Dear Cllr MacLaren

I am writing to you to indicate my support for the preservation of Portobello Park. Some of my reasons are as follows :

· Accessibility of Portobello Park. It is currently used by walkers, children playing, joggers, people on their way to and from work/school/golf.
The importance of green space is increasingly recognised. It is becoming a scarce resource in East Edinburgh, and we should be protecting it.

· The health of local residents is enhanced by access to Portobello Park. People of all ages, but particularly the very young and the elderly benefit from easy access to open space. If they have to travel to open spaces, they will not be able to get there, and health will be affected. This is particularly important in the face of increasing childhood obesity

· It is enjoyed as an open view by commuters, motorists and pedestrians travelling along Milton Road. This open view contributes to the ambience of the whole area, and helps make Edinburgh the beautiful, pleasant city that it is. To destroy this view is short-sighted, and damaging to the future of Edinburgh.

· Although the golf course is not directly affected at the moment, it is hard to see how it can survive, adjacent to a large high school, with hundreds of children spilling out at lunchtime and home time. There is also a safety issue for the schoolchildren.

· Proximity to a major road into the city centre presents serious road safety issues for both pedestrians and vehicle access to the proposed school.

· There is no green space available locally to replace Portobello Park. The council’s decision in December 2006 was on condition that such a replacement was found, and it would be disingenuous of the council to push ahead without fulfilling this condition

· Feasibility reports have been produced (in the run up to PPP2) concluding that it would be feasible to refurbish the existing PHS. This proves that Portobello Park is NOT the only option, and therefore its legal position as common good land should be preserved.

· It would be cheaper to refurbish the existing building, and the negative environmental impact from demolishing a structurally sound concrete building, and the landfill implications from that, could be avoided.

· In funding terms, the very high costs of PPP schemes are no longer politically or financially acceptable, and greater emphasis will be placed on affordability of future building projects. This means that the council have a greater responsibility for ensuring value for money and affordability. Many of the other schools in " Wave 3" are now looking at refurbishment as an alternative to rebuild. Why should PHS be any different?

I am grateful to you for taking the time to consider these points, and hope that you will be able to understand the wider implications for Portobello and for Edinburgh, in setting precedents for the protection of our green spaces

Yours sincerely