New Portobello High School - PPAG win legal appeal

[wangi]

[Pal of Porty]

Porty High school kids have been sent home at the end of the first period. Wonder how many other secondary schools have had to send their kids home.

[commander114]

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[Pal of Porty]

S5 is a difficult enough year for pupils without them having to lose a precious days teaching due to the condition of their school building. If Miss PoP now fails her Highers I am going to sue the main protanogists of PPAG.

[Maria]

[wangi]

Commander, what you're missing is that we have had many 1000s of posts on this. Years ago many alternatives were discussed. No one wants to build on open space, but it's the "least worst" option.

Proposals to build a school on the award winning Figgate Park, which is truly well used by the community, are not realistic. That's before even considering flooding, old clay beds, felling loads of mature trees and compulsory purchase of houses (as your proposal would require). I'm sorry, but what do you expect such a proposal to generate other than negative feedback? As for massive civil engineering over the East coast Mainline and working railway yards - we must be aware that we are but one part of Edinburgh - other areas must also have appropriate education resources so we cannot blow the entire budget (+++masses more) on ours.

The self-interest of the few should not be able to dictate the future of a school in our community. There are plenty of legal & legislative approaches which will allow a new Portobello High School to be built on Portobello Park to the benefit, and with the support of, the vast majority of this community.

L/

[Pal of Porty]

[wangi]

Photo of roof damage at http://instagram.com/p/P_Y6GCSiNa/

[rmolehusband]

I went to last Friday's meeting on the town hall. Myself and some 300 other interested folk sat around with maps and looked at all of the identified alternative sites. We considered some fairly 'out there' ways of achieving a school on these sites - though to be fair nothing as crazy as commander's second suggestion involving emptying and flattening down a rather nice Victorian terrace.

So, like most folks I suspect, I have considered the alternatives. Having done so, like most folks, I still strongly believe that the park is the only viable place for the new school and have asked my elected representatives to take every possible action and to leave no stone unturned in order to get the school built, as agreed, on the park. I have also made my feelings clear on what contingency I feel they should look at - plan 'B' as you call it.

Now, Epykay, be so good as to explain to me again why a small minority should be allowed to stand in the way of our community doing what it has already decided, in a democratic way, that it wants to do with its land?

[rathbone]

[AndyK]

In the years I've been following this debate I don't think the alternatives proposed by the commander have ever been considered - which is why people were drawn into commenting on the potential drawbacks e.g. knocking down Hamilton Terrace, building on Figgate Park, etc

[Epykat]

[lg1726]

[Pal of Porty]

[Epykat]

[Pal of Porty]

[Pal of Porty]

[lg1726]

[Betty Windsor]

[Epykat]

[commander114]

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[wangi]

[commander114]

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[wangi]

By "come on" I'm implying you're taking the piss. Your image is trying to show the "super site" at the east end of Figgate Park is twice the size of the current PHS. But you've only cookie-cut out half of the PHS site to use as your illustration. Try blocking out an appropriate size of land for the new high school - see what that does to the rest of the wonderful Figgate Park.

Plus we are meant to be psychic on your earlier drawing and automatically know that 2 biro boxes are a school, but another identical one isn't, it's just terraced houses...

This isn't Art Attack!

[Franck]

[fresian]

So are you suggesting that it is okay to build on a park and lose green space, as long as it is next to someone else's house?,

[commander114]

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[commander114]

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[Porty]

[AndyB]

I'm sorry Commander but I really do think that your ideas are nuts. Liking the drawings but your cut and paste efforts are terrible. Are you not for saving green space or is it just green space close to your home? Figgy Park is well used by a lot of different people because it is a very nice space. Porty Park one the other hand is hardly used except for a few dog walkers and would provide an excellent area for this and future generations educational needs. The idea of a school on stilts is bizarre but I like the out of box thinking. There is a budget and having worked for rail track more than a few years ago the cost involved in moving the tracks and signalling would be astronomical. The costs of penatly charges from the train operating companies would also need to be factored in. Then we would need money to actually build the school.

Save Porty Park but use Figgy Park instead......unfreaking believable.

[rmolehusband]

After long and diligent consideration here is my Plan B. It's a sustainable underground formation featuring landscaped gardens, a snorkel to provide ventilation to the underground science labs and a wind turbine to generate power.

[Bob Jefferson]

That's the most plausible Plan B I've seen yet.

[Pal of Porty]

[Pal of Porty]

[tufty]

All the biscuits, bread and eggs were used up by the time I got home today, 3 teenagers home from a damaged school yet again. The building is just past it's sell by date and I'm sick at the thought of the council tax money that is going to go on repairs when it should be closed already.

I do want to use this forum to thank Portobello Staff for the way they managed today. They made sure 1200 children left suddenly, safely and without fuss. They kept them away from any possible danger, a job teachers will do when they have to, just not usually on a September Tuesday.

All the nonsense I've read above is shameful, especially new posters who have suddenly felt the need to join the debate when they have apparently won.

My kids enjoy school, have great friends and stopped moaning about toilets, cold, wind and drips ages ago, just because it's old news, not because it doesn't bother them. I had hoped they would experience a warm, modern and exciting school fit for the present and future needs.

I am glad they are experiencing good teaching, great friends and extra curricular activites, supported by Peigi and her staff. we all need to remember that as the fight for the new school continues.