Tag: Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden

Latest news from Friends of Walled Garden

Hi folks, 
walled-garden-image
September and October have been busy with the Friends Group representing almost 700 petitioners at the City Chambers. The result:- the committee referred us to the Economy Committee with a recommendation that they help with the aims of re-opening and safeguarding the walled garden.
September was also the time we met regularly to pull together our ideas for a presentation to the developers on the 5th October. A thank you to those that attended our mini press-release. We tried to show the progress the group has made over the last two years, network of individuals and organisations involved, and a graphic plan of how the garden could be used for community benefit.
Designs and plan for the garden will be on display for comment from the start of November at the Muirhouse Community Shop on Pennywell Road.
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A large scale version of the friends Group plan above will be displayed throughout November in the community shop for comment. We hope that the historic garden will be kept as Openspace in the ‘Masterplan’ being produced right now by the developers, and that an agreement can be reached this winter to allow the garden to be made accessible. We wait eagerly to hear from the developers following our presentation of community plans on the 5th October.
 
Upcoming November dates and events, free to everyone to join in.
 
November 29th – Field archaeology day with Historic Environment Scotland Staff – 12.30-4ish
Please get in touch if you would like to take part (please note not inside the walled garden as it isn’t open yet)
Our next Friends Group meeting will be at the start of November week beginning the 7th, as ever open to all members. If you haven’t attended one of our meetings before and wish to come along please get in touch and details will be forwarded. Any breaking news and progress shall be reported on our WordPress site Latest Post and social media as quickly as possible: we are now on twitter too @grantoncastle 
Best, 
Kirsty
Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden
c/o North Edinburgh Arts
15a Pennywell Court
Edinburgh

Walled Garden campaigners to state their case

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The Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden will be laying out their plans to landowners later today. Developers plan to build housing on the waterfront site, but the Friends group argues that the historic garden should be brought back to it’s former glory for the use of the local community.

A Friends group delegation will set out their vision for the restoration of the garden as a focus for community renewal in a presentation to  the EDI group’s management team this afternoon.

Granton Castle Walled Garden is currently owned by the EDI Group, an ‘arms-length’ development compnay wholly-owned by the city council, who previously submitted a planning application to build luxury houses on the garden site.

However The Friends group argue that the garden should be:

a garden for all to enjoy, with a range of learning growing and arts activities and a diverse events programme.

a restored market garden run by the local community, supplying organic produce directly to local people, businesses and schools, and

a living heritage garden, serving as a gateway to the waterfront development and a social hub for existing and future communities.

At the meeting, FoGCWG will stress that all local community groups share the aim of retaining the garden as open space.

The Friends prepared specific proposals for the development of the walled garden as a community asset after the EDI Group appointed architects to prepare a new masterplan for Granton Waterfront. FoGCWG are keen that their proposals for the garden should be incorporated in the new masterplan.

Specific features of the proposals include a visitor centre and cafe, a kitchen garden, a heritage orchard, a workshop and demonstration area, a sanctuary garden. a medicinal and pigment garden, a restored glasshouse and a polytunnel.

Friends chairperson Kirsty Sutherland said: “With these proposals, an important part of Granton’s heritage can become a catalyst for development and community renewal on Edinburgh’s Waterfront. They offer a wide range of benefits in terms of health and wellbeing, social cohesion, cross-cultural integration, community education and local capacity-building.

“The restoration of Granton Castle Walled Garden as a community asset is supported by a wide range of local stakeholders and national organisations.”

You can contact the Friends group by email at grantoncastlegardengroup@gmail.com

The group also has a website at https://grantoncastlewalledgarden.wordpress.com/

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Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden: deputation to Petitions Committee today

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Hi, Friends group members and supporters,

Recent meetings and discussions with architects developing new plans for Granton’s Waterfront have gone really well, with fresh hope for the walled gardens future restoration instead of another housing development. The timescale we have before the developers make a choice determining the gardens future use is short – 5th October Senior Management team meeting.
The council owned developers Waterfront Edinburgh Limited have until now insisted on housing in the garden as the best option, but we have been invited to make a presentation to show a viable horticultural alternative!
The garden is quite overgrown and neglected now as many aerial shots display (see above), but we feel it has great potential and a unique history as the oldest structure on Granton’s Waterfront. Who knows what archaeology lies hidden beneath its rich soil?
Our committee decided at the end of August monthly meeting to take action quickly and focus our efforts.
We now have cross party support from local MSP’s, community councils, many local community groups and other expert organisations for the safeguarding of the walled garden from unnecessary housing development. Follow the link below from the wordpress site displays some of the images from the last month, recent meetings and unexpected breaking news this week.
The petitions committee meets TODAY at 2pm in the City Chambers: we hope to represent the views of the Friends Group members and supporters despite the short notice given of the petition hearing tomorrow.
Below is the outline plan we have drafted showing the possible uses of the 2 acre garden. Outline design below is based on the survey results from the Friends Group ideas questionnaire, the topography, aspect and historic features of the walled garden.
garden-plan
Our committee had an enthusiastic emergency meeting last week led by Ellie to draft the survey ideas into an outline plan for the restored garden. We hope this news finds you well and that more positive news and future events will follow.
As ever please get in touch if you would like to attend our monthly meetings, or weekly community gardening dropins. Feel free to pop by the city chambers today at 2pm if you have the time – moral support and some positive energy welcome!
Next Friends Group meeting likely to be at the end of Sept, date, time and venue tba
Best wishes,
Kirsty Sutherland
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Postal Address
Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden
c/o North Edinburgh Arts
15a Pennywell Court, Edinburgh
EH4 4TZ

Saving Granton Castle’s Walled Garden and other stories

Hi folks,
A while since we have sent out any news, so a lot to impart as we have been busy!
Articles about ‘Granton’s Lost Garden’ now published, recent presentations have met with a good response which has been publicised on our wordpress page finding-grantons-lost-castle-garden Still time to fill in the ideas survey if you haven’t done already as it will be open until midsummer, the link can be found on the wordpress page.
The Friends Group have had two meetings recently with the developers who own the walled garden, the most recent of which was very positive in its outcomes. Is there a glimmer of hope for the future of the walled garden and its restoration? The Community Empowerment Act outlines many ideals we hope can allow our voices to be heard, the ‘last of Scotland’s lost gardens’ is too precious to develop for 17 luxury townhouses.
  • Council petition!!!, save_granton_castle_walled_garden open to sign by anyone resident in Edinburgh. We need 500 signatures to be heard again at the city chambers, but there is a strict time limit … so please sign and share with those you think may be interested.
NEAC plot June 2016
On a brighter note, recent seedfunding has allowed some practical gardening sessions to be run locally to help promote our Friends Group and actively involve local people and community groups in organic horticulture and community growing. Beautiful results for everyone to share, berry picking soon, North Edinburgh Arts centre plot (pictured above, Mondays from 1-2pm and West Pilton Community Garden on Fridays 10am -12 noon.
Hope to post details of our next Friends Group Meeting venue, date and time soon, likely to be the end of June. Please get in touch if you want to come along to any of the gardening workshops, meetings or have any questions.
Best wishes,
Kirsty Sutherland

Forth Neighbourhood Partnership to meet on 3 February

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Forth Neighbourhood Partnership Public Meeting

Wednesday 3 February, 2pm

West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre 

Come along and hear about: 

Plans for the improvement of West Pilton Park 

  • Increasing the use of the park for physical activity
  • Improving the park environment
  • Improving people’s perception of the park

The Neighbourhood Environment Programme Fund (NEPs)

  • A presentation on some of the projects carried out locally to improve our open spaces.
  • How you can get involved in identifying future projects.

Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden Group

  • A presentation on Granton’s ‘forgotten’ walled garden – dating from Jacobean times.
  • Proposals from local people to safeguard and restore the garden.

There will also be a short period at the start of the meeting for Neighbourhood Partnership business. For further information contact Jim Pattison, 529 5082 – jim.pattison@edinburgh.gov.uk

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Growing hope for Walled Garden

Good news for Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden

Friends

Hi everyone,
Some startling news has been confirmed by the planning department: Waterfront Edinburgh Limited have officially withdrawn their 2003 planning application to build inside the Walled Garden (writes Kirsty Sutherland)!
Some of you will have heard this miraculous news already as committee members, but I felt this news had to be confirmed by the planning department before sharing with everyone.

Continue reading Growing hope for Walled Garden

New Year, new deadline for Granton Castle Walled Garden

Hi folks,
The urban detectives have been busy over the new year and uncovered a bit of hidden history: namely Granton Castle’s ancient monument files from 1920, which were ‘sealed’ for 50 years by the mysterious Ministry of Works (writes Kirsty Sutherland)!

Continue reading New Year, new deadline for Granton Castle Walled Garden

December update from Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden

Friends
Our first ever AGM was well attended on a dreich night and we hope to send out a goodwill message and a thank you to all of those that have supported the Friends Group this year in helping raise awareness of it’s magical story and campaign for its protection (writes Kirsty Sutherland).

Continue reading December update from Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden