Barnton Park Wood planning application

5/2/07


Copy of letter to Barnton Park Wood residents:

Dear Resident,

Barnton Park Wood planning application 06/05103/OUT

You may have heard that a planning application has been submitted for the demolition of 5 houses within the Barnton Park Wood cul-de-sac and the proposed development of nine 3
storey town houses and three blocks of 4 storey flats (a total of 42 homes) on the newly-cleared area. This will include 65 car spaces and 5 garages, served by the existing access road. The two bungalows either side of this road will remain. There will be a pedestrian route to the woods through the development.

These plans can be seen on the Council website at: http://citydevportal.edinburgh.gov.uk/publicaccess/dc/DcApplication/application_searchform.aspx. or on the Community Council noticeboard. You can also contact the Community Council Secretary or the Chairman of the Barnton Policy Parks Association for more information. To comment on the plans, you must write to Alan Henderson, Head of Planning, City of Edinburgh Council, Waverly Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh, EH12 1ZJ or email ian.smith@edinburgh.gov.uk. All comments must be submitted by 21st February.

There will be a meeting about the application at the Davidson’s Mains Parish Church on Quality Street on February 13th at 7.30pm. Valid grounds for objection include issues around
overdevelopment, narrowing of access (including for emergency vehicles) caused by parking overspill, increased traffic congestion and environmental concerns in Barnton Park Wood.

We have serious concerns about the scale and nature of the development. This represents a seismic change in density for the neighbourhood. Inevitably, this will bring serious problems and increased pressures to the area. Margaret Smith MSP has written to the Head of Planning to raise her concerns about the application. She explained, “I have real concerns about a number of issues associated with these plans. The size of the 4 storey flats will dominate all nearby properties and cause a loss of privacy and sunlight for residents. In fact, a couple of the blocks of flats have living room windows and balconies that directly overlook adjacent houses. I am also worried that traffic congestion will be exacerbated at the junctions to Queensferry Road and Whitehouse Road. Furthermore, I worry about the safety for children playing in the play area due to the influx of cars and its remoteness from the main part of the development”.

Focus Editor Neil MacLean added, “It is vitally important that residents write to the Planning Department to let their views be known on the issues. Property developers cannot be allowed to ride roughshod over the views of existing residents. Personally, I have grave concerns about environmental repercussions, as green areas are covered by tarmac and the potential for
Barnton Park Wood’s trees to be damaged by fumes from traffic and by construction”.

If you do respond to the application, it would be useful if you could send a copy to Margaret Smith MSP at 3 Drum Brae Avenue, Edinburgh EH12 8TE or e-mail Margaret on margaret.smith.msp@scottish.parliament.uk