Press Release 30 June 09
UNESCO urge CEC & Scottish Government to reconsider major plans in Capital
Campaigners concerned at Council approved developments in Edinburgh's City Centre were given key support from the United Nations organisation which is tasked to manage the World's Heritage sites.
Today as the Unesco world heritage summit in Seville ends, it has been revealed that after discussing the report on their visit to the capital last November, Unesco are calling on the city council and Scottish Government to reconsider their stance on major developments that the council passed despite enormous public outrage and opposition.
The 17 storey hotel proposed for the Haymarket Irish developer Tiger , they have asked to be seriously scaled down, and the other; the highly controversial Caltongate scheme they call for the retention of the two listed buildings scheduled for demolition as well as calling for the whole scheme to be scrapped.
The fate of Caltongate now lies in the councils hands as London developers Mountgrange went into administration in March.
The group opposed to Caltongate, Save Our Old Town spokeswoman Sally Richardson said today
" This is really welcome news. the Council and developers must surely realise that after years of being ignored, Edinburgh residents have had enough of poor architecture, glass and concrete monoliths and a lack of concern for the needs of ordinary people "
She added "Visitors come to Edinburgh to experience our history and traditions not to look at modern hotels where historic buildings stood less than 5 minutes ago or yet another glass fronted office block in what is marketed worldwide as a historic and beautiful destination”
SOOT member Jim Johnson and former director of the Old Town Renewal Trust said :
" UNESCO rightly demands that a buffer zone must be established to protect our city's legacy. Despite the predictable whining from the Chamber of Commerce, this need not be in conflict with development in the city centre where a major need for affordable family homes has been identified. The days of the big centralised office are ending as is obvious from the contraction in financial service, the quantity of vacant property and the inevitable increase in home-working.
Sally Richardson adds “ Questions are increasingly being asked in the UK and Europe about the 'ownership' of common good and public land. Recent appeal verdicts in the UK and France have found against councils selling off land without legal tendering and blocking competitive proposals."
" It may well be that actions in Edinburgh will face similar legal challenges"
She ends “We hope that the council will take this golden opportunity to look at the site afresh and that a community led scheme will replace the white elephant that was “Caltongate”.”
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Notes to editors
Today's news http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Unesco-deals-blow-to-World.5412165.jp
SOOT (Save Our Old Town -Edinburgh) is a community based group, founded 2005 in response to the “Caltongate” plans by Mountgrange Developers http://www.eh8.org.uk/
World Heritage Committee Seville http://www.33whc.sevilla2009.es/en/
THE EU became the latest organisation to launch an investigation into the handling of the controversial £300 million Caltongate plans.
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/EU-launches-probe-into-city39s.4384813.jp
York council failed to carry out a tendering process, which the European Commission says breaches European rule http://www.thepress.co.uk/search/4458878.Court_threat_over_key_York_development/
Developer Land Securities' hopes of signing an agreement with Newham Council to extend a shopping centre in the borough were dealt a blow by a European Union ruling.
But an EU ruling on a case in France means Newham Council has been forced to put the contract out to full tender. The ruling - which related to a case involving Roanne town council - has established the principle that public development agreements are bound by EU procurement rules.