In better news On Sunday I spotted another of those repair stations with track pump at the bike parking at the tiny wee sports centre at heriot watt (compared to the ginormous one they are building behind it that can be seen by Tim peake from the space station
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
GSR - 1,500 Housing Estate - Planning 6th Nov Deadline
(163 posts)-
Posted 8 years ago #
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@Gembo: is that the bright white polytunnel roof?
It's quite an eyesore - I never noticed that there were buildings over there (outside the bypass) until that cropped up above the tree line. Visible from quite a few places in West Edinburgh - including the bypass (& my house).
Back to the planning application & looking at the details on the planning portal, the new car park will be 500m from the main building (the same distance as the tramstop), so will give a bit of a walk for some.
Looks like they had permission for these spaces on the original application so relatively straightforward to get this through. Interestingly CEC's transport dept says that no more parking spaces are likely to be consented to even if more buildings were proposed [their underlining]
They also quote 5.7% current modal share for cycling there vs 3.9% for Edinburgh and 1.3% for Scotland.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@hankchief yes, very visible, I saw it from Ratho the other week which is a good few miles away.
Posted 8 years ago # -
It's large enough that I suspect Tim Peake can see it when he is at home on terra ferma never mind when he is floating above.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I have crashed the car on the bypass on a regular basis on the way home from Stirling trying to see what on earth that blimp is. Makes sense.
What is the new building on the South bank of the water of Leith where the bypas crosses over?
Posted 8 years ago # -
"What is the new building on the South bank of the water of Leith where the bypas crosses over?"
Posted 8 years ago # -
That would be the equestrian centre owned by either Sara Phillips or jk Rowling.
Local planning protestor in the Currie and Balerno news Archie C has written a paen in praise of this development. Sympathetic restoration of the vernacular dwellings, a mature beech hedge ( you can see that from Lanark road, do not crash your car).
Posted 8 years ago # -
Recap:
Sept 2015 Plans put in for 1,500 houses off Gogar Station Road (GSR) which is a narrow winding road with newly painted cycle lanes on (& no centre line). Many objections that the plans don't make suitable consideration to the traffic impact.
The council's own transport report (published Jan 2015) recommended lots of (costly) interventions which the developer has omitted to include...
Thankfully CEC's Road's authority first response has been to recommended refusal due to "The transport mitigation measures proposed... fall significantly short of the measures identified"
Update:
The developer has provided an 'Addendum to the Transport Assessment" which has set out some responses to comments made on the proposal. (I can't link to it as it has yet to be put on line).
They have helpfully pointed out that 'The provision of a cycle/pedestrian link through the site allows for an attractive alternative to GSR' despite the fact that it won't be as direct, no doubt need to give way at every road crossing and won't be built for several years.
They have said that there is a "core development road running between the site accesses providing an alternative route for development traffic to GSR", but that doesn't go as far a saying that they be compelled to use it and even if they do you still get the problems at either end.
They also quote the Design Manual for Roads & Bridges (DMRB) which quotes on Table 5/3/1 of Vol 15 that Rural road of 5.5m+ has capacity of 800 veh per direction per hour or 900 veh for 6.0m+, whereas the "pinchpoints" of the Railway & Southern Burn bridges is below 5.5m but have got or will get shuttle lights.
They must have measuring off Streetview or included the pavement as the width per CEC's plans for GSR have the width as less than 5.5m in three places (North & South of the shuttle lights near RBS & Northern approaches to the Railway Bridge shown below)
Using the table they quote, anything between 4.0m & 5.5m would only have a capacity of 140 veh/dir/hr, so that will be quoted back to them...
I'm not entirely sure if this is a suitable table to use for capacity as it is for rural 60mph road (GSR is 40mph) & it doesn't take into account the high volume of traffic as peak times will be (relatively) slow cyclists.
The Roads Authority has responded to this Addendum and continue to recommend refusal saying that the developers haven't addressed the interventions required which is good.
Although they haven't quite grasped that cyclists are not going to be satisfied by a dotted line on map promised for some time in the future...
Cycle Safety: As per the 30 December roads authority response, this road is a key cycle route serving the RBS HQ. The Council has recently made provision for improved on-road cycle facilities: an improvement which has been well received by Spokes and other cycling groups.
The TA Addendum has addressed the previous concerns regarding the possible effect of the additional traffic on use of this road (as a probable discouragement to cyclists using the route) by confirming that an indirect quiet road or segregated route alternative will be provided through the site (see fig 2.1 of TA Addendum). This will undoubtedly be a more attractive route for less experienced cyclists and it is likely that its provision will result in an increase in cycle commuting to and from RBS. However, experienced cyclists are likely to continue Gogar Station Road;Goes to a hearing in 2 weeks, which I'm giving a deputation at... wish me luck.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Good luck. Let us know how it goes.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@hankchief good for you sticking with this and in detail. The roads authority refusal gives us all hope.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@hankchief
I hope your employer is backing you in this - it's a vital staff safety issue after all.
Great work - good luck.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@hankchief, sterling work with a canny grasp of the detail. When this is all over, if you fancy carrying on with detailed planning work like this you should join the relevant Spokes working group! :-)
Posted 8 years ago # -
If you can ride 100 miles and make it to Ratho for climbing before lunch you're probably allowed to take the afternoon off.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"Document Unavailable
This document is unavailable for viewing at this time."Posted 8 years ago # -
cc, the Addendum to the transport assessment is the last document in this list:
(via application 15-04318 if you need to search)
Posted 8 years ago # -
"
Report Prepared For: Murray Estates Lothian Ltd
Gronmij
"
Gronmij are the people doing CEC's Smarter Choices, Smarter Places project (having put in the lowest bid)
http://www.citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14236
Posted 8 years ago # -
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The core road network running through the site will be designed to accommodate bus services.
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Maybe that could be the route for all traffic and GSR become walk/cycle only!
Posted 8 years ago # -
Thanks! Got it.
Posted 8 years ago # -
The Murray Estates MD named is one Jestyn Davies.
A quick goggle reveals he is (or at least was in 2012) the chairman of the Scottish Property Federation.
Jestyn Davies said: "The SPF plays a vital role in representing the Scottish property industry to the Government. Its role is more important than ever as it seeks to defend the industry from ill considered legislation, such as empty property rates, while demonstrating to Holyrood just how important property is to the future economic health of Scotland.
The council are picking a fight with the big boys of the Scottish property (under?)world. Bravo.
Posted 8 years ago # -
From link -
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The plans – the first phase of the so-called Garden District – would ease pressure on other sites in the greenbelt where controversial housing developments are proposed.
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Not unless building this would automatically reduce the number 'allowed' elsewhere in he GB.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Don't wish to agree with the developers case, but this is somewhat fanciful -
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However, the council report says that, although the developers highlight nearby bus, train and tram stops, there are “major barriers” to these facilities in the form of the A8 and the city bypass. And it says pedestrians would have to use existing underpasses to get to Edinburgh Park. “These would not create a safe and pleasant place,” it states.
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It's not really an underpass in the understandably unpleasant sense. You can see from one side to the oher and there are no blind corners. Probably more pleasant, currently, than Russell Road rail + tram bridges.
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But Murray Estates says that is a subjective judgement and points out that it has proposed an upgrade of the main underpass. It also claims the Scottish Government is building a narrower underpass at South Gyle and the council had raised no objection to that.
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Presume that's the one where Network Rail are disingenuously saying that bicycles are allowed...
Posted 8 years ago # -
@chdot
The problem is the scale of the development means that the nearest tram stop or train station could be over a mile from the furthest away point.
Not near enough in my book to make it sustainable
Posted 8 years ago # -
Perhaps people could use some sort of small, reliable, efficient and economical personal transport device to cover the half a mile or so to the train or tram stops. The device could have wheels to make it easy to move quickly and be built from tubes so it can be locked to things to keep it secure...
What a perfect opportunity to design-out cars that I'm sure will be entirely missed.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Whether people can be 'expected' to walk a mile is a different issue.
The developers seem to expect buses to be routed through the development - which could use the underpass - but I don't suppose they are planning to offer a bus company any money...
Posted 8 years ago # -
I hope I never have to turn to my infant daughter on an excursion to Ratho or Dalmahoy and say "I can remember when it was all fields round here".
Posted 8 years ago # -
Got an email stating that the Head of Planning and Transport is withdrawing his report which was due to be delivered on Monday morning 18th. No reason given- will be explained then?
Meeting will go ahead and reasons for withdrawal will be given then, but "the hearing for the application will no longer take place"...
If someone cvan translate that gobbledygook, I'll be impressed...
Posted 8 years ago # -
If someone cvan translate that gobbledygook, I'll be impressed...
I'd put that as the leaning-on that Murray Estates has given the council has had the desired effect.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Wow. Pot, kettle, black anyone...
To put it kindly, whoever put together the developer's application didn't have an eye for detail, as I & others have pointed out in several places above, and they now are crawling all over the 100 page document written by the council which recommend refusal for discrepancies and kicking up a fuss because they don't like what it says.
My appearance at the planning sub committee will have to wait...
Posted 8 years ago #
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