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"Decision on future on landmark moves a step closer" (Granton gas holder)

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  1. chdot
    Admin

    "

    A PUBLIC inquiry will be held to decide the fate of the landmark Granton gas holder and end deadlock between councillors and the National Grid.

    Developers responsible for the 150ft gas holder are expected to appeal against a decision barring demolition of the 120-year-old structure, saying it will "blight" 15 acres of prime development space on the waterfront, it was reported today.

    Councillors rejected the advice of their officials last year and voted against plans to demolish the B-listed structure.

    "

    http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/9am-briefing--Moussa-Koussa.6748128.jp

    Posted 13 years ago #

  2. chdot
    Admin

    http://m.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/edinburgh/around-the-capital/government_rejects_appeal_over_bid_to_demolish_gasholder_1_2074243

    Posted 12 years ago #

  3. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Ann Confrey, a spokeswoman for National Grid’s Forthquarter development, said: “Being forced to retain the gasholder will have a significant impact on budgets and the deliverability of the Forthquarter vision.”

    As a salaried spokesperson, she should be fired for using the horrible obfuscating non-word word "deliverability"

    For things to do with decommissioned gas holders, see the Oberhausen gasometer and the utterly amazing Gaswerk Simmering in Vienna

    Posted 12 years ago #

  4. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    "Yet Frances Durie, chairwoman of West Pilton and West Granton Community Council, described the decision as “silly”. She said: “I think it’s a silly decision and I don’t think the council would be so keen to keep it if it was paying to keep it.

    “I think something better could be done.

    “Who would want to buy land beside it? If there was lots of money around maybe someone could develop it into something, but there’s no money.” "

    If there's no money would someone be able to buy the land beside it Frances? There's no money for development, MUST DEMOLISH!

    I've glad it's got a stay of execution. There's a place in Germany (I think) where these things have been turned into flats. Utterly striking buildings, with large circular courtyards inside. Yes, there's no money for that just now, but seriously, ForthQuarter (whatever that means), all the rest of the development of Granton put in jeopardy because of this? Do me a favour...

    And why not have some lateral, inventive, interesting thinking like those German gas towers, instead of rows and rows of dull flats, many without balconies (what's the point in that overlooking the Forth), that you're already struggling to fill...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  5. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Sorry, deliberate or ignorance-driven obfuscation (cracking word Kaputnik) annoys me.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  6. kaputnik
    Moderator

    @Anth, Simmering is the development that has the little villages of flats built inside it.

    I'd take NG's figures of it costing £200,000 a year to paint with a pinch of salt. It is after all in their interest to get this figure as high as possible. Odd that it seems to be standing quite happily just now without all this massive investment (and has done for last 10-15 years)...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  7. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Aha, they've done it in Ireland as well...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  8. PS
    Member

    Hear hear! (to K and Anth, rather than Frances Durie...)

    You'd have a thought a centre-piece like a converted gas holder would help positively distinguish the development from all the other standard-issue buildings that were proposed down the Waterfront.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  9. Morningsider
    Member

    £200,000 a year to paint. How about painting it with the stuff they used for the Forth Bridge - good for 25 years apparently.

    Also, kudos to the Inquiry Reporter for making the right decision.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  10. LivM
    Member

    Oo I like the Dublin one.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  11. chdot
    Admin

    "

    Cockburn Association @thecockburn

    @IainMcGill @brianjaffa of concert venues, radio stations, residential amongst others
    In reply to Iain McGill

    Cockburn Association @thecockburn

    @IainMcGill @brianjaffa examples of reuse in Athens, Oberhausen, Stockholm, Dublin & Kings Cross.
    In reply to Iain McGill

    Cockburn Association @thecockburn

    @IainMcGill @brianjaffa as the Scot Report suggests it require 'wit & imagination'. Is that in short supply?
    In reply to Iain McGill

    Cockburn Association @thecockburn

    @IainMcGill @brianjaffa rather than let it rot they could invest less than 1% of that profit in restoration.
    In reply to Iain McGill

    Cockburn Association @thecockburn

    @IainMcGill @brianjaffa and we surely dont have to point out that National Grid's profits were £1751 million in 2010/11

    Cockburn Association @thecockburn

    @IainMcGill @brianjaffa National Grid proposed nothing useful. Have you visited Granton recently? Vacant land isn't exactly scarce.
    In reply to Iain McGill

    Cockburn Association @thecockburn

    Granton gas holder has a stay of execution. fb.me/1DwkllORy

    "

    Posted 12 years ago #

  12. chdot
    Admin

    Previously posted

    "
    "A NEW bid has been launched to demolish one of the most striking industrial landmarks on Edinburgh's skyline."

    http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/National-Grid-bids-to-revamp.6788674.jp

    Local councillor seems to sit on fence -

    "
    Forth councillor Cammy Day said: "There are people that do not care what happens to it and see it as a blight.
    "

    I wonder how many of the people enjoying the new park agree and would rather see just another modern development.


    "
    http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1675#post-33960

    I think it looks fine the way it is!

    Some people have no sense of history, landscape, 'place' etc.

    But as has been said above - could be turned into something striking (iconic even!) that might actually make people want to develop the area and attract people to visit/live.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  13. druidh
    Member

    Being "old" doesn't automatically make it worth keeping.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  14. kaputnik
    Moderator

    @Druidh, true, but that's not the reason that it has been "saved" by the Reporter - it's a fine and notable (and listed!) piece of Victorian engineering. The later 2 additions to the gasworks weren't deemed worthy of keeping as in heritage / architecture / engineering terms they were not of note and so were demolished.

    The gasworks itself was a rather grandiose structure, more akin to a country house than an industrial complex. The Railway Station is a listed structure and has thankfully been thoughtfully restored.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  15. chdot
    Admin

    "National Grid in bid to force sale of listed gas tank to city council"

    http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/national_grid_in_bid_to_force_sale_of_listed_gas_tank_to_city_council_1_2125798

    Posted 12 years ago #

  16. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Being "old" doesn't automatically make it worth keeping.

    Being listed doesn't automatically prevent a structure being left to become damaged and derelict, even when it's the Council or a major public body who owns it.

    I wish film for cameras hadn't been quite so expensive when I was young, or I might have had more than just vague memories of exploring Granton Gasworks on bikes with my Dad. That was when riding ten miles was an expedition.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  17. chdot
    Admin

    "That was when riding ten miles was an expedition"

    Still is (can be).

    Posted 12 years ago #

  18. Claggy Cog
    Member

    The largest problem with "brown" sites is that the soil is so heavily polluted that it is actually unsuitable for development. These old gasometers were used to store coal gas before North Sea (natural) gas and the ground is heavily contaminated with sulphur, methane, coal tar, carbon monoxide, nitrogen and ammonia. The only way to get rid of all the pollutants/contaminants is to dig very deeply and remove all soil, which will probably just end up on a city dump(s) and cause problems there too.

    @Arellcat - there are many instances of where a listed building has been left to rot to such a degree that it becomes unsafe and has to be demolished ala half of Barnton, like the Barnton Hotel, Cammo House Farm....in fact many properties left/bequeathed to EDC and the burgers of Edinburgh which no longer exist for that very reason.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  19. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I would assume most of the pollution on this site is from the gasworks themselves rather than the holder, which is (was) effectively an enormous water tank on which the gas reservoir floated. As gas pressure inside increases, the reservoir rises. As gas was tapped off, the reservoir sinks.

    Therefore you can also assume they would have to do the same clean-up operation across the site, regardless of whether they wanted to demolish the holder and cover it in rows of tiny houses or leave it standing.

    My take on this is it's all about NG trying to scrape as much profit from this site as possible. The land is always going to be relatively cheap, so the more of it they can develop the more money they can get out of it and the less maintenance / restoration costs for the gas holder they will have to foot.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  20. SRD
    Moderator

    "That was when riding ten miles was an expedition" "Still is (can be)."

    Opened link on computer last night. K. saw the picture "Ooh, oooh, WE were THERE"!

    a good expedition!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  21. chdot
    Admin

    "
    Cockburn Association (@thecockburn)
    07/01/2013 17:37
    National Grid are trying to demolish the Granton gas holder again. They could spend 1% of their £1.1billion pre-tax profit on restoration...

    "

    Posted 11 years ago #

  22. chdot
    Admin

    "

    A NEW bid to finally find a buyer for Granton’s historic gasholder has been launched – by offering it along with room for 1000 new homes. The landmark structure, which was originally put on the market two years ago, is now being offered to developers with an additional 40-acre site which could become a thriving residential area.

    "

    http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/new-bid-to-find-buyer-for-40-acre-granton-landmark-1-4192750

    Posted 8 years ago #

  23. chdot
    Admin

    https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/historic-edinburgh-gas-tower-set-be-turned-one-scotlands-biggest-works-art-1377328

    Posted 4 years ago #

  24. Rosie
    Member

    The 40 acre site around it is a nice bit of re-wilding with plenty of birdlife. I know it's too much to expect that bit of real estate to be left to the birch and birds, but I will be sorry when it's gone.

    Posted 4 years ago #

  25. ejstubbs
    Member

    Is it preferable to develop 40 acres of brownfield site rather than yet more of the rapidly diminishing green belt? (Says he, feeling somewhat disillusioned at the loss of urban boundary green space having passed the Gilmerton Station Road/Lasswade Road/Lang Loan development sites yesterday, and those on each side of Burdiehouse Road.)

    Posted 4 years ago #

  26. chdot
    Admin

    “Is it preferable to develop 40 acres of brownfield site rather than yet more of the rapidly diminishing green belt?”

    A few years ago that would have been a non-question.

    Now it’s wholly appropriate that questions are asked about each bit of (potential) development land.

    There are plenty of places that were brownfield and have since been recolonised by ‘nature’.

    Think of the former sidings at Fiveways that have been ‘rewilded’ by birch trees (and more) and now the habitat for birds and children (etc).

    Too much ‘farm land’ is a far less diverse habitat.

    It’s not binary.

    One point of green belt was to be just that - a band around a major urban area.

    The proximity of Midlothian and the different aspirations (and needs) of the two councils (and the fairly arbitrary boundary between them) has not helped to create a coherent and practical landuse policy - especially one that can resist the deliberately piecemeal developers’ actions.

    Of course there is little rationality of the planning process when it comes the the value of landscape or wildlife or current human use that may well promote‘wellbeing’ etc.

    Anyone wanting to secure - or encourage ‘balanced use’ - for areas like (for instance) that around the gasometer, needs to make some noises before it gets to the stage of a planning application.

    Posted 4 years ago #

  27. Rosie
    Member

    "What would the world be, once bereft
    Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
    O let them be left, wildness and wet;
    Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet."

    I agree that farmland is often a monocultural desert, though not so bad as a golf course, and that regenerating waste land is one of the gladder sights in urban life.

    The fashion for wildflower gardening and plantings on roundabouts should mean that something of Nature fighting back is left when developing a site.

    Posted 4 years ago #

  28. chdot
    Admin

    I see this thread is 10 years old…

    (This IS Edinburgh)

    “

    Views are being sought on how best to utilise the huge space that the structure occupies after securing funding from the UK Government's Levelling Up Fund to restore the B-listed frame as the centrepiece of a coastal park.

    “

    https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/abandoned-edinburgh-granton-gasholder-could-23100166

    I’m quite happy something seems to be ‘getting done’.

    If only there was more progress on routes/paths in the general area.

    Posted 2 years ago #

  29. chdot
    Admin

    https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/politics/gasholder-glows-yellow-and-blue-in-solidarity-with-ukraine-3605262

    Posted 2 years ago #

  30. chdot
    Admin

    https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/historic-edinburgh-gasholder-to-be-turned-into-tree-lined-waterfront-amphitheatre-3623467

    Posted 2 years ago #

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