I tell you what we need!

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall stares lovingly at his hen

After watching repeats of that curly hared man I always forget - Hugh Thingy Me Bob and saying "oh if Caltongate goes ahead I might as well go and grow jureseleum artichokes and look after chickens - I've had enoug of this city!"

I then thought about the ugly gap site on New Street and I think if it is not developed by the summer we need to put planning permission in to make it into gardens and allotments, I know its north facing but with the help of some polytunnels I think we could have a wee enterprise to rival River Cottage. Read more about allotments here

After all hundreds of years ago the north and south back of the Canongate were the market gardens of Edinburgh.An allotment -much more useful than a 5 star hotel, sustainable too.

Macrae tenements lying empty when there is homelessness in Edinburgh (to be demolished to make way for the 5 star hotel).

Lets do that - lets put something useful there so we don't have a big dirty hole and whilst we are at it we should demand the council opens up the council housing that is going to rack and ruin at the Macrae tenements, at approx £230 a month rent and £120 council tax a month, the council is missing out on £400 a month per flat - there's nine empty ones so that's £3,600 every month, that's just short of £40,000 a year - so much for homelessness and the credit crunch!

Check out the council's choice base letting system, here - if my maths is right there have been 8 council houses in the past year up for let from the council and 3704 people/families have bidded for them yet 9 lie empty on the Canongate alone - check the figures out for yourself - here.

Yet Caltongate scheme will demolish these 9 flats replace them with 6 council flats and 6 more "affordable housing units" at Cranston Street (where the suspected common good land is, which legally belongs to the people and not the council).

So Caltongate is bringing an addition 3 "affordable "housing units", however to get these 3 extra "housing units" we have to have 9 empty houses for months and months - soon getting into years. Is it me or is this just plan daft and uneconomical?