New Portobello High School - PPAG/"Save Porty Park"

[seanie]

And to think that someone was, on the basis of hearsay, criticising Bob Jefferson for supposedly deleting dissenting points of view on this web site. I wonder what they think of the gutting performed by Save Porty Park?

[rmolehusband]

Careful now, someone has already had their name redacted from this thread as they don't like their name being used on here. I'm not convinced that one can legitimately complain if after posting on one public forum using a real name someone quotes or refers to you in another by the same name, but complain he did and he probably will do again.

I suggest we just refer to him as Ryan Giggs from now on.

[seanie]

Theyvcan complain away. They were making a big deal about the deletion of dissenting views based on the compelling evidence of comments on a forum. The PPAG facebook site has just deleted 100's of comments in plain sight. I'm sure they'll step up and condemn this intolerance of divergent views.

[Bob Jefferson]

Remember to 'unlike'. Don't want them claiming supporters they don't have. Re the 'development' of Joppa Quarry Park, can only assume it refers to the improvements discussed in Maureen's current newsletter.

[seanie]

[seanie]

We know that the Portobello Park Action Group have a track record of saying things that aren't true; we also know they delete evidence when they they've been found out saying things that aren't true; why would anyone give money to such an unreliable organisation~?

[seanie]

I'm not very computer literate, and it doesn't seem to be right as far as I can see, but I've tried to set up a counter web-site.

[wangi]

[seanie]

I would urge everyone to look at the Save Porty Park page. Their intolerance of any dissent reveals a quite totalitarian mindset. They also appear to believe that making things up is quite acceptable.

[Makaveli]

I've unliked the Save Porty Park Page now too as the intolerance there was quite frightening.

The hypocrisy was staggering.

[seanie]

On the plus side.....the comments that remain make them look even more unhinged.

[Porty]

Utterly disgraceful. They have managed to mimic the park with their webpage; hardly anyone on it and when types the don't approve of turn up, they are soon despatched.

They have likely done irrepreable damage to their own page. Who on earth would one want to post in that regime?

[Makaveli]

I see Golf Delta is having a wee mini rant over on the SPP page - I find it rather amusing that Golf Delta is asking where everyone has gone when it is clear for all to see that all our posts have been deleted!!!

Why would you bother hanging around when that kind of censorship is happening?

[rmolehusband]

It's not lying, it's mistakenly inferring. So that's OK then.
What a trully stupid woman she[3] appears to be[1]. I'm assuming someone on here has met her IRL, surely she can't be as crass as her online persona[2]?

[1] I am not in any way suggesting she is stupid, merely that to the casual reader her postings could give that impression.
[2] I am not in any way suggesting she is crass in real life, merely that to the casual reader her online persona could give that impression.
[3] all pronouns in this post are fictitious, any similarity to actual persons, living or PPAG, is purely coincidental.

[seanie]

[seanie]

I’ve already described what you might be looking for in an ideal site; but no such site exists. So inevitably there has to be some sort of compromise or we’ll never get the new school that’s needed. Different people will come to different conclusions about what compromises are acceptable and what aren’t. Some people won’t countenance any loss of greenspace, and that is a perfectly legitimate point of view; we all value parks and open spaces. But those of us who support building the school on the park take the view that, in these circumstances, the benefits of building on the park outweigh the costs. In large part that’s because the school will finally be established on a site big enough to support the curriculum, but it’s also because of how the park is used at present. This proposal will actually improve the amenity of the park.

[seanie]

As to why this proposal will improve the amenity of the park overall;

Firstly the golf course is unaffected. The school does not encroach in any way and a continuous boundary east to west ensures that the most direct routes to and from the school will be along Park Avenue and Hope Lane, not across the golf course. The two will sit side by side quite happily.

Secondly, the area where the school will be sited is designated as playing fields, but the pitches are poor quality and can’t sustain much use. The two, floodlit, all-weather pitches for the school are to be freely accessible to the community, and will be a huge improvement. Far more people will be able to access higher quality sports facilties. So that function of the park will not only be retained but enhanced.

Thirdly, apart from the limited use of the pitches, the park is used mainly for dog-walking. As part of the project, new paths will be installed through the perimeter woodland to the east and west of the Park, and along the frontage of the school where there will be a public plaza and an area of public green space. These paths will increase the accessibility of the site and allow more people to enjoy the area. The school is located to the western end, with the pitches to the east and at low level due to the sloping site, so people will still be able to enjoy the view out over the golf course to the Forth and towards Arthur’s Seat. Again a significant function of the park function will not only be retained but enhanced.

Outside of those functions the park is little used at present. Since those functions will be improved, the proposal strikes many of us as achieving a good balance. Not ideal granted, but the best outcome out of what were very limited options. Instead of the rather negelected and underused space that exists at present, the school and park combined could create a very vibrant new focus for activity that can benefit the whole community.

[seanie]

[Makaveli]

Being very local to the area where the new school will be build (Brunstane) I can't wait for the improvements to Porty Park as you rightly point out there is really no good reason to visit Porty Park just now unless you are a local dog walker. We usually got to the Figgy which is further from our house but it is a much nicer park than Porty Park due to the recent upgrade.

I am sure that once the new re-development of Porty Park is complete we will probably utilise it more than the Figgy as it is much closer to us and, by the looks of the plans, be significantly better and more use-able than it currently is.

[wangi]

[name removed] likes Gillian Dunn's last post.

[seanie]

[seanie]

[wangi]

[seanie]

Simple statement of fact.

[wangi]

[seanie]

[administrator]

Please keep discussion here related to substantive comments made on the Save Porty Park Facebook page. Avoid the trivial details please.

Also ensure when citing a post on that page that you do so accurately.

Thanks

[seanie]

[seanie]

[seanie]

[seanie]

Yep. Those of us who do want a new Portobello High School are only jealous of those who can afford private education. No matter what we do, us comprehensive types will never be good enough.

[seanie]

Who feels like giving a donation?

You should maybe get a receipt....

[seanie]

[seanie]

I did point out that it should be nobody's not nobodies, but it didn't go down well.

[wangi]