by seanie » 08 Jul 2011, 19:29
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.