Broughton Road residents are dismayed that contractors have begun felling trees on the wooded strip between their backgreens (Nos 32–62), Heriot Hill and the Claremonts (see map below).
The chainsaws began yesterday and have been rapidly clearing the area since. 'It’s a crying shame to see this little piece of land destroyed,’ one neighbour ('RJS') told Spurtle. ‘No doubt, it’s to line the pocket of some developer who couldn't care less about the animals who will have to move elsewhere'.
Such sentiments are understandable, but perhaps a little premature as no-one at the moment seems sure who owns the land or what their intentions may be.
This narrow haven of greenery and quiet was at the centre of a controversial pre-application consultation in 2011 when Sir Frank Mears & Partners (SFMP) looked into developing the site as eight townhouses in four blocks. Locals’ objections then included loss of wildlife, privacy and potential destabilising of the steep slope.
(Tree law is complex, but a brief Council guide is available here.)
This narrow strip is very much a backwater, with limited space and even more limited access. After SFMP's scheme fell through, the property is believed to have changed hands, and this recent flurry of activity suggests some new planning application may well be in the offing. So far, however, we have seen no sign of it on the Planning portal.
Locals liaise with officials to coordinate a response
Broughton Road residents have been photographing and filming the clearance work to make sure they have ample evidence of the destruction. Several have been in touch with the Council already, asking for an investigation of what’s going on and an assurance that everything will be done by the book.
One of them, John Robinson, witnessed JCBs and saw signs of 'tons of earth' having been moved. He contacted the Council's Planning Helpdesk to voice deep concern about possible subsidence to nearby buildings around this site of a former sand quarry. He feels work should not proceed without a thorough structural survey, and suspects that even the limited work undertaken so far may have required planning permission which was neither sought nor granted.
Drew Bain, another local, will meet Council Enforcement officials tomorrow to discuss what should be done next. He advises locals not to lose hope, as Council policy is resistant to such backwater development and – so long as building does not take place – shrubs and trees here will grow back.
He and fellow resident Luke Cotton offer themselves as contacts for locals wanting information and advice, both now and in the event of a new application coming to light. They can be reached on:
- Drew Bain — Mob. 07748 678198 or email drew631@hotmail.com
- Luke Cotton — Mob. 07895 220715 or email lukecotton@hotmail.co.uk
The contractors had left by the time officials arrived at around 3.40pm, perhaps worn out by the stream of residents who had been questioning them all day. They (the contractors) had grown increasingly taciturn and rude as the hours progressed, but not before letting slip in the Powderhall Arms that a developer has ambitions to build 10 townhouses on the site.
That developer may be in for a shock. He or she may be required to restore the ground, stabilise and reseed it prior to submitting a planning application. In short, it may cost more to get back to something approximating what was there before than it has cost so far to grub it all up.
News of any further developments will be posted, as here, to the bottom of the page.
What do you think about this issue? Are such wooded scraps worth preserving, or should we make the most of them in a crowded city with too few houses to go round? Tell us by email at spurtle@hotmail.co.uk on Facebook Broughton Spurtle or Twitter @theSpurtle
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Nicole Cotton [by email]: Im shocked and saddened to learn about the destruction of the green space at broughton road. This will be home for a great deal of wildlife and these spaces in the city need to be preserved.
Late on Tuesday evening (11.3.14), Spurtle's editor changed 'removed' to 'moved' in the article above to accurately repeat John Robinson's original wording to us in an email. John Robinson had not seen earth removed by JCBs from the site.
Zak Cotton [by email]: It seems remarkable that permission to go ahead with such wanton destruction of a much loved green space, without any consultation whatsoever with local residents, would be granted. A shameful and inconsiderate display by developers.
Margaret Halliday [by email]: I was horrified to see that the lilacs bordering my garden (and on my land) had gone today and then I saw that all the trees had been cut down and other destruction – the poor wildlife. As a resident of Claremont Grove, I am also deeply worried about my garden and possibly house falling down the steep bank. This must be stopped immediately.
Ruth Thomson [sent from my iPhone]: I think this is appalling: taking down such a beautiful garden behind residents' houses. One of the reasons why they stay there is it feels so calm, and such a lovely background. Disgusted to say the least. And without even consulting residents about what they were planning to do!
Dear Spurtle
I was surprised and dismayed when told by a friend about the removal of trees and vegetation from the Sandy Hill (as we called it in the 1950s).
As youngsters, the Sandy Hill was our play park. We were never off the hill, building gang huts, playing cowboys and Indians, etc. I remember in the early ‘50s behind Nos 44 and 46 Broughton Road they did major works of installing piles and shoring to retain the hill from slipping. I remember the ground behind the gardens of Claremont Grove had at that time dropped away.
So, the thought of possible housing being built on the Sandy Hill surprises me. Towards the Heriothill Terrace end the hill is very steep and without vegetation is likely to be unstable . Access is next to Nos 56–60 Broughton Road through what appears a wide access, but unless land has been purchased from one of the gardens in East Claremont Crescent, then this narrows down to about 3m wide above a high buttressed wall in the back green of No 58 Broughton Road.
Danny Calaghan (16.3.14)
(formerly of 50 Broughton Road) The next update to this story – land ownership, recent sales, and confirmation of a Council investigation – has been added today to Breaking news (19.3.14).