Mortonhall Petition – Portobello High School – Scotsman moving to Queensferry Road – Edinburgh Marathon – RNLI Queensferry
A new petition has been started by one of the families affected by the ‘babies ashes’ scandal which you will find online here.
The petition initiated by Lorraine Marshall demands that the First Minister orders a Public Enquiry into the matter. This appears to rest on a belief that the report by Dame Elish Angiolini will have been ‘censored’ by the time it is published; a belief reported by The Edinburgh Evening News in their story published on Friday.
A petition demanding a public enquiry was first lodged last year and that one attracted over 4,000 signatures. This second petition will undoubtedly attract many signatories too. This is an emotive subject which strikes at the very heart of bereavement and bereaved parents. It goes without saying that this is a topic which requires sensitive treatment.
The report which the council chief executive commissioned will be published and delivered to affected parents and families as well as the wider public later this week. Council Leader Andrew Burns explained to The Edinburgh Reporter that while there will be some necessary redactions made to the report it is his express that these are kept to an absolute minimum.
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Proceedings relating to The City of Edinburgh Council (Portobello Park) Bill in The Scottish Parliament continued last week with more evidence being brought to the parliamentary committee by the council and by objectors.
One of the objectors, Bill Flockhart, commented on the loss of amenity due to the use of some of the park as a site for the proposed new Portobello High School. Mr Flockhart explained that synthetic pitches will not replace the park where he and his children all perfected their sporting skills. He bemoaned the fact that the council has allowed the park to become run down over the years, and explained that there is now only one usable bench in Portobello Park.
The council spokesman replied that the regime for maintenance of the park is exactly the same as other parks in the city, and he confirmed that the new park area, planned as part of the development, will definitely be delivered.
Another objector, Beverley Klein, mentioned that there are many children who use the park for a ‘spontaneous play’ area at the moment, and queried whether the council had taken this into account in their future plans for Portobello Park. She mentioned that many children in the area are ‘socially deprived’ and live in low income households meaning that they cannot access play areas further afield.
The council spokesman questioned whether there is much spontaneous play on the park, and claimed he had not witnessed any on his visits to the area. He explained that there will be two areas for play – one is the size of a football pitch and is bounded by Hope Lane and Milton Road – and the other would be made up by the new 3G pitches which will be used by the school or which will be bookable or available for use on a ‘casual access’ basis by others.
Ms Klein also asked about the removal of mature trees in the park, but the council spokesman Billy MacIntyre explained this was due to Dutch Elm disease, and not for any other reason.
The meeting on 23 April 2014 lasted for 4 hours and you can watch all of the proceedings here.
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The Scotsman is set to move out of Barclay House on Holyrood Road and will relocate in Orchard Brae House, The Sunday Herald confirmed yesterday. Rumours have abounded about potential locations, including empty offices in St Andrew Square as a possible new home for The Edinburgh Evening News, but that is still to be confirmed.
The Edinburgh Reporter has also heard that there could be some logistical problems with the move as the telecommunications set up might take about six months to sort out. They need many phone lines for all the staff from journalists to classified ad staff. The agents JLL introduce the building to potential tenants as “iconic”.
“Orchard Brae House is an iconic landmark building on Queensferry Road, a main arterial route accessing Edinburgh City Centre. Conveniently situated 10 minutes walk from the city’s West End, Orchard Brae House offers seven floors of virtually column free floor space with the upper floors delivering stunning panoramic views across the city.
“With 14 bus services stopping adjacent to the building, Orchard Brae House is extremely well connected to all parts of the city via Edinburgh’s extensive public transport network. Whether it’s the M8/M9, Edinburgh Airport, or Haymarket railway station – Queensferry Road allows quick and easy access to the wider region.
Orchard Brae House has been comprehensively refurbished.”
As you can see from our photo there is also a little cycle parking.
Rockstar North, the inventors of Grand Theft Auto are due to take up residence in Barclay House this summer.
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Last chance saloon for those of you wanting to enter the Edinburgh Marathon. Entries close on 30 April. You can enter by clicking here.
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Another call out for the RNLI at South Queensferry yesterday when a jet ski packed in leaving its owner to swim ashore.
The lifeboat was summoned to tow the jet ski back to the Hawes Pier.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
