Edinburgh Sucks! | Before we go, we’ll sell of YOUR green space, says Labour

City Council

Before we go, we’ll sell of YOUR green space, says Labour

By The Basa ⋅ May 3, 2007 ⋅

In a particularly nasty, spiteful piece of work, the Labour administration who have been lying to us for years telling us that they will keep our green space whilst constantly building on it have come up with another idea.

The capital’s outgoing Labour-run administration ordered the review of the legislation and has commissioned solicitors to draft new two private bills. One deals specifically with Princes Street Gardens, while the other is aimed at loosening restrictions on the other parks.

But conservationists fear the changes will “open the floodgates” to development on the sites and pave the way for parts of the parks to be either sold off or built over.

One senior council source warned the new legislation could potentially allow any cash-strapped future administration to “free up bits and pieces of land in order to raise a bit of money to maintain them [the parks]”.

The dirty theiving, lying pieces of crap.

But Moira Tasker, director of the Cockburn Association civic trust, said: “Much-loved and used public, green spaces, such as the Meadows, Princes Street Gardens and Leith Links, have been under threat from development for decades.

“Their importance to Edinburgh citizens and the landscape setting of the capital cannot be underestimated. We would vigorously oppose any attempt to remove the legislation protecting these green ‘lungs’ for future generations to enjoy.”

We never saw this nasty piece of proposed legislation in any of the labour party’s election leaflets dropping through doors over the past 4 weeks - nah, this is yet another piece of crafty work by the labour cabal behind closed doors with the backstage passes going only to developers.

Terry Levinthal, director of the Scottish Civic Trust, expressed alarm over the move. He pointed out that in the early 19th century, the citizens of Edinburgh had to take the town council to court to prevent Princes Street Gardens from being built on.

“Amenities like the Meadows and Princes Street Gardens are there in spite of the council, rather than because of it,” he said. “You have to keep in mind that the council wanted to build a motorway on stilts through the Meadows in the 1960s.

“And in the 1950s, the council proposed building a bus station and multi-storey car park in East Princes Street Gardens.

“What has protected the Links, Princes Street Gardens and the Meadows has principally been the legal framework.”

So do we expect the sale of flats in the future with “Excellent new development of high quality apartments with lovely view through the back windows to the ancient Edinburgh Castle. Mature and well planted front gardens that will be kept neat and tidy by the citizens of Edinburgh on your behalf (as they have for hundreds of years).”

Vote the Independent candidates below to KEEP OUR GREEN SPACES GREEN.

Notice there was nothing in the article about whether a deal had already been done with the FibDems.

More Info: New rules ‘will put capital’s green spaces under threat’