'Morningside to Union Canal' « CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum

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'Morningside to Union Canal'

(15 posts)

Started 1 week ago by bakky
Latest reply from gembo

Tags:

morningside watsons development planning

bakky
Member

Spotted reading the report on George Watsons' proposals for new floodlit artificial pitches at/near Myreside:

The site is mainly greenspace that is used as cricket grounds bordered by trees forming part of George Watsons College. To the south of the site is a Cricket pavilion, other buildings associated with the school and a car park.

The cricket grounds are designated Open Space in the Local Development Plan. To the far north is Merchiston and Greenhill Conservation Area whilst Craiglockhart Hills Conservation Area is south. Part of the latter is also covered by a Special Landscape Area and Local Nature Conservation Site. An Active Travel Safeguard route 'ATSG14' - Morningside - Union Canal link, borders the site to the west with a disused railway line
beyond this. The Union Canal is also to the far west.
Outwith the site is a second car park on the east side of Myreside Road beside the rugby pitch and grandstand with George Watsons College beyond this. The wider area
around the site is primarily residential in character.

Has anyone ever heard of this? Colour me intrigued. Is it referring in part to Greenroofer's railway snicket?

Posted 1 week ago #
bakky
Member

Ah - more detail in the Spokes response / objection...

Posted 1 week ago #
Morningsider
Member

"Disused railway line"?! Think someone at Watsons' might have spotted the odd 1000 ton freight train rumbling along the South-Sub.

Posted 1 week ago #
bakky
Member

Yes that is highly odd.

Posted 1 week ago #
bakky
Member

The most recent report appears to counter the Spokes' objection with the following:

Cycle and footpath network.

LDP policy Inf 3 (Infrastructure Delivery and Developer Contributions) refers to proposals contributing to infrastructure provision where relevant, necessary, and
commensurate to development scale. Part a) refers to identified transport proposals and safeguards.

LDP policy Inf 10 (Cycle and Footpath Network) states development must design for and deliver connections to active travel infrastructure and / or off-road cycle and
footpath network. Development will not be permitted with adverse impacts on safeguarded routes, core path / off road network (including potential incorporation of
abandoned railway), public rights of way or proposals identified in Regional Transport Strategy.

The site borders a disused railway and footpath to its south / south-west which is identified in the LDP as a safeguarded active travel route. The development would be
located entirely within the schools' existing grounds, and the applicant has confirmed construction works would also be in this space. This position would not prejudice the potential implementation of this safeguarded route.

No objections have been received from Transport Planning on this basis. In a small way the development helps connect to the existing footpath network with paths within the site connecting to the existing footway on Myreside Road.

Additionally, the site is not located within an Active Travel Contribution Zone as identified in 'City Plan 2030 Supplementary Guidance on Developer Contributions and
Infrastructure Delivery.' Given this, there would be no locus to seek any active travel contribution for the development.

Overall, the proposal does not conflict with LDP policy Inf 3 or LDP policy Inf 10.

I'd love to see a councillor push them on this given the new pitches extend so close to the edge of the site. What's needed for the snicket is claiming 3-4m of their site boundary in general, though. And I assume the trees in this depiction are present rather than to be newly planted.

Source: https://citydev-portal.edinburgh.gov.uk/omt-server/lt/index.jsp?docKey=tqrHCRmaV63vncXw7Hz6-6dCD_jufJLTXPHM1vIhkmXYIozXgfr0xKkz2gpJx0XOrQR9TvnMbFAED-6xlCaiJJ-988INo6dx

Posted 1 week ago #
Morningsider
Member

I use the snicket quite often (usually on foot), and despite what Spokes might say have been along it on a variety of bikes - including a Just Eat hire bike. However, it is too narrow to be a useful cycle corridor and is a swamp for a good part of the year. This will not change as Watsons' won't give up any of their playing fields and it would be a major civil engineering task to extend a full cycle lane over part of the deep railway cutting. An on-street option would likely be a far cheaper and more attractive, especially at night.

Posted 1 week ago #
neddie
Member

There would have been a perfectly good back-route through, had they made Meadowspot permeable with Craiglockhart Pond and the Lockhartons.

But no, we can't plan anything around people in this country, only cars

Posted 1 week ago #
Morningsider
Member

@neddie - that would have been a much better route. Would have required about 10m of path between a couple of houses. The current path under Craiglockhart Hill (access via metal gate) and out to the Pond is much better for cycling than the snicket - but is still unlit and muddy for several months a year.

Posted 1 week ago #
bakky
Member

Looks a lot like it would take little more than an access policy to use the Watsons grounds south of the railway...

Posted 1 week ago #
neddie
Member

I guess they could make an access between The Wickets and Meadowspot, by compulsory purchase and demolition of a garage. A small price to pay.

Council should make more use of compulsory purchase, and there should be a presumption in favour of it for active travel schemes.

Then they could surface the path through to Lockharton Crescent and remove the accessibility-barrier gate

Posted 1 week ago #
bakky
Member

To be clear - unless I'm very much mistaken there is a through-route into the cricket ground at both ends, no demolition required:

Posted 1 week ago #
gembo
Member

This is Greenroofer’s Snicket. I love how spokes turn their objection into a full blown proposal between GWC and CEC to actually do something.

Posted 1 week ago #
jdanielp
Member

Was it not originally IWRATS' snicket? I am assuming that the rights transferred to Greenroofer when IWRATS abandoned CCE...

The Wickets to Meadowspot seems like the logical solution here.

Posted 1 week ago #
Greenroofer
Member

I went down there at the weekend with a hedge trimmer as it was getting a bit narrow for cycling and I was getting fed up with being thwacked in the face by foliage. Apologies to anyone who's used it since, but I didn't have time or energy to rake up all the clippings. I did, however, carefully pick up all the bits of rose and hawthorn that I'd cut, so the clippings won't be hospitable to puncture fairies.

Posted 1 week ago #
gembo
Member

I never abandoned the Labour Party, The Labour Party abandoned me. I think Greenroofer is the Gardener of the Snicket.

Posted 1 week ago #