Local campaigners have secured key concessions from City of Edinburgh Council's Director of Planning in the battle to stop the chop at Canonmills.
Following a meeting with Dave Anderson on Friday, a new arrangement was agreed which will save the main stand of willow trees upstream of the bridge. That agreement, put in writing the same day, is reproduced below in full and unedited.
Announcing the result, Ani Rinchen commented: 'I think we can safely say that the thousand and more signatories of the petition, not only from Edinburgh but also from every continent in the world, will have a very happy Christmas'.
Here at the Spurtle, we take off our collective hat to a determined, articulate and well-argued campaign by locals. We are, however, astonished by the evident muddle and mismanagement of Council officials and their appointed contractors. Minimising this as some problem to do with 'initial communications' falls way short of the mark.
We are also concerned by the low profile adopted throughout this debacle by the Water of Leith Conservation Trust. As guardians of the river, surely it was part of their role to ensure the terms of earlier planning agreements were unambiguously and accurately implemented? We would also have expected to find them right at the centre of the campaign, if nothing else disseminating information – instead of which they went practically unheard.
How many more Canonmills-style fiascos await as flood-prevention work begins elsewhere in the city?
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Dear Ani
Thank you for coming in to see me today to discuss the concerns of local residents about the trees in the Canonmills stretch of the Water of Leith. I hope you will agree that we had a constructive discussion. I would like to confirm that, of the 11 trees in question, we have now identified that 5 can be saved without any negative impact on the flood works programme.
I also agreed that we would look to see what might be done by way of an engineering solution in relation to the rigging structure so as to avoid, if at all possible, removing a further 2 trees, perhaps, if required, by pollarding one of these trees as an alternative to removing it. The remaining 4 trees at the gable end will regrettably need to be removed.
My colleague John Wharrie will work with the contractors to explore access to the water's edge via the gardens so that we can install the rigging by the least damaging route.
We are have suspended work on this section of the Water of Leith for around two months to allow the planning approval for the extended platform to progress. However, we shall need to recommence work in late February/ early March in advance of the bird nesting season.
As we agreed, we shall arrange a further meeting with you around the third week in January to let you know what progress has been achieved with the contractor and also with the local residents through whose gardens we shall need to achieve access in order to avoid the majority of the trees.
I hope that this is helpful and would like to offer my apologies for the initial communications through the contractors with residents which could have been handled better.
Please do not hesitate to circulate this note to other interested parties.
Kind regards.
Dave Anderson
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