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Item no
Report no
Council Depot at Inverleith
Planning Committee 6 October 2011
Purpose of report
1 To refer to the Planning Committee a report by the Director of City Development on the proposal to dispose of the Council Depot at Inverleith.
Main report
2 On 4 October 2011, in response to a motion by Councillors Hinds and Whyte, the Policy and Strategy Committee considered the attached report by the Director of City Development on the current position with regard to the proposal to dispose of the Council Depot at Inverleith. The report gave details of the planning status of the land and the community consultation undertaken on the proposal for the site.
3 The Committee heard a deputation from Save Inverleith Park who urged the Council to retract any decision to build on the area of land, rezone the area back to open space land and refocus their plans to have community involvement for the future of the site. A copy of their submission is appended.
Decision
4 To recognise that there was potential to develop the Inverleith Park Depot site for Council or Community purposes and therefore instruct Council Officials to proceed on this basis and not to sell the site.
5 To recognise the increased provision of allotment plots during the term of the
Administration but note that there were currently 2,367 outstanding applications, to instruct the appropriate Officials to carry out an appraisal of the suitability of the site for the provision of additional allotments and/or other community uses.
6 To invite the Planning Committee to consider the potential redesignation
of the site back to ‘open space’ in the Local Development Plan. 7 To agree to genuine community consultation on the future use of the site.
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Recommendation
8 That the Committee consider the potential redesignation of the site back to ‘open space’ in the Local Development Plan.
Carol Campbell
Acting Head of Legal and Administrative Services
Appendices 1) Report by the Director of City Development 2) Submission by Save Inverleith Park
Contact/tel/Email Alistair McArthur, ℡ 529 5928
Wards affected Inverleith Ward Single Outcome Agreement
Background Papers
Minute of the Policy and Strategy Committee of 4 October 2011
Item no
Report no
Council Depot at Inverleith
Policy and Strategy Committee
4 October 2011
1 Purpose of report
1.1 This report is prepared in response to a motion by Councillors Hinds and Whyte which asked for the current position to be set out with regard to the proposal to dispose of the Council depot at Inverleith; the planning status of the land, and the details of any community consultation undertaken or planned on the proposal for the sale of the depot.
2 Summary
2.1 No decision has been made on the sale of Inverleith depot.
2.2 Due to the expiry of the lease at the Council depot at Baileyfield, options for the depot adjacent to Inverleith Park are being considered as part of a Council-wide depot rationalisation programme.
2.3 A business case and space planning exercise for depot rationalisation by Services for Communities, is currently being undertaken. Once completed, and the depot at Inverleith potentially declared surplus, a report with a recommendation will be made to Council. No further action will be taken to progress the disposal in the meantime.
2.4 The receipt from a sale of the site at Inverleith depot may require to be re-invested in creating an adequate replacement facility, probably at Inch Park.
3 Main report
Planning Status
3.1 The Inverleith depot is in need of major upgrading and investment. The expiry of the lease and subsequent closure of the Baileyfield depot, in 2012, offers an opportunity to consolidate a number of existing Parks depot operations at the Inch Park site. This will require upgrading to provide a fit-for-purpose facility. The funding for any upgrading of the Inch Park site would come from the capital receipt from the Inverleith site.
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3.2 The depot at Inverleith (circa 2.93 acres) is shown on the attached location plan (Appendix 1) along with an aerial photograph (Appendix 2). The depot comprises several storage sheds and buildings, including a former farmhouse. The depot site has a largely tarmacadam surface. The site is the original Inverleith farm, dating back to 1877, and has been developed over the years to form one of the Council’s park maintenance depots. The depot is separate from the Park.
3.3 The Edinburgh City Local Plan (ECLP), adopted in January 2010, does not classify the depot site as ‘open space’. The site was removed from the open space designation in order to accord with the definition set out in the Scottish Government Planning Advice Note 65. The open space strategy draft report was finalised after extensive consultation. The change to the ECLP was advertised in full accordance with the relevant regulations. The Council’s Open Space Strategy was adopted in September 2010 and identifies Inverleith Park as requiring improvement. This document was approved in draft in February 2010 for consultation and a workshop held locally in April.
Community consultation
3.4 The Inverleith Park Management Plan, prepared by Services for Communities with the Friends of Inverleith Park, identifies specific improvements to be made to the Park (potentially to be funded by Section 75 developer contributions).
3.5 In 2010, GVA were appointed to advise the Council on the planning aspects of this project. GVA have developed a proposal for a high quality, low density residential development. This involves the demolition of the existing depot building. Seven low height/density residential units would subsequently be constructed which would improve the views of the Edinburgh skyline relative to the existing depot buildings. A new pedestrian access route would also be created from Aboretum Place. GVA’s involvement has now reached its conclusion. If and when a decision is reached on disposal of the site the advice received by GVA will require to be evaluated in light of market conditions at that time and the Council will wish to consider at that stage whether achieving a capital receipt from disposal represents the best value option.
3.6 The Council held a one day public exhibition on the GVA proposals in
September 2010. This event was advertised in the Evening News and by way of posters around the area with invitations sent directly to 21 stakeholder groups and 403 properties. An internal Council exhibition was also held on the day with relevant councillors, departmental heads and officials invited. The main public exhibition ran from 2.00 pm – 8.00 pm and 132 people attended.
3.7 Exhibition boards were displayed at Stockbridge Library from 23 -28 September 2010 and further comments invited. Additional feedback was invited following a presentation to Stockbridge and Inverleith Community Council, on 20 October 2010.
3.8 There has been significant local opposition to the proposal for sale expressed through the “Save Inverleith Park” campaign group, including an 8000 signature petition.
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Next Stages
3.9 The next stages of the process will be the completion of a business case and space planning exercise for depot rationalisation by the Services for Communities. This process is likely to be delayed until the outcome of the Council’s Alternative Business Model (ABM) process is known as this will affect the number of personnel to be accommodated. Following completion of the ABM exercise, a report will be made to the Council recommending a depot rationalisation programme, including the potential disposal of the Inverleith depot.
3.10 No further action will be taken to progress the disposal until the ABM process has been concluded, the current space planning exercise has been completed, a report made to Council and the site formally declared as surplus.
4 Financial Implications
4.1 The city depot rationalisation programme is intended to provide efficiency improvements and will contribute to the Council’s overall requirement to make revenue savings.
4.2 The funding required for the depot rationalisation, including improvements to the Inch Park depot would come from the capital receipt from the sale of the Inverleith depot.
5 Environmental Impact
5.1 Rationalisation of the depots across the city will present opportunities for more sustainable operations. The sale of the depot site, if ultimately approved by the Council, would allow much needed improvements to be carried out within Inverleith Park including a direct link from the Water of Leith path into the Park and an extension of the play area.
6 Conclusions
6.1 The information given in this report discharges the Council motion. Until the business case and space planning exercise has been completed, a report made to Council and the site formally declared as surplus no further action will be taken to progress the disposal of the depot site.
7 Recommendations
7.1 The Policy and Strategy Committee is asked to note the contents of this report.
Dave AndersonDirector of City Development
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Appendices 1 Location Plan 2 Aerial Photograph
Contact/tel/Email Alistair McArthur - 529 5928 [email protected]
Wards affected 5 - Inverleith Single Outcome Agreement
National Agreement 10 - We live in well-designed, sustainable places where we are able to access the amenities and services we need Outcome: An upgraded depot facility will provide a more efficient delivery of park maintenance National Agreement 12 - We value and enjoy our built and natural environment and protect it and enhance it for future generations Outcome: An upgraded facility will better protect and enhance the Council parkland and open space
Appendixes 1. Inverleith park map showing Depot outlined in red 2. Aerial showing Inverleith Park and Depot outlined in red
Background Papers
Members’ Briefing 1 February 2011 Economic Development Committee Report 12 October 2010 Finance & Resources Committee Report 26 October 2010
SAVE INVERLEITH PARK
Save Inverleith Park is a community campaign group
consisting of: Friends of Inverleith Park, Stockbridge & Inverleith Community Council, The Inverleith Society, and other
concerned organisations and individuals. For contact information, please visit:
www.inverleithpark.co.uk
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APPENDIX 2
28th September 2011
Louise Williamson Committee Services Section of Corporate Services. City of Edinburgh Council [email protected] Dear Ms Williamson Request for a Deputation to the Policy and Strategy Committee 4th Oct 2011 I am writing on behalf of our campaign group to request a deputation to the Policy and Strategy Committee 4th Oct 2011. The deputation concerns Item 6. The purpose of our deputation is to qualify information set out in the Report by the City Development Department. The disposal of that part of Inverleith Park that is at present used as a maintenance depot is of great concern to the community; 9000 of whom have already signed a petition against any sell-off. Yours sincerely Tony Cook Convener of The Friends of Inverleith Park. Spokesperson for Save Inverleith Park community campaign group.
Save Inverleith Park
Response on the Oct 4th Report to the Policy and Strategy Committee about the sell-off of that part of Inverleith Park currently used as a depot. The Report indicates that an ABP is likely to advise that the depot is ‘surplus’ and its sale would allow the capital receipts to pay for a state-of-the-art depot at the Inch Park. It asks you to ‘note’ the Report’s findings. It has taken 6 months for the Development and Economic Department to write this Report which the Full Council asked for in April 2011. Given it says nothing new and contains important errors we object to this delay and to the further delay in waiting for the ABP to report. We want this proposal stopped immediately. We ask the Policy and Strategy Committee to recommend that enough time and money has already been wasted on this proposed sell-off which the public over-whelmingly rejects and that the matter should now be dealt with by the Full Council; the proposal rejected; and the Open Space designation brought back to the whole of the Park in the next Local Development Plan. We could then work with the Council to raise finance for the area. Errors of Fact and Comments on the Report 1. The depot is NOT a separate site. Para 2.2. We object to the description: ‘the depot adjacent to Inverleith Park’ and, the statement at the end of Para 3.2 'The depot is separate from the Park.’ The depot area is inside Inverleith Park boundary; it has never been a separate site and has never been granted a ‘change of use’. (The planning department has searched the Archives for us.) This claim is made deliberately and persistently by Mr Dave Anderson and his Department to Councillors and to the public. This claim is not true as can be seen in information from the Planning Archives; maps in the National Library; and your own notice boards at Inverleith Park (photo attached). 2. The last minute re-designation of the site which removed the protection of Open Space. Look at the dates! Para 3.3. Re-designation of the depot area which removed the status of Open Space was made as a late modification to the ECLP adopted January 2010 this was after the Public Inquiry held in June 2009. No mention in the ECLP text; just a small change on the Final Proposals Map. The interpretation of PAN 65, used to justify this change is not that of Scottish Cities like Glasgow and Dundee who both consider the historic boundary as defining the Open Space designation. It does not fulfil the intentions of the Scottish Government in Pan 65. 3. Para 3.3. The Open Space Strategy was only put out for consultation in Feb 2010 and did not report until September 2010. Again look at the dates. This is much later than the adoption of the ECLP in Jan 2010 with its last-minute change of designation. The Inverleith Workshop was in April 2010 and Council officials did not mention to the participants that the depot area was likely to be built on even though GVA Grimley had already been appointed 6 months before (October 2009) to advise on the sell-off (FOI letter from GVA). See the error below which hides the fact that GVA were involved to sell-off this area of the Park by the Dept of Economic Development at a time when it was still Open Space. 4. There is no mention of the investigation by the Council on the status of Inverleith Park as Common Good. N.B.: The Report at Para 3.5 gives the date of GVA‘s appointment as 2010 – this is wrong – it was 2009 (see FOI Act information). This ‘error’ makes it appear that the proposal to sell-off the depot area came after the change in designation but it was already well discussed internally but not with the public or the Friends of Inverleith Park. Note that GVA were involved BEFORE the change in designation; BEFORE the Open Space Strategy consultation and BEFORE the Inverleith Park Workshop which did not mention the proposal.
