New Portobello High School - PPAG win legal appeal

[gillian]

Even if PPAG woke up tomorrow and said, "ah yes, what a good idea, let them have the park" It wouldn't happen surely? It's not within their power any more?

[Porty]

Well they are already misrepresenting the Council as having "identified" Baileyfield as a site for the school. The Council are conducting a feasibility study on Baileyfield. It is a potential site.

PPAG will love the feasibility study if it comes out as doable and mailign if not.

[seashell]

[little miss moffat]

[seashell]

That sounds like a super idea, LMM.

And let's also hope that the children of Portobello can get the great new school they deserve.

[little miss moffat]

Ah well, seems like I might be wrong when I said hopefully they will support the school on the park now that green space has been provided elsewhere. SPP site are now going on about the Baileyfield site. Correct me if I am wrong here, but weren't they concerned that the school on the park was on the A1, now they want to put the school on the Baileyfield site - in between 2 busy roads!

One poster put the following on the SPP page:
So PFANS think that by turning the existing site intoa park that it's a win win. Tell that to the folk in Magdalene and Christians.

She seems to think that the people of Magdalene/Christians will be against the idea. These are the people who see on a daily basis the wasted space that the park currently is. These are the people who's children attend PHS and St Johns Primary. I think the "poster" would get quite a shock if she actually canvassed both neighbourhoods lol. I am aware of many people in these areas who support the school on the park. They see it as losing a dogs toilet and gaining a new state of the art high school.

[little miss moffat]

[fresian]

LMM, You surely dont expect PPAG to go and speak to the "common people" who live in Magdalene and The Christians? Whatever next?

[Neko]

Good afternoon, does anyone have a link or map to show where the proposed Brunstane estate site is located?

[portygeoff]

Do anyone else think it odd that PPAG is banging on about how the Council should not be spending our money to check the legal postion of the land as common good but are happy to push for a school to be built on a site which is likely to cost hundreds of thousands, probably millions. The cost of designing a new school will cost more than going down the legal route.

[gillian]

PPAG odd? no!

[little miss moffat]

[little miss moffat]

[Pal of Porty]

As soon as you understand that that PPAG are not committed to anything other than saving their own park most of what they do falls into place.

[wangi]

[Sceptic]

I somehow get the feeling that the idea of the "feasibility" study is to show that there is only ONE site feasible, Portobello Park. When it comes down to it, they are trying to show that it is not the percentage of "parkland" or "green space" that is the problem, it is THEIR "greenspace" and "parkland" they wish to save. In other words, PPAG are shown to be Nimbys.

[David Robertson]

[Sceptic]

Probably

[little miss moffat]

Cheers for the map Wangi, wow, the Brunstane Estate is not even in the catchment area lol.

[gillian]

Live coverage of debate on CEC website

[seanie]

[seanie]

The only notable point of the meeting was really the Green Group's continued shallow political opportunism, seeking to distance themselves from the Council by not supporting the report, but at the same time hedging their bets and not quite having the balls to come out against the school being built on the park, instead opting for a mealy mouthed 'free from uncertainty' angle.

[gillian]

And the notably lacklustre, flat performance from Mr Hawkins

[seanie]

[Bob Jefferson]

Agreed. They really are pathetic. The vote was 52 to 5 in favour. The Greens have 6 Councillors so presumably they weren't all present. Do we know how Walker voted?

[seanie]

Walker voted reluctantly in favour, Cllr Booth has a new baby as of early this morning so couldn't be there.

[Porty]

Well done to Sean and Emma, excellent, impassioned and factual presentations. The pupils were great too.

[seanie]

Is 'unconcur' a word?

[Scoop]

No, but "sycophantic" is.

[seanie]

Seems a pretty reasonable outcome for now though, doesn't it?

The Council continue to see if the school can be delivered on the park, the best and possibly quickest outcome for the school, also allowing for the expansion of St John's next to replacement green space.

At the same time they look at fallbacks that, whilst inferior in terms of the resulting school, may be viable. Given that any alternative takes 4-5 years to deliver at best, it's only sensible to make a start on the long process of an alternative whilst still looking to deliver the school on the best site in the shortest timeframe.

Can't see much to object to in that.

[geofflynn]

Have to say I'm a bit unnerved by the Children and Families Dept consultation on the closure of Castlebrae Community High School and the enlargement of the PHS catchment area.

Two reasons:-

1. The council as a whole have not covered themselves in glory with their handling of building a new Porty High School and now they want to close another school in the east of Edinburgh and send some of those kids to PHS.

2. The enlarged catchment now includes Brunstane Estate (see Wangi's map above showing this out of catchment).

Could be paranoia, but I can't help thinking there may be a Plan C developing here.

Have your say on the Castlebrae closure consultation here -->

[geofflynn]

[Sceptic]

I did say, in a previous post, that the absence of strategic thought in the education department. By that, no thought was to housing development in Edinburgh. Castlebrae's roll is low, but is that due to Craigmillar being largely demolished? When, hopefully, the area is rebuilt, where will the children, as I suppose there WILL be children, be educated? We have already seen Fort Primary reopened due to need, only after being closed due to "lack of need" according to the Department of Children and families. The is little money left for Education after paying for "families". Social Work has decimated the department's budget.

[seanie]

A new Craigmillar Community High School is part of the plan for the regeneration of the area. They already have outline planning permission for a school of 600, and were on the verge of submitting for full planning when the credit crunch stalled development in the area. A large part of the funding for the school was going to come from that redevelopment, so the knock on effect was the project being mothballed. At the time they were talking about a new school post-2018 but that's probably dependent on the re-development picking up.

[geofflynn]

Parent Councils at Portobello High School, its feeder primary schools and St John's RC Primary School have been asked by the city council's children and families dept to gather feedback on the different site options which have been identified.

If you are a parent of children at one of the affected schools, please go here for more info (and to have your say) -->