http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-17430983
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh
"Trees felled at Water of Leith river after council U-turn"
(15 posts)-
Posted 13 years ago #
-
Sad, and to see the other trees that have fallen cut into bits and burned at the side of the path up near the dams is a waste of firewood and wildlife habitat. Some really old trees that have lain for years were incinerated too so a bit of a shame for the creatures they were home to.
I could see moving the wood that was dangerously positioned to another spot and even removing it to be sold on or given away to anyone who still uses firewood (or even Gorgie farm to sell on or give free to pensioners) then I recall that can't be done as all Edinburgh open chinmeys must burn smokeless fuel...Posted 13 years ago # -
Talking about tree felling...I was coming back a couple of weeks ago on the Bonnyrigg, Hardengreen path and note that almost the entire length of this is now completely bereft of trees, every single tree has been cut down, some of which have been turned into chippings and spread on the side of the embankments, presumably for weed control. Is this clearing the way for the proposed Waverley line? Does anyone know?
Posted 13 years ago # -
That's correct. They do like to clear trees and bushes from the side of railway lines to avoid the dreaded 'leaves on the line' situation in the autumn - or the more serious 'trunks on the line' situation after storms.
It seems if you are a tree you'll get a lot more sympathy from the newspapers if you're in a town. Contrast the uproar about trees being cut down on Shandwick Place and next to the Water of Leith with the silence about the hundreds felled for the new Forth crossing approaches and the restored Waverley line.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Probably because most folk in the town only see trees when they are beside the road.
In all seriousness though trees and green space are very important in cities, there has been research which shows they contribute to the mental well being of individuals. Losing these big trees to be replaced with little saplings in few years doesn't seem a great trade off.
In the Country side you can fall off your bike at any corner and hit a well established tree...
Posted 13 years ago # -
"
Contrast the uproar about trees being cut down on Shandwick Place and next to the Water of Leith with the silence ...
"It's a good point. Though inevitably it's partly related to number of people directly affected (at least by noticing).
There are severally overlapping elements that get different reactions.
There's nature/conservation/preservation feelings - 'it should be left alone because...' Maybe same people would have wanted to preserve the fields that the New Town now sits on?
With the WoL trees there are definitely 'is this the best way of doing things' views. It would be nice to think that genuine ecological/environmental expert advice has been listened to for minimising short term habitat damage and encouraging long term improvement.
I'm afraid I'm not convinced that all the work of 'flood prevention' has been entirely rational. The UK is not ready to stop building on flood plains (though Scotland seems to be doing better than SE England) or to gradually abandon the more low lying areas.
But I remember the scheme for dredging the WoL around Fords Road (wonder why it's called that...) which 'has to be done'. The willows that held the bank together where severely cut back.
The channel was never deepened/widened so 'the problem' was never actually dealt with. The trees have grown back.
At this point the worst damage done in the last big flood was that the loose material from the path was washed onto the football pitches making them unplayable for some time.
Money would be well spent tarmacing that path, but...
Cutting down trees to recreate a railway is likely to have 'net social benefit', the new Chinese steel bridge is more questionable.
Posted 13 years ago # -
"I'm afraid I'm not convinced that all the work of 'flood prevention' has been entirely rational. "
It hasn't. The alternative would have been to use the rugby pitches at Murrayfield as flood plains to be flooded when the water level rose enough to be a threat to homes and businesses.
But we can't disturb our Rugbian overlords can we?
Posted 13 years ago # -
"
trees and green space are very important in cities, there has been research which shows they contribute to the mental well being of individuals. Losing these big trees to be replaced with little saplings in few years doesn't seem a great trade off
"Good points too.
As it my previous post it's obvious that 'big issues' usually beat small/local ones.
It's never clear whether any sort of reasonable 'cost benefit analysis' ever takes place - especially one that values/costs the whole range of small/local/'soft' factors.
Posted 13 years ago # -
"
we are all very sad, shocked and disillusioned to see these beautiful trees hacked down in haste. Such a loss to Edinburgh. The shame is that the flood works could have gone ahead without losing these trees if only the political will of the Council had been aligned to that of the community, instead of riding roughshod over it."
http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2012/03/council-feel-trees-at-canonmills
Posted 13 years ago # -
But we can't disturb our Rugbian overlords can we?
Especially when there are velodromes to be demolished and unneeded supermarkets to be built instead.
If the rugger b*ggers want a fight, cyclists might just give them one...
Posted 13 years ago # -
Re: Hardengreen path - not only will all of the trees have gone, I assume that there is going to be no provision any longer for there to be a path, so no longer will this be accessible for cyclists and pedestrians. It is a very handy route to Dalkeith, Bonnyrigg, Roslin, and Rosewell. This is so a few commuters can get the train (which is preferable to people driving) to the detriment of walkers and cyclists. Sad. I suppose the upside might be that the A701 might be quieter, but I would not bank on that!! I am fairly certain that this line will not be ram-jam with commuters.
Posted 13 years ago # -
[url=http://www.midlothian.gov.uk/info/1526/public_and_community_transport/140/borders_railway_project][/url]T
The Borders Rail page on Midlothian Council's website contains the vague statement 'all paths lost to the railway will be replaced by similar facilities.' Any idea what this means in reality?
Posted 13 years ago # -
It says exactly the same on this document. http://www.scotborders.gov.uk/info/1526/public_and_community_transport/85/borders_railway_project
Still no real answer here either
http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/rail/projects/borders-railway/information-centre/frequently-asked-questionsI cannot see how this can be done except by actually laying a completely new path/walkway, which could certainly not be adjacent to most of the line as there is no space for it. No longer will cyclists and walkers be able to use the bridge over the Esk, ever again. Get your photos whilst you can, the views are great.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Posted 13 years ago #
-
Meanwhile, on Shandwick Place, the newly-installed pavement along the former contractor parking zones and dumping grounds are already exhibiting an inability to process rainwater...
Posted 11 years ago #
Reply
You must log in to post.
posts
