that you, the local residents, have been involved in its preparation and a Local Place Plan can help shape the future physical environment, address local needs, and promote community engagement in planning decisions.
 
In doing that, it helps foster an even stronger sense of place and spirit. 
 
So please, if you’re at the market on Saturday do call at BCC’s stall for a chat. 
 
Watch this page also for updates on the process as it develops.