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LASSWADE DISTRICT CIVIC SOCIETY |
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CONTENTS Click on the links below or just work you way through the document |
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LOCAL PLANS |
LITTER |
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In August 1998, Midlothian published the 'Midlothian Local Plan: Consultative Draft'. Individuals and Associations such as ours had until November 1998 to send in their comments and objections. These were all carefully considered and a 'Finalised Midlothian Plan' was produced which included many of the changes that those who wrote in had wanted. Letters were sent to all objectors explaining what modifications were to be made concerning the points they had mentioned and asking if they were satisfied with the new decisions. However, this Plan, in spite of its name, is not 'final' as there is to be a Public Local Enquiry, provisionally starting on 18th April 2001, to approve what is already in the report and to give those who still have objections the chance to put their case, either in writing or in person. The largest number of objections came from Penicuik and concerned plans for housing development there. Our Society's main objection concerned siting the new Midlothian Community Hospital right in the middle of the Green Belt where little public transport was available. This was, to use the jargon, 'modified' after the Draft Plan and we were pleased to note that a much better site was suggested. The Society is still making representations regarding this matter though it seems probable the new site will be at Mayshade. So now we come to all the plans for our own area. I do not need to write at length about these as there are some excellent articles written by several of our dedicated and hard-working committee members further on in this newsletter. Just to summarise, there is our footbridge and its adjoining garden, which now has official planning permission from Midlothian Council, and work should be started on this very soon. There is all the work which we are doing to try to prevent developments which we consider will damage the environment which we all care for so much. In particular, we have done what we can to stop development in the Green Belt in areas such as Polton Farm which lies in the North Esk Valley. The results of the two current applications, for 24 houses at Polton Farm and 10 houses at Polton Press, are expected soon. You will also see that we have plans for the "Esk Valley Way", the proposed walkway beside or near the river, which we hope will go from the Pentlands to the sea at Musselburgh. Progress here is slow but is none the less being made. We are concerned about the future of Mavisbank, which could perhaps become again the lovely Adam house which it once was; we hope that you, our members, will contact us to say what your opinion is about this (see article). Work is being done on the Lasswade Viaduct and we have some long-term plans for its future also. Our Society members have always been very helpful when asked to take such action as writing letters or doing a River Clean; our sincere thanks to you all. Finally, I would like to thank our Councillor Derek Milligan for all the help and advice he has given us concerning our various projects. Now, though, to my most important point. Please remember that this is your Society and we are here to do what you, our Members, would like. So please be sure to contact one of us if you have any matter that you wish to discuss or anything you think we should be doing. There is a list giving some phone numbers further on. I hope you will get in touch just as soon as you feel a need to do so. MJW |
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A Date For Your Diary
to be held on St Leonard's Church Hall Your local Distributor will call to offer you tickets at £4.50 each and also to collect annual subscriptions. Any queries:please phone Anna - 663 8103 |
After more than a year "live" our website appears to have come of age and is increasingly being found by major search engines on a variety of local subjects. We have had queries from visitors both overseas and elsewhere in UK. As a result we have established a "message board" where members and non-members can lodge queries or comments. Have a look at it - you may be able to provide some answers. We celebrated its first year in operation by giving the site a face lift. If you haven't visited it recently please do so. Look out for the compost bins - they are good value! |
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Mention has been made in previous Newsletters of our concept of "The North Esk Way". This would ultimately establish a network of linking pathways along the 27-mile course of the river from its source at the North Esk Reservoir in the Pentland Hills to the sea at Musselburgh. It would allow easy access for informal recreation in a very attractive rural area from some seventeen settlements along its route. The ideal has been enthusiastically received by like-thinking groups along the river and we are now working towards the creation of a formal body to promote these proposals. There is general agreement that "The Esk Valley Way" is a better name for the project – 'Valley' is a more mellow word and embraces the broader countryside corridor which requires our active conservation efforts. Also omission of the word 'North' allows the future prospect of widening our remit to incorporate local community interests bordering the South Esk and along the combined Esk river in East Lothian. We hope that, after establishing a formal constitution, this new organisation will be recognised as a key member of the Council-led "Midlothian Countryside Access Forum" which is the top-level District strategic group responsible for developing these objectives. Please feel free to broadcast this new title - "The Esk Valley Way" – at every opportunity, to create an increasing ground swell of local awareness of this long term project. |
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Steady progress continues, albeit painfully slowly, towards the construction of the new bridge to Lasswade Park across the River North Esk from the open area opposite the "Laird and Dog".
Initially there were rapid advances earlier last year when the Society was formally approved as an "Environmental Body" under the regulatory terms of the national Environmental Trust Scheme. We were then able to acquire substantial funds for the project from Midlothian Landfill Tax sources. Various design options were considered and the final design of a galvanised steel bridge with overlaid wooden decking and handrails has been established. The package includes a stone-built bus shelter /information booth and an amenity garden area with raised shrub-beds, a circular bench-seat around a central feature and interesting paving leading to the footbridge. With use of the light-controlled pedestrian crossing in the High Street, it is hoped that residents will, later in 2001, have safe access to our attractive but largely-unused Park and that the centre of our village will be rejuvenated to develop a wider feeling of community. Our Planning Application was submitted to Midlothian Council in July 2000. Ever since then, the Council has been working to clarify a number of associated problems over the use of this area of Public Amenity Land but these difficulties now seem to be close to resolution. Meanwhile the Council Planning Committee gave its official approval of our Application on 30 November 2000, conditional on some points of detail which are now being discussed with its officials |
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Annual General Meeting 7:45 for 8:00pm Tuesday 8th May Lasswade Park Pavilion |
This is another request for those who have Email addresses to notify ttuke@springtec.idps.co.uk. You will then receive notification of updates to the website and other events/news etc. |
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We do from time to time remind the Council about clearing litter from public areas and as you all know we also hold periodic "clean-ups". The latter are usually great fun but it is a sad fact that litter will start gathering again almost from the moment we have finished. We will continue to hold these "big events" as and when required, particularly in difficult places like the river, but could we also ask people to consider taking a plastic bag when out walking and to fill this with litter which they could then deposit in their own bin. One member in Polton Village does this when out for his routine run and often collects as much as two full bags. With more people doing it we could quite quickly restore our villages and surrounding areas to a state of cleanliness we could be proud of. If anyone is concerned about the hygiene aspects of picking up litter then a second plastic bag makes a very effective glove. Go bag it! |
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We would like to thank one of our very long-standing members, Mrs Jean Abel of Rougemont, Kevock for very kindly donating a large photo album to the Society. This is proving to be entertaining to fill and has already been the subject of much discussion and a fair degree of laughter as past events are studied and younger versions of our present selves are recognised. We hope to display this at our indoor events. Remember planting George Abel's daffodil bulbs at Wadingburn in the 1970's? or what about the 1982 Barbecue at Vogrie? Come and see our members clearing rubbish (skiploads) from the river at the Polton clear-up last April after the severe flooding. Also see us sampling the rewards after our hard work or enjoy the view of a large group of us from 3 to 65 years sitting on a massive fallen tree during our successful September walk and picnic to Bilston Glen Viaduct and Maiden Castle. Better still, why not join us on our next venture when you too could be part of our hall of fame! If any reader has any photos of past events for the album please contact Anna: 663 8103. They will be copied and returned safely to you. |
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I have been asked to request that people drive more slowly and take more care even on what seem to be small, quiet roads. I and others have often seen local cars drive past much too fast. Children, old people, someone hurrying to cross the road and even someone's pet just might be hit or touched by a car and very serious injuries could result. Please drive carefully. MJW |
Membership Subscriptions for lst April 2001 to 31st March 2002 Families £3 Individuals £2 (no increase in subs for yet another year!) The Society would like to thank all our Distributors for their valued support. In the next few weeks they will be calling to collect your subs and to invite you to buy Wine and Cheese Tickets. |
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This historic asset provided the link from the once-thriving village of Polton with its two substantial paper-mills, through the Broomieknowe Tunnel to Edinburgh and Leith. The last train journey across the valley was in 1964 and some of us still remember this nostalgic event. We are pleased to note that our repeated requests to Rail Property Ltd. for action over the viaduct's deteriorating condition have finally been successful. An ambitious maintenance programme against Planning Application No. 00/00221/LBC (Listed Building Consent) is now underway. It involves removal of the self-seeded saplings which threatened to dislodge the stonework and replacement of damaged stone-facings and the missing sections of the parapet and handrails. We hope that one day, the viaduct will provide a valuable local contribution as a pathway in the overall development of the "Esk Valley Way" |
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A year ago we reported that a consortium had been set up to look at ways of restoring this 18th century Adam house and its policies. The main working group comprises Midlothian Council, Historic Scotland (who already own the policies) and The Edinburgh Green Belt Trust. Since then the group has established that it would cost some £10 million fully to restore it and they are now consulting with the major public funding bodies to see if this amount can be raised. They will also be seeking private and indeed commercial funding.
While the policies remain a beautiful and peaceful part of our valley, the house itself has been in a very sorry state since the fire in the 1970's. Unsightly scaffolding has had to be erected to try to stop some parts falling down and the whole site has been surrounded by a high fence to keep people out. Frost and water damage is increasing every year and there are even trees growing out of the stonework. Possible uses being considered include an art gallery and a concert hall. Some people will be enthused by this ambitious project to restore a fine example of our architectural heritage to its former glory and to put it too a worthwhile use. Others may consider that a more modest plan merely to stabilise and preserve the existing exterior, such that the scaffolding and fencing could be removed, would be more appropriate and reduce disturbance to the peace of the valley. What do you think? Please let us know. We understand that the consortium plan to hold an information/consultation event sometime in the Spring and they do genuinely want to know people's views. If this happens before our next newsletter we will alert as many members as we can by email and the website as well as by word of mouth. |
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Chairman - Margaret Workman Treasurer - Bill Dobson Secretary - Tim Tuke Membership - Anna Dobson Planning Issues - Joan Acton |
In the last newsletter we were able to report SMAG's delight that the Council had voted in favour of designating Springfield Mill as a wildlife site and removing it from the housing list. The Council also voted to allocate landfill tax money to the project to allow demolition of the remaining buildings which are certainly a safety hazard. SMAG are now being told that they must wait until the outcome of the developer's appeal against the Finalised Local Plan and this could be another 18 months away. In the meantime SMAG, who now have 124 members, have raised £6,500 towards their share of the cost and will be putting up a robust case at the Local Plan Enquiry. Their website is at: www.springtec.f9.co.uk/SMAG/ |
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It seems to me that the end of the first Newsletter for 2001 is a good place to tell everyone that Lasswade District Civic Society now has over 400 members, a total we have never reached before. It is very encouraging to know that so many people support the Society. As I have said earlier, be sure to tell one of the Committee about any matter which concerns you or anything you would like to see done. All very best wishes for the year 2001; some people tell us it is actually the first year of the twenty-first Century, 2000 being the last year of the twentieth...... the choice is up to you!
Yours sincerely
Margaret Workman, Chairman |
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