http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Harrison Park Public Consultation en Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:35:50 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734&page=2#post-7016 Tue, 18 May 2010 14:43:16 +0000 SRD 7016@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"if you consider both west and east together,"<br /> They're not, there is a road between them - creates a mental block." </p> <p>Yes, but she prefaced it by saying 'its the only park we have'. so, either, she thinks it is one park, and the proposed allotments are about 1/8-1/6th of it, OR, there are two parks, and the proposed allotments are about 1/4 of ONE of them. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734&page=2#post-7014 Tue, 18 May 2010 13:11:56 +0000 spytfyre 7014@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>SRD - it depends on where you go, <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=beecraigs&amp;oe=utf-8&amp;client=firefox-a&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;ei=hoPyS7biN5v60wS0qMihDQ&amp;ved=0CAkQ_AU&amp;hq=Beecraigs&amp;hnear=Beecraigs,+Linlithgow,+EH49+6PL,+UK&amp;ll=55.948728,-3.606225&amp;spn=0.002409,0.004823&amp;t=h&amp;z=18&amp;iwloc=A">Beecraigs Country Park</a> between Linlithgow and Bathgate for example has some cracking BBQ stands you can book for events.<br /> I guess the council are just worried about vandalism and who can blame them </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734&page=2#post-7013 Tue, 18 May 2010 13:04:03 +0000 SRD 7013@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Spytfyre - thanks for that. Various other folk have said to me that they've never seen anyone using it either, but very useful to know who _does_ use it. I've always seen barbecues on the other side of the hedge. But, have thought it would be a good place for martial arts. </p> <p>I think a proper barbecue place would be an absolutely brilliant idea. That would definitely be the norm in any North American or African park -- barbecue stands, picnic tables, and a water tap or two -- but UK provision always seems much more DIY. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734&page=2#post-7012 Tue, 18 May 2010 12:09:39 +0000 chdot 7012@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"@Arellcat you mean these railway sidings?"</p> <p>No he means the ones in Morningside that were built on <em>years</em> ago. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734&page=2#post-7011 Tue, 18 May 2010 12:05:19 +0000 spytfyre 7011@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@SRD -<br /> "if you consider both west and east together,"<br /> They're not, there is a road between them - creates a mental block.<br /> "i've never seen any one using that part of the park."<br /> I have seen the Kuk Sool Won martial arts crowd from the Merchiston <strike>boys</strike> club use it at least three times a week.<br /> We were recently playing on it as were a young couple practising softball, we use it often for disposable bbqs as they can be sat on the tarmac up by the canal to not burn the grass. I think it would be good to see some proper bookable park bbqs set up and some raised platforms for people to use disposables rather than leaving a join the dots burned rectangles of grass.<br /> When the football is on in the two pitches on other other side of the hedge it can fill up quickly.<br /> I am all in favour of the Shandon Local Food Group but as comments say there is a 10 year waiting list for allotments, it would not be fair to people who have been waiting for years to exercise their green fingers while it would be a shame for them not to work out for the local area.<br /> 7pm a Eric Liddell you say? Is that tonight? See you there ;) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734&page=2#post-7007 Tue, 18 May 2010 11:51:11 +0000 Kim 7007@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@Arellcat you mean <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&amp;q=slateford+road+edinburgh&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;hq=&amp;hnear=Slateford+Rd,+Edinburgh,+City+of+Edinburgh,+United+Kingdom&amp;gl=uk&amp;ei=r3DyS_fIFoLG_gbGh62MDQ&amp;ved=0CBUQ8gEwAA&amp;t=k&amp;ll=55.929455,-3.237855&amp;spn=0.004207,0.00912&amp;z=16&amp;output=embed">these railway sidings</a>? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734&page=2#post-7001 Tue, 18 May 2010 09:33:58 +0000 chdot 7001@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>2004 will be when the Community Council boundary was added. </p> <p>It would seem the base map was used for all CC boundaries (I've looked at a few CC web sites). This might have been a good idea when CCs were first instituted, but CEC really should use a more up to date map - at least whenever there are new elections! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734&page=2#post-7000 Tue, 18 May 2010 09:31:21 +0000 Arellcat 7000@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>"That map must be at least 25 years old!"</em></p> <p>It says ©2004. Were the railway sidings at the end of Maxwell St there as recently as that? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734&page=2#post-6999 Tue, 18 May 2010 01:34:16 +0000 chdot 6999@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"EVERY home in central Scotland will be within 1,000 feet of a park or woodland and land used for allotments will rise threefold, under a new vision for the region in 2030"</p> <p><a href="http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland/Forget-about-New-York-Scotland.6300516.jp" rel="nofollow">http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland/Forget-about-New-York-Scotland.6300516.jp</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734&page=2#post-6980 Mon, 17 May 2010 13:35:35 +0000 chdot 6980@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>That map must be at least 25 years old!!! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734&page=2#post-6979 Mon, 17 May 2010 13:07:11 +0000 SRD 6979@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Merchiston Community Council AGM tomorrow @7pm, Eric Liddell centre. I know at least three of us live in their area, and probably more...(here's their <a href="http://www.merchistoncc.org.uk/assets/uploads/maps/mcc_map.pdf">boundaries</a> ironically, HP East is not even shown as 'greenspace' on this map!) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734&page=2#post-6977 Mon, 17 May 2010 12:39:34 +0000 SRD 6977@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I don't see how the community council woman could possibly come up with 'half the park' - if you consider both west and east together, the proposed allotments are _at most_ maybe 1/3 of half of the overall space - so maybe 1/6th? (and probably more like 1/8th). and i've never seen any one using that part of the park.</p> <p>(yes, i know, i should put this on the EEN comments...) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734#post-6976 Mon, 17 May 2010 12:29:12 +0000 chdot 6976@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Rival-plans--for-revamp.6298942.jp" rel="nofollow">http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Rival-plans--for-revamp.6298942.jp</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734#post-6847 Wed, 12 May 2010 13:01:58 +0000 spytfyre 6847@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Wow - there is a dotted line on that map when there shouldn't be... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734#post-6814 Tue, 11 May 2010 16:25:52 +0000 cb 6814@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Cyclestreets will use Harrison Park for the quiet route option. E.g.<a href="http://edinburgh.cyclestreets.net/journey/143394/">http://edinburgh.cyclestreets.net/journey/143394/</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734#post-6813 Tue, 11 May 2010 16:07:20 +0000 SRD 6813@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Everyone on the boat when I was there agreed that it was all very confusing. But I also thought option 2 seemed the most flexible/plausible. </p> <p>Re " not changing one single blade of grass ". this is my problem with 'conservationists' - they have no sense of history. We know there was a cycle track, but according to the council guy there may have also been allotments there previously too. (he may regret telling me that!). </p> <p>But then I am infamous in my home town for vocal protests against attempts to build a 4 lane ring road through a park, so this may be kettle/pot territory, (in my defence I would point out that it was a semi- wilderness area, the 2nd largest urban park in Canada, intensively used for skiing, orienteering, boy scouts, berry picking, etc etc and extensive wetlands as headwaters of rivers that flowed through city, and part of the city's water supply....) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734#post-6810 Tue, 11 May 2010 14:19:51 +0000 spytfyre 6810@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="http://www.harrisonpark.org.uk/">http://www.harrisonpark.org.uk/</a></p> <p>The allotments map <img src="http://www.harrisonpark.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Harrison-Park-Proposal-Allotments-300x212.jpg"></p> <p>Is out of line with the plans to add the cycling ramps to and from the canal and Watson Cres have replaced this idea:</p> <p><a href="http://www.harrisonpark.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/harrison-park-east-phase-1-medium.jpg"><img src="http://www.harrisonpark.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/harrison-park-east-phase-1-medium.jpg"></a></p> <p>and look like this:<br /> <img src="http://www.harrisonpark.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Harrison-Park-Proposal-1-300x229.jpg"><br /> this:<br /> <img src="http://www.harrisonpark.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Harrison-Park-Proposal-2-300x229.jpg"><br /> and this:<br /> <img src="http://www.harrisonpark.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Harrison-Park-Proposal-3-300x222.jpg"></p> <p>The second option looks best to me and still leaves space in the bottom right corner (South East) for some allotments, option three has no point as the existing stairs are effectively left abandoned and option one runs a path too close to the football pitches goalmouth<br /> I accidentally found out who paints the football lines (one of the janitor guys at North Merchiston <strike>Boys</strike> club who is a nice guy and very passionate about his work) and he spoke about being asked to "move" the pitches 50 feet west from the hedges (which a woman was very vocal about not being cut down, more on her later) which would put the west goal mouth <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=eh11+1eq&amp;oe=utf-8&amp;client=firefox-a&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;ei=nFrpS47gGKT40wT68cjTDA&amp;ved=0CAoQ_AU&amp;hq=&amp;hnear=Edinburgh+EH11+1EQ,+United+Kingdom&amp;ll=55.935627,-3.225527&amp;spn=0,0.001545&amp;t=h&amp;z=20&amp;layer=c&amp;cbll=55.935526,-3.225719&amp;panoid=IcLUsgIkiVjkoMtUv2MQDw&amp;cbp=12,137.33,,1,1.56">inside the Glazing company garages</a>... </p> <p>However it is interesting that the council and the FOHP seem to have differing ideas and agendas.</p> <p>I read that there is a <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8672993.stm">10 year wait for an allotment in Edinburgh</a> and believe they wanted to create 24 in the entire "ex-bowling green" area but like the other plans show there is demand for more family orientated space and some "nice wee benches for quiet reflection"...</p> <p>SRD I'll give you the heads up at the meeting when the "not-over-my-dead-body" woman pipes up about changing one single blade of grass in "her" park... she really is a hoot! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734#post-6809 Tue, 11 May 2010 13:43:45 +0000 SRD 6809@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Yes Sir!</p> <p>(If I'd known they met there I'd have joined ages ago :) ...actually have been meaning to find out how to join, so many thanks for this). </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734#post-6801 Tue, 11 May 2010 12:53:25 +0000 spytfyre 6801@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Next Friends of Harrison park Meeting<br /> Thursday 20th May<br /> Caley Sample Room<br /> 7.15 pm<br /> Agenda:<br /> East Park Plans<br /> Possible Allotments</p> <p>See you there SRD? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734#post-6758 Mon, 10 May 2010 16:33:20 +0000 SRD 6758@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Discovered that the 'regeneration' of harrison park east is completely distinct from the open spaces consultation and the allotments consultation. And, I think, potentially hostile to them. </p> <p>Not in principle - everyone was keen to say 'tell us what you want in the park' (the main consultation is about access, not use). </p> <p>But the council guy responsible for the area was distinctly lukewarm about using the space as allotments, said that elsewhere local people had not wanted allotments in parks, because they restricted access. </p> <p>My reading of this (remember, I'm a social scientist) is that their goal is to maximize the numbers of people using the park, rather than to diversify the types of uses and types of users. (which, if I were feeling really cynical, would lead me to conclude football trumps gardens). </p> <p>But, the process does seem quite open and hopefully they will take on board the range of interests/input not just the majority (a bit like first-past-the post voting versus PR eh?) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734#post-6610 Thu, 06 May 2010 13:05:38 +0000 spytfyre 6610@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I'm tempted to hire one of the barges for my next party... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734#post-6608 Thu, 06 May 2010 12:56:55 +0000 SRD 6608@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"also asked the woman of Re-Union boats if the 6mph speed limit was for us or them, apparently it is for us! 6mph until beyond the bypass?? it would take me hours!" </p> <p>I mailed her (assume it is the same person), last time we discussed this. Just got a reply the other day, saying she had forwarded it to British Waterways, but nothing back from them or her yet. </p> <p>Last time I was on the barge, one of the guys actually claimed that he though 'motorized boats like barges had right of way over smaller ones like rowboats and kayaks'. Needless to say, all us small boat people immediately chorused "steam gives way to sail" in horror. </p> <p>But was rather surprised they didn't know this....and that they couldn't answer speed question themselves. My take is that Re-union is more 'community regeneration that happens to take place on a boat/canal' rather than boat/canal-centred community regeneration initiatives. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734#post-6593 Thu, 06 May 2010 12:15:42 +0000 spytfyre 6593@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I had a cup of tea, I avoided the biscuits</p> <p>I actually had some interesting conversations with many people there that were anti bike... My old Art Teacher from Armadale was one too...<br /> Me standing with my pannier bag, helmet and high vis jerkin on I couldn't really avoid it...</p> <p>"Oh do we <em>have</em> to have cyclists on the path to W Bryson" they were saying...<br /> and<br /> "The canal path is just that, a <em>path</em>"</p> <p>I felt I had to point out it is National Cycle Route 75</p> <p>I also asked the woman of Re-Union boats if the 6mph speed limit was for us or them, apparently it is for us!</p> <p>6mph until beyond the bypass?? it would take me hours! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734#post-6590 Thu, 06 May 2010 12:12:39 +0000 chdot 6590@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"I went along"</p> <p>How was the "Light refreshments will be served on board." </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734#post-6588 Thu, 06 May 2010 12:10:51 +0000 spytfyre 6588@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I went along, clever idea to use the barges, I think they will become more popular with the decent weather and the new building to come when the brewery site is clear...</p> <p>The options were all pretty much the same with ramps down from canal to new path leading to W Bryson Road AND Watson Place (which is nice),<br /> option A path runs too close to football when it is on<br /> option B requires making a gap in the hedge to allow the path to W Bryson to run behind the hedge and away from the footballers<br /> option C the new stairs are not linked to the new ramp and path which is stupid</p> <p>I voted option B</p> <p>There is still plans to have allotments (24 I think) perhaps in the very corner near the industrial building at the very South East corner of the park and there is a proposed meeting of the Friends of Harrison Park soon </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734#post-6537 Wed, 05 May 2010 13:23:45 +0000 Arellcat 6537@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I missed the meeting too, but I did watch as the boat navigated Leamington lift bridge, which spends most of its time at road level now that the canal isn't quite the hive of activity it once was. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734#post-6530 Wed, 05 May 2010 12:08:54 +0000 SRD 6530@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Nope. Saw the boat going back to its mooring and realized I missed it. But should get along on Sunday. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734#post-6528 Wed, 05 May 2010 12:03:20 +0000 chdot 6528@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Anyone go yesterday?</p> <p>Canal too -</p> <p>"Rankin gets on board for canal festival"</p> <p><a href="http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Rankin-gets-on-board-for.6272927.jp" rel="nofollow">http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Rankin-gets-on-board-for.6272927.jp</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734#post-6422 Sat, 01 May 2010 09:55:37 +0000 recombodna 6422@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>In terms of size tennis courts are good. Astroturf and gravel are too too slippy for the bike and the ball doesn't react well. The best surface is tarmac. The Inverleith courts are great except the ball keeps going out under the fence. There is one near Lidl in Dalry but it's always full of yoof. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=734#post-6421 Sat, 01 May 2010 09:46:34 +0000 chdot 6421@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"Tennis courts not Ideal as they tend to be full of tennis players and have a big net across the middle...."</p> <p>Only during Wimbledon...</p> <p>What about in terms of size - compared with tennis court?</p> <p>What's wrong with Astroturf? What is the optimum surface? </p>