Tuesday 17 February 2009

Unesco Slates Caltongate


The chickens are coming home to roost to the City Chambers, and it won`t be that long before we have our very own in the New Street gap site by the sound of things....
from todays article Unesco slates Caltongate scheme in The Scotsman -

full article here
"A DOSSIER into Edinburgh's World Heritage Site has strongly criticised the handling of a controversial development in the heart of the Old Town.
The Unesco report, delivered to the city council on Friday, has singled out for criticism the way the £300 million Caltongate scheme was approved by the authorities despite protests from a host of heritage groups."


"Jim Lowrie, the city council head of planning, said: "(The report] does criticise us over the Caltongate development. We are going to have to look at (that] before we respond in detail."












In The Sunday Herald Joanna Blythman wrote whilst celebrating it seems
Grand’ failure offers green light for green space "Rejoice! Caltongate, Edinburgh's grandiose £300 million development project, looks dead in the water because the company behind it, Mountgrange, has run out of dosh. The company has clocked up a loss of £24m and is so indebted that there is "a material uncertainty that casts doubts over the company's ability to continue as a going concern". As someone who lways thought the Caltongate project was a crock of ordure, I won't shed a tear if Mountgrange goes down the pan, taking its ill-conceived plan with it." full article here

Please note that the Canongate Community Forum AGM that was to take place tonight has been postponed.