With Caltongate Developers Mountgrange in financial distress, a window of opportunity has arrived for city planners and the council to reconsider their stand on how the New Street Site is to be developed.
| The
buildings at risk from demolition should be bought back to life and
serve the community and city’s needs once again and the council should
freeze all work on land sales to Mountgrange in present situation, say
Save Our Old Town campaigners in a major report. A UNESCO report recently singled out for criticism the way Caltongate scheme was approved by the authorities despite protests from a host of heritage groups and the community. The campaigners are continuing to call on the council to uphold the decision to use the £100,000 Bond from Mountgrange to allow a temporary landscape scheme to be implemented on the New Street gap site. |
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The Old Town campaigners are to presented the results from a year long project at a seminar at which decision makers as well as the public had been invited to attend.
Key Findings of the Report are likely to prove highly embarrassing to planners and politicians.
They include:
• Having a living world heritage site in the city centre came out as a top priority but housing policies and city development fails to support this.
• There is an urgent need for community facilities and spaces.
• There is a clear lack of 'public' responsibility in the management of public space.
• Small independent and start up businesses require support and initiatives.
• Opportunities and sites for community development should be identified.
• Urban communities should get access to '”community right to buy”
• Pressure on council to keep a properly accounted and managed register of Common Good Land & Assets.
• No more “selling off of the family silver” and no more privatisation of public space.
| Over the year
opinion was sampled from residents and public |
Amongst the
conclusions drawn: |
79% want social & affordable housing 77% want family housing 77% want play parks/areas for children & teenagers 70% want a better mix of shops 62% want more grassed areas & trees 57% want artist's working facilities |
•
there is a lack of 'public' responsibility in the management of public
space, • the need to support smaller independent and start up businesses • the need to identify opportunities and sites for community development • the need to allow allow urban communities access to 'right to buy' for community assets • the need for a properly accounted and managed register of Common Good Land & Assets |
Campaigners are calling on the City of Edinburgh Council to uphold the decision to draw down the £100,000 Bond from Mountgrange to allow a temporary landscape scheme to be implemented on the New St gapsite.
They also believe the council should support the temporary use of homes and listed buildings to serve community needs until adequate replacement buildings are constructed.
See also:
Caltongate Developers funded Labour while seeking council backing
City slammed over handling of Caltongate plans
Caltongate plans in ruins after council blunder
Battle-lines are drawn over city skyline
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