On 30 June, Bellevue resident David Sterratt wrote to the Council objecting to the proposed sale of 154 McDonald Road and its re-use as housing (see Breaking news, 24.6.13, 2.7.13, 3.7.13, Issue 220).
His letter to Alastair Maclean (Director of Corporate Governance) was forwarded within the Council, and Sterratt received a response from Gillian Tee (Director of Children and Families) about two weeks later.
We reproduce both letters below, in full and unedited except for the redaction of addresses.
The articulate and reasonable tone of the correspondence makes disentangling the respective arguments easy. Readers will draw their own conclusions, but points which struck the Spurtle were:
- A slight touchiness on the Council’s part about use of the term ‘annexe’ for 154 McDonald Rd. They seem keen to date use of the property for educational purposes as long ago as possible. On the contrary, published correspondence in the Spurtle dates former Broughton Primary School pupils’ education in No. 154 much later.
- Reconfiguration of the gym/nursery and re-occupation of the After School Club are no longer under consideration.
- New-build accommodation is now the preferred option, with possible siting on the school’s present car park in order to minimise reduction of playground space.
- It is not clear exactly what Tee refers to in the comment ‘Any solution would however need to be assessed against both available budget and the required timescale for delivery’.
- Tee ignores Sterratt’s arguments about the merits of using 154 McDonald Road, and finding creative uses for those parts surplus to requirements. Instead she simply reiterates the property’s size and cites the Council’s requirement to rationalise its estate. It is not rational not to consider both sides of the argument.
- Tee asserts that it is quite normal for Edinburgh primary schools to be overlooked from nearby residences. However, she does not acknowledge the extreme proximity of potential overlooking in this context. In any case, mere precedent is not necessarily a defence of this questionable practice.
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To: Alastair Maclean
Subject: Sale of Broughton Primary annexe
Dear Alastair MacLean,
I am writing, as a parent of a child who has just finished P7 at Broughton Primary School, to ask you to halt or suspend the sale of the former Broughton High school, the annexe to Broughton Primary School.
The main reason for this request is that use of the annexe should be considered as a long-term solution to the capacity problems in Broughton PS. Use of the annexe would be preferable to use of temporary classrooms because there would be no reduction in playground space, which is, I understand, already at the lower end of what is needed for the number of children already in the school. Also, it would seem preferable to have everyone in the same building.
Given that new housing is being built in the area and that many of the surrounding primary schools are also under pressure (e.g. Flora Stevenson's, Stockbridge, Trinity, Granton, Victoria, Leith St Mary's), it seems that demand for places may rise beyond expectations in
Broughton Primary School. Using the annexe would allow for more expansion than would be possible in temporary classrooms, and might also allow for improved dining facilities, which have become increasingly cramped as the school roll has risen.
The second reason is that I have my doubts about whether the close proximity of housing and a primary school is desirable and whether it makes sense for the Council to relinquish ownership of conjoined buildings.
Obviously the extra classes would not fill the entire annexe. However I think that, with some creative thinking, uses for the rest of the space could be found. For example, perhaps it could be used for office or workshop units for small businesses, along similar lines to Abbeymount
Techbase. Perhaps there are also some facilities situated in schools that will reach capacity soon which could be moved to the annexe, for example the Victorian Schoolroom currently at Leith Walk Primary.
I think such a combined use of the existing space may prove better value in the long term than building classrooms in the short term. Time should be taken to assess this properly now, before the building is lost irrevocably to current and future generations of the city's children.
Best wishes,
David Sterratt
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Date: 16/07/13 09:21:38
Dear Mr Sterratt
I am writing in response to your email of 30 June 2013 which was sent to my colleague, Alastair MacLean.
If I could first correct what I believe may be an understanding regarding the status of the building within the Council's property estate. The property at 154 McDonald Road is not an annexe to Broughton Primary School. It served as Broughton High School until approximately 1960 and was subsequently used as office space for Council staff until it was vacated in 2010 when it was first marketed for sale.
As part of the planning for the future accommodation requirements in the primary school estate in Edinburgh, Broughton is one of several primary schools where it is anticipated that additional class spaces (a combination of classrooms and general purposes spaces) might be required over the next few years to respond to the significant increase in primary school rolls which are expected to arise across the city. At present it is anticipated that Broughton Primary School would require up to four additional class spaces to be able to accommodate expected future demand from catchment pupils. How the requirement for additional accommodation at Broughton (and the other affected primary schools) could be met has been the subject of consideration over the last few months by the Estate Strategy and Rising Rolls Working Group which consists of Elected Members, Council Officers and parent representatives from several schools. This group has considered a variety of options for each school.
The Council is now in a legal contract to sell 154 McDonald Road. The missive for the sale is subject to a number of conditions and providing these are satisfied the Council are legally bound to complete the sale. However, given that the development proposals for MacDonald Road were still ongoing, it was agreed that this should not be discounted at this stage and that the position would be reviewed once the outcome of the planning application is known. Any solution would however need to be assessed against both available budget and the required timescale for delivery.
Regarding the close proximity of the building with the primary school there is, indeed, a link corridor which joins the two buildings which, in the future, would be used for storage purposes and will be completely blocked off from the school building; this area was already blocked off
when the building was used for office accommodation. Most of our older, city centre schools are overlooked by tenement flats. Sciennes, South Morningside, Craiglockhart, Preston Street and Tollcross Primary Schools are but a few. However, newer schools such as Davidson's Mains and St Crispin's are also overlooked by adjacent residential properties.
Accordingly, it is not unusual for playgrounds to be visible from residential properties. In addition it is worth noting that 154 McDonald Road was previously used for many, many years as office accommodation.
In the new academic we will work with the school to consider how the new build accommodation could be best located on the primary school site and what measures can be taken to mitigate any impact on playground space.
I hope this is helpful.
Yours sincerely
Gillian Tee
Director of Children & Families
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Reactions
RB @speybaysoul @theSpurtle I live close to the school. The bells and sounds of screaming kids is bad enough here. Who'd buy a flat right on top?! #crazy
Broughton Spurtle @theSpurtle @speybaysoul What's the betting residents would complain about noise/damage to windows? It's also an open playground out of school hours. l
RB 
Pamela Hunter 
Broughton Spurtle 
Pamela Hunter