Baileyfield Site

[cuth]

I see there are 'For Sale' signs up.

www.baileyfield-portobello.co.uk/

[Porty]

Quite interesting.

BL's attempt to woo the owners of the 21 properties at Baileyfiled Cottages was fairly succesful. 13 of the 21 properties are included in the sale. Looks like the people at numbers 1/7/8/10/11/12/13/17/19/21 didn't take the money. Although there does appear to be a discrepancy; numbered up to 23 but only 21 properties, maybe a couple are demolished?

[Bob Jefferson]

Let's assume the Council/EDI bid for the site and are successful. Assuming that the Private Bill is given assent and the school is built on Portobello Park, what then is the likely outcome for Baileyfield?

• 1.The Council sells the site on to another developer?
  2. EDI builds affordable housing?
  3. It remains a gap site for years while we all wait for the economy to pick up?

[jb5370]

A4 leaflet through the door today promoting the Baileyfield site as site for the new school - 'distributed by a group of Portobello residents and parents who want the school as quickly as possible'. Wonder what group that might be then?!

[Sceptic]

You do not mean some who do not want a school built on THEIR park, do you?

A group who advocate building a new school ANYWHERE other than THEIR park?

You know, you might right.

[SoupDragon]

We got one of those leaflets today.

Can someone explain what "retention of parkland with capital receipt means", please.

[wangi]

I guess their park is kept as a park and the current PHS site is then flogged off for housing by the Council. In reality that forgets about the acquisition cost of the Baileyfield site...

[little miss moffat]

This was posted on the Build it on Baileyfield facebook page:

From a BL report into developing the site:

"Potential contaminant sources on site that may be associated with the historical use of the site including:
Fuels
lubricants
solvents
heavy and phytotoxic metals;
Asbestos
PCBs as transformer oils and
Ground gas

The potential contaminants identified above will need to be investigated further and mitigated against in any development of the site."

You will, of course, have taken this is into account before proposing to build a school on top of it?

[seanie]

I'm reminded of my second favourite grounds for objection to the High School planning application; the increased risk of tuberculosis.

[gillian]

So, we have to know, what was your most favourite?

[seanie]

My absolute favourite? Well, from a number of notable contenders I think I'd have to go for the following.

k) In this Christian country which is multicultural we believe in free will to walk our own religious pathway however moral issues come from religious and social education and yet we as Christians, within a Christian country are the only ones who are no longer allowed to openly talk about this whether in religious educational studies or in our Christian festivals for the fear of “offending those who do not believe as we do”, for centuries Catholics and Protestants have managed to follow their own religious beliefs and yet still have the educational outlet to understand the Bible without offence being taken.

[gillian]

Cannot imagine what points a,b.c,d,e,f,g,h.i.j covered.

[seashell]

Wow.

I thought the "increased risk of TB" comment was off the wall (aka ill-educated) but that one takes the bisuit (reserves one wrap-around cardi, with extra long-sleeves that tie at the back)

Did the writer know that you are only supposed to take a sip of communion wine, not swig the whole bottle in one go?

I have to ask the obvious question: what on earth does that mad rant have to do with building a school?

[urchaidh]

This was posted on the Build it on Baileyfield facebook page:

and it lasted about an hour before the thought police got hold of it and deleted it, along with a couple of other posts I'd been optimistic enough to make. And I seem to have been banned. Plus ca change, indeed.

[seanie]

I have to ask the obvious question: what on earth does that mad rant have to do with building a school?

Buggered if I know. But there's something glorious about the sheer irrelevancy and inelegant punctuation.

[Sceptic]

All this talk of ground contaminants is similar to the site proposed for the new Boroughmuir. The older amongst us may remember that before it was a brewery site, it was the Uniroyal Rubber Mill site. It too has ground contaminants associated with rubber tyre production. Perhaps this is an attempt to have children with two heads and therefore two brains and increased intelligence......................

Maybe we should take over the Torness site instead, it might be safer there.

[seashell]

Now that is the kind of thinking that would make you a valued member of PPAG, BIOB or any other of the "anywhere but outside my house" brigade.

And speaking of BIOB - what a hoot that FB page is. The usual suspects out in full force once again, and getting roundly beaten into touch. This is my personal favourite quote from them:
"We do not expect everyone in the community to support this option. For some only the larger sites at Brunstane and Craigmillar will be able to offer everything they want ie two full size astroturf pitches. " Wilfull ignorance or just plain stupidity? I'll put it plainly the overwhelming (or should that be significant?) majority of the community want the school on the park.

[little miss moffat]

This was posted on the Build it on Baileyfield facebook page:

and it lasted about an hour before the thought police got hold of it and deleted it, along with a couple of other posts I'd been optimistic enough to make. And I seem to have been banned. Plus ca change, indeed.

Wow.... back to their old tricks of deleting and banning already!! Glad I copied and pasted your post before they deleted it.

[urchaidh]

With regards to building a new school on Baileyfield, contamination of the site is more an issue of time than of heath. I'm sure the site could be cleaned up to remove any health risk, but nobody knows what's there and until they do they can't say how long it will take to clean up nor how much it will cost.

The ground conditions are similarly uncertain, the site contains a lot of back filled clay pits and underground workings. Again, none of this is insurmountable with modern building techniques, but it's more uncertainty on the time and cost.

BIOB's suggested timescale is very optimistic, particularly so given these uncertainties, and they've gone out of their way to avoid discussing how much it would cost.

[little miss moffat]

Wow.... look at this suggestion (by Avril Scott) on SPP page:

Rory - what are your objections to Baileyfield - apart from a football pitch? Or even your objections to St. John's going onto Baileyfield and PHS having the whole of the current site? That way, we'd still have the top of the golfie, a new St. John's and a new PHS. How can that be so wrong?

It's bad enough wanting to put high school students in amongst 2 very busy roads, but now there is a suggestion to put primary school children there!! I would imagine the St Johns parents would have something to say about that proposal!! I can't believe anyone would suggest putting a primary school on that site!!

And to make matters worse - this was suggested by a female!!

[Epykat]

Wow! How stupid is she??

I think you might find that the Council proposed to put St. John's there. Makes sense really. Primary kids are less likely to be travelling to school on their own therefore the road would be less of an issue, given that they are more likely to have an adult with them. Statistically teenagers are less safe on roads than children of a younger age. St. John's would also take up less space so the smaller site would be more accommodating to them and the space on the current site could be used for PHS.

It would actually be my preferred option.

[little miss moffat]

Lol, thought my post might get your attention Epycat. Was your "how stupid is she" meant to offend me lol. It actually brought a smile to my face and reinforced my initial thoughts re some of your posts. I don't care who originally suggested the idea - what I find shocking is that a female would support putting a primary school on a site between those 2 busy roads. When my son got to primary 6 he didn't want his mum taking him along to school as he felt in ruined his "street cred". With a primary school on the Baileyfield site - the children would need to be accompanied to school right through to the end of primary 7. I get the impression that "anywhere but Portobello Park" would be your preferred option.

[Epykat]

How about we just leave it where it is then?

[lg1726]

How about we just leave it where it is then?

Of course that would fall into the "anywhere but Portobello Park" category!

[seashell]

Wow.... look at this suggestion (by Avril Scott) on SPP page:

Rory - what are your objections to Baileyfield - apart from a football pitch? Or even your objections to St. John's going onto Baileyfield and PHS having the whole of the current site? That way, we'd still have the top of the golfie, a new St. John's and a new PHS. How can that be so wrong?

It's bad enough wanting to put high school students in amongst 2 very busy roads, but now there is a suggestion to put primary school children there!! I would imagine the St Johns parents would have something to say about that proposal!! I can't believe anyone would suggest putting a primary school on that site!!

And to make matters worse - this was suggested by a female!!

Sad - but true, LMM. You couldn't make it up, could you?

Of course, the whole of that site is one big joke. Although it isn't as rib-tickling as the BIOB. It's imppossible to read the increasingly frantic efforts made on there by the usual suspects in a feeble attempt to try to justify their position and keep a straight face in the process. I'm particularly partial to the fact they could remove the polls and graphs, but have to have a meeting to discuss whether or not to remove the PHS crest they are using without permission.

[little miss moffat]

I must admit Seashell, I had a right giggle at the BIOB HQ - still laugh about it lol. It brings a smile to my face every time I see it. I think they put the logo there to annoy the parents and they are keeping it there for the same reason. It just makes them look stubborn and foolish the longer they keep the logo there.

[seashell]

I see PHS has posted on BIOB officially requesting the removal of the crest. Very politely, but making it perfectly clear they object as the use implies PHS support.
Wonder if there will be an emergency meeting at BYOB HQ tonight? it's a lovely concept, isn't it? I picture a genteel front room, with rag-rolled walls and swagged curtains, somehow.

[seanie]

It would actually be my preferred option.

From the beginning?

[rathbone]

It would actually be my preferred option.

I'm just waiting for The Commander to give it the thumbs up.

[seanie]

Unlikely given the absence of giant stilts.

[Bob Jefferson]

I wish I could draw cartoons. I have an image in my mind of a giant wobbly school being constructed on stilts on the Baileyfield site, enveloped in traffic fumes. Someone in a safety hat below is shouting up, "Can we fit in another 200 from Castlebrae?" and the bloke on the top with a trowel is replying, "Sure boss, I'll just add another storey."

[seashell]

Here's another idea for your drawing skills, Bob - the new vociferous poster on BYOB fbook page - who only joined Fbook 5 hours ago.. and seems to have spent all his time on their page. For some strange reason, I bet he doesn't look anything like his profile picture. Wonder who he really is? It would be great if you could come up with an artist's impression.

Meant to say re The Commander's wizard wheeze - did he actually account for the fact that the airspace he wants the school to occupy actually belongs to someone? The principle of owning land a coelo usque ad centrum (from the heavens to the centre of the earth).

[Bob0131]

Seashell, are you referring to Johnnie? There is an even more interesting character who has turned up on SPP, comedy name Jefferson Zawhanka! Joined facebook on 05 November and found SPP site almost immediately. It has been reported to facebook

[seashell]

I was, Bob. Johnnie has only got 2 friends, but has posted on both SPP and BIOB.
So there were two in one day - how very strange. Can we all say "sock puppet"? Shows how desperate they are.

The BIOB page makes very interesting reading, with the significant majority of comments being firmly opposed to the idea. All the usual suspects are there, talking the usual nonsense. And of course the usual thought police are in evidence, deleting inconvient posts as fast as they possibly can. They even deleted the official notification from PHS requesting them to stop using the crest.

How low can you go?

[Franck]

Wow.... look at this suggestion (by Avril Scott) on SPP page:

Rory - what are your objections to Baileyfield - apart from a football pitch? Or even your objections to St. John's going onto Baileyfield and PHS having the whole of the current site? That way, we'd still have the top of the golfie, a new St. John's and a new PHS. How can that be so wrong?

It's bad enough wanting to put high school students in amongst 2 very busy roads, but now there is a suggestion to put primary school children there!! I would imagine the St Johns parents would have something to say about that proposal!! I can't believe anyone would suggest putting a primary school on that site!!

And to make matters worse - this was suggested by a female!!

As a parent of St.John's pupils, I think the idea of a brand new school on the entire Baileyfield site has merit.The site itself would be large enough for a two-stream school with good playground facilities, I'd not be overly concerned about it's location, it's not like primary kids go out at lunch time, and it's easily accessed via the high street, thru standardlife/Rosefield, or the two sets of green men on Harry lauder.The suggestion has merit.However, the cost of purchasing and cleaning up the site is a major drawback, as is the timescale I'd imagine it would involve.

I have no real interest in PHS if truth be told, and by the time a new St.John's is built my second child will join the first at Holyrood, but it's not the worst idea I've heard for freeing up land for PHS as well as getting a new primary for St.Johns.