CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
“Scottish landowner who ‘obstructs public access’ made environment minister”
(3 posts)-
Posted 1 year ago #
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Like Lord Big Dave, given a peerage to allow him to be appointed to a ministerial role.
Whatever you may feel about that, though, I'm not sure that the Ramblers have much of a case here. Not being allowed to park your car in someone else's car park isn't actually stopping you from accessing the land beyond, unless other obstructions are in place which do block access on foot and by bicycle. And from what I can see on Streetview the road up to the reservoir has a cattle grid, and a kissing gate to one side. (That photo is from 2011 though, so things might have changed.) Both Google and OS Maps (grid reference NT557633) satellite views suggest that the pull-in next to the filter beds is still there and accessible.
Offering permits to use the car park but limiting them to less than one per day does appear to be verging on being deliberately unhelpful, but it's their car park and they are under no obligation to make it available to anyone they don't want to. (Though one does wonder why they built it in the first place.)
It does strike me as being just a little bit ironic that the Ramblers Association is complaining about it being a long walk to get there...
Any locals got a view on this?
Posted 1 year ago # -
"Douglas-Miller has long worked on conservation projects and was awarded an OBE for services to wildlife conservation in Scotland."
Ha ha ha, oh my aching sides. Hopes Estate is a deadly place to be a grouse and a bad place to be a raptor. This new 'baron' is also a joint trustee of Bavelaw Estate which is apparently where the dead peregrine in an illegal trap was found less than 2 weeks ago:
@ejstubbs
Not a local but have visited a few times, by bike sans car and car/foot. That Streetview is out of date, it shows the situation as it used to be - the pull-in by the Scottish Water installation is where cars used to park. The estate has now erected a further gate before the plant, as shown in the photo in this article, with the implication perhaps that cars parked could be locked in - I'm not aware if that has actually happened. I'd also argue the sign erected is unlawful under access legislation, on several grounds:
(a) blanket "No Entry" - nope, not legal, perhaps would be with "to motor vehicles" added, but
(b) according to the East Lothian list of public roads, the road is public for 3063 metres from Longyester school (road end), which stretches right up to West Hopes farm, 500 metres beyond this gate (the tarmac does run out before then, from memory).
From what I understand, the 'new' car park was originally a compound constructed and used by Scottish Water for some works there which the estate has restricted the public access to after it reverted to the estate.
Now, why would an estate and owner with what might be euphemistically termed an 'ordinary at best' record of wildlife protection want to discourage public access?
Posted 1 year ago #
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