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Monday, 2nd November 2009 Change Date Latest Issue

Caltongate group makes plans

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Published Date: 04 April 2009
A CAMPAIGN taskforce has been set up to try to shape the future of the Caltongate development.
The taskforce, led by campaigners Save Our Old Town, wants to see empty buildings brought into use and landscaping of the vacant space left by the collapse of developers Mountgrange.

Plans for a five-star hotel and conference centre, 200 homes, office blocks and a public square are in serious doubt.

Sally Richardson, spokeswoman for the Save Our Old Town campaign, said: "Ideally, we'd like to take forward our own plans, particularly for buildings that are lying empty."

Architect James Simpson added: "Very few who care for the history, the architecture, the image and the long-term health of Edinburgh could fail to welcome the collapse of Mountgrange."





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  • Last Updated: 04 April 2009 9:57 AM
  • Source: Edinburgh Evening News
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Caltongate development
 
1

Buttress,

04/04/2009 10:46:47
For more and the text of today's opinion piece (in response to the All Fools' Day piece by Malcolm Fraser) by James Simpson go to:-

www.eh8.org.uk


http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/caltongatedevelopment/Platform-Time-to-reevaluate-Caltongate.5141589.jp
2

Think Tank,

04/04/2009 12:49:59
Funny I thought Malcolm Fraser raised some excellent points:

http://www.edinburgharchitecture.co.uk/calton_gate_development.htm

Since this scheme is now on hiatus, I would actually welcome SOOT actually being given the authority to try and implement their plans for community uses and farmers' markets. Perhaps actually trying to implement their utopian view of the world might actually make them realise why the rest of Edinburgh are laughing at them.


3

Buttress,

04/04/2009 13:06:36
Well, you would wouldn't you.

But really, you clearly believed all he said was true. It wasn't. I think he possibly realised that at the meeting on April 1st.. Did you attend, Septic?

Odd, I don't see the rest of Edinburgh laughing at them, although every time you post I suspect many the world over are having a snigger.





4

grantcat,

old town 04/04/2009 13:25:25
"Funny I thought Malcolm Fraser raised some excellent points:

http://www.edinburgharchitecture.co.uk/calton_gate_development.htm"

Well you would say that wouldn't you?

Well the Caltongate dystopia has hopefully died and gone and what is wrong with a utopian outlook of the world anyway or should we be more "realistic"? Was it "realistic" to buy, borrow, build and b*gger off - the plan of Mountgrange but they only got as far as buy, borrow and then be bankrupt. Your speculative capitalist friends were only as good as their word and they let you down whilst creating toxic debt. So you Think Tank can come to us when you have a realistic plan! Are people laughing at us? Or are they laughing at the wreck that is Edinburgh with its big boy plans that may take us on a merry dance of collapse and destruction. You think tank do what you are good at (whatever that is) and we will do what we want to do and hopefully never the twain shall meet.

javascript:__doPostBack('wctlAddComment1$ctl00$btnPost','')

www.independentrepublicofthecanongate.blogspot.com
5

Mallory,

Edinburgh 04/04/2009 17:44:56
It really is a poor show that the ESPC and edinburgharchitecture.co.uk - which is based in England - doesnt correct for the Scheimpflug effect in most of the images.

In England few Estate Agents, let alone architects, would dream of showing pictures of properties with converging verticals and distorted perspective.

It would appear that previous generations of illustrators understood perspective and compostition whereas today's point and shoot culture can't even use photoshop or The Gimp to sort this out.

6

Buttress,

04/04/2009 20:50:08
It will be interesting to see if the edinburgharchitecture site now adds James Simpson's opinion piece as a counter to the Fraser one.

Here's SOOT's Press Release, sent out last week, and a link to the original article:

"Caltongate Architect Stoking the Ashes of Caltongate

When controversial Caltongate Developers Mountgrange went into administration last month Save Our Old Town Campaigners, against the scheme from October 2005 said in a press release that they were full of hope at last for the future of the capital`s historic core.

They will be discussing this at a special public SOOT meeting tonight.

They will be joined surprisingly by, Malcolm Fraser one of the two architects involved in the project.

In a scathing attack in a comment piece in todays Scotsman, he accuses the SOOT campaigners of promoting their campaign with a war cry of "Let's hope for a long and bloody battle".


Sally Richardson SOOT campaigner and local resident who strongly refutes this claim said today "We are looking forward to meeting Mr Fraser and clearing up any misinformation " and she added that in the meantime they were still asking these questions among others of the City of Edinburgh Council -

"When will the buildings that have been emptied and at risk from demolition be bought back to life and serve the community and city’s needs once again ?"

"Is the CEO of Mountgrange Millionaire Manish Chande still paying the rent on the 8 council tenancies they emptied on his behalf, and is he now liable for council tax, on his 8 second homes?"

"What measures are underway to release the £100,000 bond paid by Mountgrange to landscape the site if the development hadn`t gone ahead as planned, and will they listen to the community`s ideas of what could be done with the site until a plan is underway for the New St area?" "


Malcolm Fraser's comment piece -

http://news.scotsman.com/opinion/Caltongate-project-will-promote-Old.512...
7

Suntoucher,

Exiled - but back in Embra on hols 04/04/2009 22:31:18
#2 - yes I agree, it was rather a good article and interesting evening......

I like the idea that SOOT should raise the cash and get on with it themselves or perhaps is it a case of (and forgive the mis-quote) 'those who can do, but those who can't 'preach'?
8

Single Minded,

04/04/2009 23:57:16
..... Oh, The Beavis & Buttress Show again ...... Goody!
9

Buttress,

05/04/2009 09:10:52
7 That would depend on the willingness of the council to co-operate, would it not? Community groups throughout the UK have formed Trusts of various types to take on historic buildings and give them a future. And you are going to help are you, or simply do as Septic does and snipe from the sidelines?

8 I note the pointlessness of your existence.

10

Suntoucher,

Embra 05/04/2009 09:54:38
#9 - I agree with you that it depends very much on the Council and the strong and positive leadership of the Community and future Trusts. James Simpson knows enough and enough people to get it going (or he did when I worked at Simpson & Brown a good few years ago)and good luck with it all.
11

Buttress,

05/04/2009 10:19:27
Yes, JS does - he's not alone. There's a great deal of experience and expertise out there, which can be tapped, as well as a large amount of sympathy to the cause.

Yes, luck will be required, but mainly committment and hard work. I think SOOT has proved itself to be committed and hardworking.

The council still owns the Canongate Venture, which should now be brought back into use. It has the £100,000 bond to temporarily landscape the bus garage site. The tenements should not be standing empty waiting for the five star hotel facade scheme, nor should the Ark.

The situation is now a mess, but it's not beyond redemption.
12

21st century scot,

Scotland 06/04/2009 10:17:22
Hi there.

I've asked James Simpson if he would contribute to edinburgharchitecture.co.uk. I agree that the sooner that something happens on the site the better, its an eyesore esp. from Calton Hill, and wish whoever organises it all the best. The Old Town's texture is severely disrupted by this massive expanse of empty space so it won't be easy creating a new texture to integrate with the old. What should be easy is getting empty buildings rejuvenated.

By the way Mallory, the site is run in Scotland by Scots, the fact the server company is based in Durham is neither here not there. At various points in its life the server has been in Edinburgh and London, its irrelevant.
13

Buttress,

08/04/2009 12:44:49
Then let us hope you don't then additionally ask some others to pull whatever James Simpson said to pieces, with no-one then able (or willing) to correct some of the 'opinions' you have published.

Getting empty buildings rejuvenated will require ownership of them. It will also require cash and a sustainable and suitable use.

Many people feel that an empty site (if landscaped) would be preferable to the eyesore that the Caltongate development would have been.


 

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