| Myths |
Facts |
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The school can only be built on the Park |
The Council chose the existing site for the failed PPP bid in 2002 and the existing site was its second choice out of 15 in 2006. |
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The land is owned by the council |
The land is common good land and is owned by the people of scotland. |
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School children perform worse in their exams during a decant |
Research has shown that school children actually perform better in their exams during a decant. |
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All parents support the school being built on the park |
Many parents want a new/improved school but do not want to give up valuable green space to get one. |
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Portobello Park and Golf Course are not common good land |
The whole park
IS
Common Good land and this has been acknowledged by the council |
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Planning permission will not be a problem |
Building on green space is in contravention of planning guidelines and has been identified as HIGH RISK. |
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The school on the park will be "Visionary" with many extra facilities for the community |
The most recent feasability report commisioned by the council asserts that only the standard provision will be deliverable, in terms of space and cost, and that the provision of extras such as those identified in the PHS "Vision" will have to be balanced by cuts elsewhere. |
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The school on the park would only take up part of the park and would be surrounded by green space |
The school would take up ALL of the park. No public green space would remain once car parking and access roads have been factored in. |
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The proposed school will have no detrimental effect on traffic and safety. |
The council is busy in trying to mitigate the effects by forming a new path on the park and introducing a 20 mph zone. It does not know how many children will be dropped off by car to the proposed school site but hopes it won't be that many. |
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Compensation is being paid for the loss of the Park. |
The Council pretends that £500,000 is available but is using £350,000 to form a safe path to allow pupils to access the school. The rest of the money will be used to offset cuts in council budgets. So it's a win win situation for the council. |
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The present school has no sports facilities. |
The existing school has a pool, a superb gym and an artificial pitch. |
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The present school is crumbling. |
The Council has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds in improving the condition of the school since 2006. |
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The new school will mean that pupils will not be bussed off-site for sports. |
Not all games will be able to be played on site. |
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The school facilities will be available to the public. |
No new facilities will be created except an extra artificial pitch so no greater benefit to the public is gained. The pitches will only be available if there is a grounds person/janitor willing to be present and there is money to pay them. |
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The facilities will be freely available to the public. |
Each facility is only available when the school does not need it and this will be at an increased cost to that which exists now. |
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The new school will not affect the Golf Course. |
It is being left to the teachers to control the pupils at lunch break and stop them wandering on to the golf course. No teacher has come forward to say how this will be done. |
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No trees will be removed to make way for the new school. |
Healthy trees, eighteen identified so far and rising, will be removed to allow access to be formed. |
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Other sites for the school were dismissed because of the need to remove some Millennium planting.< |
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Up to half of the Millennium planting will be removed to allow the school to be built. |
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Many those who support the School being built on Portobello Park ignore these inconvenient truths. It would be better for all concerned for a little honesty to enter the arguments for building on the Park. For instance, the Council always say that building housing on the Golf Course is not part of this proposal - but who can believe that it isn't part of the plan for the next stage. We should be told the truth about the plans for the rest of this green open space should the school get planning permission.
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