“Shame I left it too late to find it.”
Is it definitely shut for ever now?
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
Post Powderhall (coming soon??)
(270 posts)-
Posted 6 years ago #
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Unfortunately yes.
Hankchief, there's a good chance you have seen it from the train and never realised what it was. It is right next to the ECML.
Posted 6 years ago # -
“
Over the coming months, I expect a halo effect to continue, with the interest in the city centre’s eastern fringes spreading out into the surrounding areas. The closure of Meadowbank stadium and sports centre will trigger a regenerative effect in the surrounding area, perhaps including the neighbouring St Margaret’s House, which could be attractive for flats or student accommodation. We have seen this regenerative effect reflected in demand for a residential site on Marionville Road that we have recently placed under offer (circa 125 units).
“
Posted 6 years ago # -
Posted 6 years ago #
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"
It’s connected by cycle-path to many parts of the city. This connectivity would only be increased if the Powderhall Railway branch line were converted into a cycle path. This is an important benefit to a school with a city-wide catchment.
"
Whatever the site becomes, the desirability of the extra walk/cycle connectivity is clear.
Presumably the number of parents opting for GME because JGHS is the secondary is small.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Went by there the other day and can see the loop back towards Waverley is all leveled. So much new housing with lots of people walking through to Meadowbank shops.
Line still in use for a while?
Posted 6 years ago # -
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=144616726#post144616726
No surprise, no mention of potential Powderhall path in CEC report -
“
8. Sustainability impact
8.1 The new Meadowbank sports centre will be designed wherever possible in line with the Council’s policies on energy efficiency and sustainability. New housing is built to high standards of energy efficiency and sustainability with brown field housing development reducing the impact on Edinburgh’s greenbelt.
“
http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/55884/item_719_-_new_meadowbank_update
Posted 6 years ago # -
@chdot, well it's a bit too much to expect joined up thinking from CEC. Witness Picardy Place, driven by Economic Development agenda. Here it's Finance and Resources agenda, transport issues presumably someone else's problem?
Posted 6 years ago # -
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Meadowbank Stadium could be replaced by a hotel, restaurants, student accommodation and private housing under the latest plans lodged today for the site’s redevelopment.
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Posted 6 years ago # -
"The development of the site could lead to the reopening of Clockmill Road as an accessible walking and cycling connection between Restalrig, London Road and Holyrood Park."
No mention (again) of Powderhall line...
Posted 6 years ago # -
“No mention (again) of Powderhall line...”
Time to stir up councillors and community councils (again).
Posted 6 years ago # -
Two planning applications have been published related to the Meadowbank redevelopment.
If you wish to comment or object, you can do so through the Edinburgh Planning Portal online.
References are as follows:
18/00181/FUL - mainly relating to the proposed new sports centre itself
18/00154/PPP - covers the overall masterplan, includes consultation responses from earlierBoth applications make a range of proposals for transport and access. I have to say that the transport assessment and plan fails to take account of bus routes north of the site (15, 19, 34) and the plans overall are overly biased towards motor vehicle access.
I have objected to both, citing concerns over transport issues (especially pedestrian/cycle access and routes), loss of trees and green space, and air quality concerns.
I urge anyone living locally or who uses the sports centre to comment on this application.
Posted 6 years ago # -
“
IT is supposed to kick off a premiership class regeneration in the east of the city, with plans to breathe new life in Meadowbank and its surrounding areas.
But after first falling foul of community arts group Edinburgh Palette over building sales and eco campaigners over soon-to-be-felled trees, planners in the city have found themselves being ruled offside again – this time by a key stakeholder.
Edinburgh City Football Club, one of the principal users of Meadowbank Stadium for over 20 years, has said the council’s plans for the new sports facility would need significant amendments if the club were to consider returning to the new Meadowbank.
“
Posted 6 years ago # -
Haven't seen it posted
"Priority for Powderhall path plan
A Green Party motion prioritising development of the Powderhall railway line as a footpath/cycleway drew unanimous support from the North East Localities Committee on 19 February.
The route is already safeguarded under the Edinburgh Local Development Plan, but this new move aims to give the proposal extra impetus.
Officers said scheduling work was impossible for now as talks with Network Rail have not yet established the likely extent/cost of repairs (especially to bridges or embankments) or other liabilities or indeed the length of line to be released. (The current best guess is
from Powderhall to the Lochend Butterfly.)
Cllr Susan Rae (Ward 12) sees potential for the route to include public art impelled by the area’s ‘bucketloads’ of ‘imagination, drive … ambition and intelligence’. Vice Convener Amy Mcneese-Mechan (Ward 12) said she is ‘1,000% behind the plan’.
Sustrans may now be approached to fund a feasibility study, and progress will be reported in the NEL Committee’s business bulletin in 6 months’ time. The Transport & Environment and Finance & Resources Committees will be kept informed."Posted 6 years ago # -
“Haven't seen it posted”
Me neither, thanks.
“drew unanimous support from the North East Localities Committee”
First mention I’ve seen of new local system too.
Posted 6 years ago # -
That's great. Real progress.
What's important is that local politicians have taken the idea on board, and are pushing for it. Cllr Rae's interest seems to have been sparked by Leith Central CC's championing of the Powderhall Path. This in turn was the result of robbyvecchio's work as part of the Leith Central CC to promote the idea of a path on the railway line. kaputnik has also been tweaking the ears of local councillors about this. I should also add that Spokes have been pushing the idea too, in communications with councillors over the Meadowbank redevelopment.
It may still take some years yet, but there's a better chance it will actually happen now.
"The current best guess is from Powderhall to the Lochend Butterfly."
That's in line with what we suspected would be the case. Even this converted to a path would be a very significant development.
Posted 6 years ago # -
"The current best guess is from Powderhall to the Lochend Butterfly."
Does this mean it would stop short of Meadowbank? (I'm not completely sure where exactly the Lochend Butterfly is.)
Posted 6 years ago # -
“Does this mean it would stop short of Meadowbank?”
Yes, assuming NR(S) wants complete control over the possibility of reinstating the Abbeyhill Loop. BUT, they have already allowed the path from the Butterfly to the retail park.
“(I'm not completely sure where exactly the Lochend Butterfly is.)”
It’s the space created by the intersecting railway lines (imagine thin rail line on map was same thickness as the others -
http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15.922264096404358&lat=55.9612&lon=-3.1677&layers=11&b=1
Posted 6 years ago # -
Cheers.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Posted 6 years ago # -
22/03/18 - Northfield and Willowbrae CC
Green councillor Alex Staniforth has been re-raising the Powderhall railway path with council officials. There's a suggestion that some of the retaining walls, bridges, etc. are in need of renovation and the council are unwilling to take on the path unless Network Rail sort this out first.
At a recent public meeting to gather views on the Meadowbank development there was a small, but vocal, group very much against the development of a path on the Powderhall line due to perceived nuisance/privacy issues.
As part of the Meadowbank redevelopment, a foot/cyclepath along the route of the old Clockmill Road may be created, which would link any railway path with Holyrood park, via Clockmill Lane.
Posted 6 years ago # -
“
Alison Johnstone, Green MSP for the Lothian region, expressed her concern that sport is not being taken seriously by the council.
She said: “I’m having deja vu because I was here a decade ago arguing against Meadowbank being demolished.
“This centre needs to work for everyone. We’re not a healthy nation – we shouldn’t be making it harder for people to get to facilities they want and need. It’s getting to the point where if you’re serious about sport you have to go to Glasgow.”
“
Have MSPs been contacted about the line/path?
Posted 6 years ago # -
I was planning to go to last night's meeting, but as I suspected the agenda was more about sports facilities and NIMBYism from the bungalows round Marionville. I suppose had I attended I could have piped up with constructive feedback regarding the potential for an active travel route to the new centre, but the pre-meeting smoke signals were very much "outraged of Marionville" so I doubt anyone would have listened.
Our wee "group" has not engaged directly with MSPs on this, focusing instead on Community Councils and local city Councillors, with some success. We have also been active in constructively opposing the current plans, pointing out the inadequacy of provision for active travel, the motor vehicle dominated nature of the design, and flagging up Powderhall path opportunity. We have also liaised with Spokes Planning Group and provided local knowledge and detail which Spokes used in their own objection.
In short, personally I'd rather the campaign for Powderhall Path was not associated with Angry People In Local Neswpapers types.
Posted 6 years ago # -
It seems there are two major obstacles to the Powderhall line being acquired as a multi-use path:
1. The poor (i.e. potentially unsafe) state of some of the over-bridges and retaining walls (e.g. opposite Pilrig Heights) which might have been acceptable risks when only running very occasional freight trains under or past them, but would not be OK if there were to be full public access.
2. There is a commercial company that operated the refuse trains and they still hold a 100-year lease on the line. Even though they no longer have the option of running the trains, the line is nevertheless a business asset that might make it expensive to acquire.
Posted 6 years ago # -
“the line is nevertheless a business asset that might make it expensive to acquire”
Surely only an asset for running trains, which doesn’t seem likely to happen again?
Posted 6 years ago # -
Surely only an asset for running trains
Toll cycleway?
Robert
Posted 6 years ago # -
Presumably there's some scope for development on the line, or perhaps it can "unlock" other areas for development by allowing access roads or whatever. If there's even a small area of opportunity it could make that part of the trackbed much more expensive to acquire. I don't know whether there's any planning restriction put on it by its designation in the Local Development Plan - if so that might make it a lot cheaper.
Posted 6 years ago # -
"I don't know whether there's any planning restriction put on it by its designation in the Local Development Plan - if so that might make it a lot cheaper."
Yes. It's reserved for a cycle path and/or tram line. Transport anyhow. So no development permitted.
The ownership issue is the main stumbling block. Funds can always be found for repairing retaining walls if the political will is there.
The waste depot is scheduled for demolition, the entire site will be cleared except for the old red stone buildings. Demolition permission was granted in February. CEC preparing it to be sold off to developers presumably.
If only there was similar haste to build a cycle path. In a way we shouldn't be too surprised if this takes a while. It took 20 years following closure before the north Edinburgh railway lines became cycle paths, after all. Hopefully it won't take that long before the Powderhall path becomes a reality...
Posted 6 years ago # -
Presumably the retaining walls and bridges as a liability which will reduce the value of a 100 year lease. If there is no income from the land then it may even become a liability which the leaseholders would be happy to dispose of.
I suppose it will depend entirely on what the council are willing to grant permission for.
Posted 6 years ago #
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