The council has launched an audit on open space in the city and is carrying out consultation on it. This will inform the preparation of an open space strategy for Edinburgh, which will set standards of provision across the city and will help set priorities for change in open space over the next five years. You can view the document on line at: www.edinburgh.gov.uk/openspacestrategy.

Page 7 is concerned with the Portobello/Craigmillar neighbourhood partnership area and states that. " 92.7% of houses and flats are within 400m walking distance of some type of significant accessible open space" This is one of the highest percentages for all neighbourhood partnerships and is partly due to the inclusion of Portobello promenade as civic space." This is in direct contrast with the current Local Plan for NE Edinburgh which identifies a deficit of open space in the area!

The Promenade may be a "civic space" but you can´t play football or any other games on it. Someone with a suspicious mind could be forgiven for wondering if the area is going to be seen as having a surplus of open space and therefore able to lose some (maybe a certain park?). There is also a consultation going on at the moment over cycling on the Promenade . If cycling is allowed officially allowed on the Prom then it will become a transport corridor, i.e. NOT open space.

There is a map showing all the open spaces in Edinburgh and interestingly it shows the Park merely as playing fields. It needs to be pointed out to the council that Portobello Park is a "City Park", as identified in the Council´s own Public Parks and Gardens Strategy.

The new Edinburgh City Plan (not yet adopted) proposes open space policies which state that it may be acceptable to build on green space if there is an excess of open space in the area! The excess would be identified by carrying out an audit. Any alarm bells ringing yet? How much is too much?! It appears that the open space audit may be more about identifying open space for development than about protecting it.

It is important therefore that those of us who wish to save the Park respond to this consultation. Please visit www.edinburgh.gov.uk/openspacestrategy where you will find an online form you can complete with your views by Friday 10 July.

Thank you for your support.