Consulting on the Portobello Park Private Bill

Portobello Park Private Bill Consultation

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Update 11 March 2013: Outcome report now available

Record of Submitted Comments

During the consultation process we promised to publish as many of the comments received as possible.
We have now gathered the comments from surveys, letters and emails together and published three documents. You can read and download the documents using the links below.

Comments made in support of the Council's proposal for a Private Bill (PDF, 1.1MB)
Comments made against the Council's proposal for a Private Bill (PDF, 656KB)
Ideas and comments put forward about suggested use of new area of open space (1.04MB)

The responses are sorted in alphabetical order. Some personal information has been removed from entries where we felt that an author could potentially be identified. We also moderated comments felt to be unduly rude or inflammatory. Some comments may appear to be duplicates but have been checked as being comments recorded as being from different individuals (although in some instances from within the same household).

Portobello Park Private Bill March 2013 Council Report

A report was now been published setting out the findings of our public consultation that ran in December 2012 and January 2013 to measure public support for the Council's proposal to take a Private Bill to the Scottish Parliment to allow us to build the new Portobello High School on a site in Portobello Park.

Use the link below to download a pdf copy of the Portobello Park Private Bill Council Report.

Item No 8.7 - Portobello Park Private Bill (Reports, PDF, 942.83 KB)

The Report will be considered by Elected Members at the meeting of the City of Edinburgh Council on 14 March 2013. As well as reporting on the consultation the report also seeks approval for the proposed next steps and provides an update on the bid for the former Scottish Power site at Baileyfield as a fall-back site option.

Watch the Meeting Live

The meeting will be webcast live on 14 March, from 10.00am and will be available as an archive two or three days later, for one month. It can be accessed at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/webcast

Report recommendations

In the report it is recommended that Council:

notes the contents of the report;
formally resolves to promote legislation by way of a Private Bill to reclassify Portobello Park as alienable common good land for the purposes of Part VI of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, but only
insofar as permitting the appropriation of the Park for the purposes of the Council’s education authority functions. Section 82(2)(a) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 requires that the resolution is passed by a majority of all members of the Council;
delegates authority to the Director of Children and Families to take all steps necessary to complete the process of promoting the Private Bill including the drafting and finalising, and where necessary signing, of all City of Edinburgh Council – 14 March 2013 Page 3 of 63 supporting documentation required by the Standing Orders of the Scottish Parliament and the production and signing of any additional documents and the submission of any additional information that may be required by the Bill Committee or the Parliament; including, as required, the attendance of witnesses appearing on the Council’s behalf at any hearings; and the approval of any amendments to the Private Bill;
delegates authority to the Director of Children and Families to take all necessary steps to complete the appropriation of Portobello Park as the site for a new Portobello High School after the Bill receives Royal Assent;
refers the question regarding the most appropriate use of the new area of open space which would be created if the new Portobello High School is built on Portobello Park (and for which provision of £1m has been identified within the project budget) to the Craigentinny & Duddingston Neighbourhood Partnership for further consideration and consultation; and
approves that, on completion, the new area of open space which would be created if the new Portobello High School is built on Portobello Park would be (with the approval of Fields in Trust) designated as a Field in Trust.

Update 31 January (5pm): Consultation period ends

We would like to thank everyone who took time to participate in the recent consultation for the proposed Portobello Park Private Bill. The public response has been tremendous.

Please note that the online survey has now closed.

We are now working to analyse the responses and preparing a report on the consultation to take to the City of Edinburgh Council meeting on 14 March 2013.The report will be available for download from this page when it is published.

Background

The City of Edinburgh Council proposes to take a Private Bill to the Scottish Parliament in early 2013 to address the legal issue that currently stops us using Portobello Park as the site for the new Portobello High School. This Private Bill would apply only to this site in Portobello Park. It would not change the status of any other Common Good land, either in Edinburgh or the rest of Scotland.

Everyone has a view on whether the school should be located on Portobello Park or not. To seek a Private Bill is a major step and we want to give everyone a chance to tell us whether they think it is the best option for the whole community. We are consulting with people in the local community and the rest of the city to find out whether or not they support this action that, if successful, would allow us to use the park as the location for the new high school.

An information leaflet has been produced and will be sent to 14,500 households in and around Portobello.
You can download the Portobello Park Private Bill Consultation Information Leaflet here (PDF, 716KB)

Gathering opinions

There were a number of ways to let us know your views. The consultation period ran through December 2012 and closed at 5.00pm on Thursday 31 January 2013. A survey was available online and hard copies were widely available in the area. Written comments could also be sent by letter or email to:

Portobello Park Private Bill,
1/2 Waverley Court,
The City of Edinburgh Council,
4 East Market Street,
Edinburgh EH8 8BG.

NewSchoolBuildings@edinburgh.gov.uk