Emailing from an owl-filled wood somewhere in Lochaber, land issues writer and researcher Andy Wightman has responded to recent events in Multrees Walk (Breaking news).
'I think the public have a right of access under the Land Reform Act,' he told Spurtle, 'and thus it is a "public place" even though technically it is private.
'So, there should be no problem taking photos.
'This is part of a bigger problem of private companies managing public spaces. The city centre BID is now run by a private consortium despite all the streets being part of the common good fund. Not sure public are as aware of this as they should be.'
Wightman says the issues here are well covered in Anna Minton's book Ground Control: Fear and Happiness in the Twenty-first Century City (Penguin, 2009, ISBN: 9780141033914), although it mainly references England. Edinburgh Tweeter NewTownFlaneur has found a concise article by the same author.
[Photo by Jonathan Oldenbuck.]