Friends of the Rocheid Path – the popular cycleway and footpath between Canonmills and Inverleith – are circulating a letter to local residents.
The Council has asked the group to come up with ideas for how to restore and improve the riverbank beside Arboretum Avenue, and particularly the 'Arboretum Triangle' (see map below) when Lagan vacate the storage site on completion of Water of Leith floodworks in the area next year.
'This is an opportunity to make some worthwhile long-term improvements to the appearance of the whole of the riverbank along Arboretum Avenue,' writes Pam Barnes, convenor of the Friends.
'In thinking about this we have tried to come up with proposals which as well as being attractive will not require a lot of maintenance in the future.'
Below, we quote verbatim from the Friends' letter. Their plan is to reach as broad a consensus as possible between locals, although the Council will have the final say.
They request responses by 15 December either to: (post) Pam Barnes, 13/3 Eton Terrace, Edinburgh EH4 1QD; or email therocheidpath@gmail.com
Minutes of the Friends' AGM on 19 November, and a copy of the group's long-term plan – are at Extras (28.11.12).
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1. The triangle should be incorporated in the riverbank greenspace and enclosed by a new section of railing along the edge of the pavement (marked as A-A on the sketch plan overleaf).
2. There is already a line of trees along the edge of the greenspace next to the fence A-A. Single specimen trees should be planted in the gaps (marked as X on the sketch plan) and the triangle area should be planted with grass and early spring bulbs. This area would be an attractive place for two benches facing across the river. If needed, easy maintenance shrubs could soften the outline of the fence A-A.
3. The present railings between the tarmac path and the river at this area have been partially dismantled. The railings are quite unsightly and make the view across the river from both banks much less attractive. The Friends’ Group suggest that it would be better not to have railings along the edge of the river, especially, if, the triangle area is separated from the road by the new railings as suggested above. The Council has to decide whether there is a need for a barrier of some kind at this point and they will need to consider safety issues before reaching a decision. Another possibility is a lower fence or a hedge.
4. The Friends Group discussed a suggestion for planting fruit trees on the triangle area which was popular. However some doubts have been raised about whether this is practical and manageable in this location. Therefore we also propose to discuss with the Council whether it would be possible to find a suitable site for a community orchard within Inverleith Park.
Improvements to the Arboretum Avenue Bank
5. We suggest that the historic planting pattern along the bank of the river with its line of larger trees near the railings should be maintained. This is the long thin strip along the river bank to the Falshaw Bridge. This would require the planting of two substantial trees to fill gaps left where some of the older trees have been removed and removal of some holly which has outgrown its space and is too close to seats or to another tree or shrub.