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Large steel gates are being erected today near the end of the A1 underpass that links the Newcraighall/QMU cycle path with Whitehill Mains/ Millerhill Road. Grid Ref NT 32167 71105
The workie was very uncommunicative but they look like they will completely block this useful link. Ridiculous!
Is this something to do with a new connecting road for QMU from the west side of the A1?
Not acceptable. Worth contacting Edinburgh and East Lothian access officers.
outdooraccess@eastlothian.gov.uk
outdooraccess@edinburgh.gov.uk
I don't know. The gates are on the road near where the track goes down to to the west side of the underpass. There's a lot of fly tipping further on that road - could be linked to that?
Is your grid ref correct, NT 32167 71105 comes up as somewhere in the middle of the Millerhill Depot for me.
NT 32250 71317 maybe?
I use that route a lot, there's a great route across the fields east of the marshalling yards from there to the road at Monktonhall Garage.
They have a serious fly tipping problem around there, I wonder if this is related.
There used to be a gate at the top of the slope where it meets Whitehill Rd although I'm not sure what purpose it served as the only vehicles I've ever seen using the underpass were maintenance ones cutting down the trees. The fly tipping at the end of Whitehill Rd is getting ridiculous - maybe they're trying to prevent that? (although they don't need to restrict access to the underpass to achieve that).
The new gate might actually be in Midlothian. The three council areas meet a couple of hundred metres north of there, but it's a toss up between East and Mid Lothian for this one.
My nose is bothering me, I might take a wander out that way now for my state approved excercise.
I think that's actually going to be in Midlothian then, whose access officers can be contacted at landcompl@midlothian.gov.uk
Assuming this is the junction
https://www.eastlothiancourier.com/resources/images/10003184?type=responsive-gallery-fullscreen
For this masterplan
https://www.eastlothiancourier.com/resources/images/10831029?type=responsive-gallery-fullscreen
From those diagrams at least it looks like it any construction works shouldn't need to close off the access to the bike-route underpass as the junction site is further to the east.
It's been identified as a key route by Midlothian Council:
Midlothian Green Network, see section 3.8/CP3.
Is your grid ref correct, NT 32167 71105 comes up as somewhere in the middle of the Millerhill Depot for me.NT 32250 71317 maybe?
My apologies, your reference is accurate. The gate is across Whitehill Road itself rather than the track to the underpass.
Looking at OS maps, it appears that the boundary between East Lothian and Midlothian runs down the centre of Whitehill Rd at this particular spot so conceivably the gate could be in either council area.
I know out that way has had lots of changes but I'm pretty sure Whitehill Rd used to have a vehicle barrier (probably for the flytipping) at that point, which was permeable for bikes and pedestrians, that IIRC was removed at some point. I take it this new one looks like it's going to be impermeable?
Pretty sure the fly tipping was in EL which would be partly explain why it never seemed to get cleaned up.
Don’t know who the actual landowner is/was.
That's outrageous! It's a full height galvanised pailing fence right across the road, west of the end of underpass path, blocking off all access to the main part of Whitehill Road heading west.
Hera are some photos.
You can walk around it on the north end, but it would be difficult get a standard bike through and impossible for a buggy, trailer, trike, wheelchair or similar.
I expected it to be to the east of the junction, blocking off access to the farmland and the are that has been fly tipped. It looks too industrial to have been the farmer.
Was going to say that I've met some pretty industrial farmers. Then I saw the photos, and I concur.
@urchaidh - Mind if I send a link to those photos to the Midlothian Access Forum?
Unbelievable!
Can't see it being the road contractors either. They tend to like Heras fencing and they'll also need access down this road for any construction.
It has all the hallmarks of Network Rail overkill although I doubt if they actually own the road.
Yes, very NR.
Hope you can get some answers/resolution.
NR law unto themselves of course, don’t always need the nicety of involving the Planning process.
@frenchy- of course, share away.
Railway land does 'benefit' from a lot planning exemptions, but this would appear to be an adopted public road, at least as far as then pend west of the gate.
i assume the message board under the 5mph sign was pre-extant
i assume the message board under the 5mph sign was pre-extant
Yes, that relates to the right hand gate in the third photo which was the access when they were building the depot for the Class 385s.
Eeep. I like that cut-through for days off when I do a sort of clockwise RR. There'll just be flytipping at the gate instead, as Forth Ports or Veolia will have found then they almost completely fenced off the access to the path between Marine Esplanade and the back of Seafield water treatment plant.
referring once more to urchaidh's third photo
looking beyond the gate and past the bike
there does seem to be a whole lotta tipping goin' on
Oh yeah, there are huge piles of fly tipped rubbish on the bend up there, tonnes of it. Higher than head height, so I assume the farmer has been having to pile it up mechanically every now and again to keep the road clear.
I pass it as I usually double back east before I get to where the gate now is. There are some nice wee tracks across the fields, over the railway and down to the Old Craighall Road at Monktonhall Garage. From there it's easy (OK, one gate to climb) to get into Dalkeith Estate. Take the kids that way a lot.
Often some bonus freight action on the line there.
That's annoying. It's the safest route to Fort Kinnaird and the only quiet route from Musselburgh to Hilltown and on to the new path at Shawfair Park, Loanhead, Bilston etc.
There was some activity there today, a Network Rail van and a handful of workies. Looks like they were putting in an opening of some sort at the end of the fence, next to the existing rail depot fence.
I forgot to email you - the MLC access officer told me they'd be looking to remove a bit of fence and "ramp the kerb". The last bit made me worry that they were going to force folk through a narrow bit on the north side.
The council officer said they would make sure access was maintained for folk with wheelchairs, cargo bikes, horses etc., so hopefully...
There is now an access gate of sorts - I've added some more photos to the album. Still not brilliant, and it shouldn't have been fully blocked in the first place, but kudos to Midlothian Council and Network Rail for responding and restoring access so quickly.
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