New Portobello High School - PPAG Judicial Review

[Porty]

[seanie]

[Porty]

I believe PPAG options are:

A) Appeal within 21 days.
B) Put your house on the market.

I'm assuming the "legal team" are conveyancing solicitors?

[Porty]

I may have overlooked one other option for ppag.

Why not write to the Council to ask if they will fund a joint appeal!

[Pal of Porty]

Obviously PPAG have the right to appeal but having read through the judges full report it would appear to me (as a total layman) that their grounds for an appeal are pretty weak to say the least. Mind you that has not really put them off before!

Time to call it a day and get on and build the much needed new school.

[Pal of Porty]

[Maria]

Great news!

Now, let's get that new school built.

[Dadaist]

*applause*

hope this is really it!

[Bob Jefferson]

There have been too many false dawns to celebrate just yet, but surely that must be the last nail in the PPAG coffin. Good old Auntie Dorrian!

[seanie]

I was told there were 21 days to appeal so we'll just have to wait and see, but the judgement is fairly dismissive of PPAG's core argument and pretty emphatic on the issue of delay. And the time and cost of an appeal to the Inner House doesn't really bear thinking about.

[Porty]

What about the costs up until now?

Ive not studied the timelines in the judgment. Did PPAG seek further counsel after the critical date when a petition could have been made in acceptable time?

[wangi]

[Porty]

[Paxetamor]

If that's the end of that, why don't go the whole hog and try and get them to make the pool 50m instead of 25m? I think that if we are to lose the park there should be something extraordinary to compensate. Given that Portobello has a long and proud history of swimmers, not to mention the problems they're having with the Commie(b%st@?ds) maybe now is the time to have something to be really proud of.

[seanie]

The design is complete and has been tendered. The opportunity to suggest changes like that passed some time ago.

[wangi]

[Franck]

[seanie]

[Porty]

[seanie]

[Pal of Porty]

PPAG still managing to operate in a bubble devoid of reality - did they bother reading what Lady Dorrian said?

Diana Cairns represents PPAG, the group which petitioned for the Judicial Review, and she said to The Reporter:-
”The many people who have fought to save this public park, which is a common good asset and represents 25% of Portobello’s parkland, will be disappointed by this decision, especially when there are suitable alternative brownfield sites where the school could be built. We are unaware of any other area of Edinburgh that has had to give up a well used and loved park in order to get a new school. Portobello Park Action Group is considering its position and will be seeking advice.”

Cloud Cuckoo land until the end!

[Porty]

Its worse than that.

Diana Cairns comments relate to potential sites for the school, which was nothing to do with the "decision".

The woman is just plain ignorant.

[Bob Jefferson]

From PPAG's point of view, this is the nightmare scenario. They are finished. Through lies and distortions they persuaded people to give them money, lots of it, and they completely wasted it. They might as well have piled it all up on Portobello Park and set fire to it. It's damage limitation time for them now. They defied the democratic will of the people, they challenged the law of the land and, in doing so, they caused a great deal of disharmony in the community, for which they are entirely responsible. And still they don't have the good grace to accept defeat.

[seanie]

It's important that, whether they're in a minority or not, people are able to challenge decisions. In this instance the challenge came unreasonably late, but the actual effect hasn't been that significant. The completion date's moved back a term which, whilst annoying, isn't the end of the world.

I'm also not convinced there has been much disharmony. I don't think the issue has been anywhere near as contentious or divisive as it's sometimes made out to be. It may've generated strong feelings amongst the small number of people actively engaged on either side but that's no more than a couple of dozen people.

[Pal of Porty]

I don't ascribe to the split in the community theory - any 'bad blood' that may have been generated is largely between a very few activists on either side. The ongoing debate has certainly shown a few people up to be a bit of a tosser but hey there are none of us perfect and it all adds to the fabric of living in a genuine community.

In the grand scheme of things a one term delay is not significant and PPAG will eventually be nothing more than a footnote in history. Without the delayed PPAG challenge however, there was a real chance that the new school could have been ready for occupation at the start of the academic year instead of after Xmas and now all the 4th, 5th and 6th year exam students will be disrupted around exam time because of a legal challenge that floundered on every front.

As a footnote, Epykat was telling me they are naming the west wing of the new school the PFANS Wing - is this true?

[seanie]

Maybe we could have a PPAG Creative Writing Department?

[Epykat]

[seanie]

Charming as ever.

[Porty]

Six years of campaigning, six years of fundraising by PPAG footsoldiers.Six years of wooing simpletons .Six years of conning real green space lovers and to what end? The PPAG leadership pissed it all up the wall by being over a years Late with the petition .

Arsonists of their own cause.

You couldnt make it up.

[rathbone]

[Porty]

[Pal of Porty]

It is possible that PPAG in the early stage of the process had no intention whatsoever of going to court and were merely trying to raise the possibility as a threat to assist them in achieving their aims. You know the sort of thing.. My dad is bigger than your dad etc.....

How ironic this counted against them in court on the issue of delay (Mora).

[Porty]

[Pal of Porty]

[Porty]