Dalkeith Bus Garage Site

Dalkeith Bus Station or Bus Garage

I have always been opinionated about the bus station site in Dalkeith. It was not a bus station in recent years, it was a bus garage. When I was a kid, my mum and I travelled to Dalkeith to get the Gala bus at stance 13. We got off at Heriot at the wee White House on the left, just off the main road, where my gran and Uncle George lived. The house is still there but in the field opposite where my gran had her hens? well that's now a development of swish houses.

So when did the station become a garage? And where's the change of use planning application? I can tell you there was never a change of use application because I enquired and a young lassie at the planning office tried to tell me it has always been a bus garage. Aye right.

Here is the site from its hey day

And how it looked before the bus station was built when the train station existed. Pre Beeching I suppose.

Site Vacated by First Bus

When I was writing a monthly walk article for The Advertiser with Ian Brown, I was was asked to contribute to the 20 questions column and I stated that the one thing that depressed me in Dalkeith was the ugly asbestos roofed bus garage. Well the following week, 3 buses parked on the site were set alight and I hoped no one thought I had anything to do with it!

It was with some pleasure therefore that I heard the bus garage was being closed down because First Bus were closing off some of its bus routes. I am sympathetic to those who worked there. I hope they moved on to better, or at least secure, jobs. At last though we have a vacant building site and therefore an opportunity. I have lived for the day to see what is now a rather ugly building removed from Dalkeith.

Dalkeith Town

Now Dalkeith is not the prettiest town around but it does have a vibrant and exciting history. A group called the Town Heritage Initiative led by Rod Lugg are managing investment into upgrading the old buildings and preparing a town centre heritage trail. It's all very positive. At the Dukes end of Dalkeith the Cross Keys Hotel and the Corn Exchange are being re developed and all in all, there's lots of positive stuff going on that will make Dalkeith a much more attractive place to visit.

Then there's the local shops. People complain about the number of charity shops but I don't mind them at all. I use them, regularly. I gather they receive cheaper rates so maybe the lack of contribution to local tax is an issue. But is it? There are many more shops but I gather there's nothing like the array and quality of shops compared to pre 1970's. I guess this is a fairly typical picture around Scotland.

Planning Application from Morrisons Supermarket

I heard at this weeks Midlothian Council planning meeting that the bus garage site was about to receive a planning application from Morrisons Supermarket. You might think I would be pleased. But I am not. I don't believe it's the best use of this key site and the addition of a restaurant and leisure facilities above the supermarket does not sweeten the news. It deserves to have a flagship development to anchor the town centre to the opposite end at the Dukes, and make a statement to all who come to Dalkeith. It's the gateway to Dalkeith. Only recently I wrote about my concern that a corner restaurant next to the bus garage site was granted permission on appeal for some ugly imitation slate cladding. The site including this restaurant are ear marked for inclusion in the Conservation Area and therefore they should be developed to the highest possible standard.

In my time on community council I am constantly reminded on the need for facilities for children in Dalkeith. There are few or maybe none? I am not a parent and therefore not best qualified to comment on this but I am aware that young adolescents have no facilities locally.

But....money is tight and who is going to be able to build an all singing and dancing facility to cover our needs? And what is the best use of this key site?

So where do we go from here. Just accept the introduction of Morrisons and say, well its better than the ugly bus garage? Accept the arguments that because Tesco left Dalkeith for an out of town site that we deserve a replacement supermarket? Do we really need a supermarket IN Dalkeith? Do people still do their supermarket shopping in small towns and villages or do they take a car or bus to an out of town facility, or order on line? And what about the traffic from the proposed parking for a supermarket site? (Now I am sounding like a typical community council person, but they do have a point). Finally, do people really go to a supermarket and then visit the other local shops in a small town or village? I doubt it.

So I am with councillor Baxter, I don't believe a supermarket is the correct choice for Dalkeith and I do think the small shops will continue to suffer rather than benefit.

What do you think?

Letter to Local Newspaper

I have written a letter to our local newspaper which will be published tomorrow. It relates to the building that used to be the post office in Dalkeith. I wasn't against a restaurant taking the building but I did request at the time of the application that the materials and design were appropriate to this area because it is located at the entrance to Dalkeith.

 The owners of the restaurant then went on to add the most horrible slate cladding in contravention of their planning permission and this was refused by the council planning department on submission of a retrospective application.

 The restaurant appealed to the local review board. If the retrospective application had initially been refused by a full planning committee then the appeal would have been to the Department of Planning and Environment Appeals.

The Review Board is a select group of elected representatives, or councillors, who could not be expected to have anything like the experience of the Reporters at the DPEA. The board over ruled the planning committee and granted approval for the slate cladding. I do not agree with the review board and hence this letter.



-------------------------------

I read with concern that The Local Review Board did not uphold the decision of the planning officers in refusing the use of slate cladding on a building in Dalkeith.

The review board has taken over from the old route of appeal to the DPEA for planning matters at this level. While this saves time and money it is imperative that the elected representatives on the board have as much knowledge in planning matters as possible, in order that they can make a balanced decision based on good design. 

I wonder if the elected representatives were aware that this building is in an area marked for inclusion as an extension of the Eskbank and Ironmills Conservation area? I don't think they can be, because the building is now even more at odds with potential conservation status.

What might our future generation say if the site of the bus station is developed to a high specification (oh please) to find it sits beside a utilitarian building clad with shiny grey slate tiles; lit by blue, red and green fluorescent lights.

The slate cladding should have been judged by the review board for its compliance with the local plan, the setting of the adjacent listed buildings and its impact on the gateway to Dalkeith.  

In my opinion it compromises all of these and perhaps more importantly, offends the good work and funding that is currently being applied to the core of Dalkeith to bring about improvements to Dalkeith town centre.

When is a Woodland a Forest

Have been clearing out old e mails and I found this one which might be of use. It was raised by a planning officer who was looking for guidance on planning matters in our woodland. Recently Kevin McLeod of Grand Designs has been building an off-grid hut in a piece of woodland in England. He put wheels on it to make it a moveable structure to get round the planning regulations.

In some cases the planning law is an ass. In other cases it protects the environment. It is always hard to put common sense into a legal document IMHO but maybe it is time for Scotland to reform its planning legislation for trees and woodland.

 

Here is the e mail correspondance which was dated late 2011.

 

Dear Sir/madam,

I am trying to resolve an issue which depends upon the difference between a woodland or a forest.

Under the Town And Country Planning (General Permitted Development Procedure)(Scotland) Order 1992, there are certain permitted development rights given to forestry buildings and operations. Unfortunately no definition of forestry is given. I need to know whether or not these rights also apply to woodland management. Therefore I need to know if there is a distinct difference between forestry and woodland management?

I hope that you can assist

regards

Kingsley

I refer to your query below. There are no formal definitions of "forestry" and "woodland" in use, but, for all intents and purposes, Forestry Commission Scotland does not distinguish between "forestry" and "woodland management". Both are eligible for grants under our funding systems and both are regulated through our grants and licences system.

I refer to the recent publication by FCS/Scottish Government "The Right Tree in the Right Place - Planning for Forestry and Woodlands" (http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/fcfc129.pdf/$FILE/fcfc129.pdf), the introduction to which notes that: "This guidance therefore uses the term 'woodlands' throughout to refer to all areas of land, larger than 0.25 hectares, where trees are growing. ... The term 'forestry' is used to refer to the science, art and practice of managing 'woodlands' on a professional and sustainable basis to ensure that their economic, social and environmental benefits to society are optimised."

I hope that this is helpful. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance

Regards

Neil

Neil Langhorn

Land Use Planning Advisor

Forestry Commission Scotland

Silvan House

231 Corstorphine Road

Edinburgh

EH12 7AT

0131 314 6529

07879 232 669

Old Field Drain

Planting season is here and once again I am hindered by something solid under the ground preventing access for new planting. This time I unearth an old field drain. It appears at the tennis club fence and then tracks underground a short way. It was full of soil but not carrying any water. Bone dry.

Interesting to see where this is. Above the area where the path was broadened a few years ago because the path at this corner was very narrow. Below the path is the section of the bank where there has clearly been land slip in the past. I suspect this old field drain may be part of the reason for the slip. Who knows.

Right now though the soil is dry and very easy to dig. Lots of crushed stone (blaise) in the soil which seems to aid drainage and I am told will be OK to support growth. Planting is Holly, Blackberry, Blackcurrant, Redcurrant, Horseradish, White strawberry (because the birds will not eat them!), Rhubarb and then some edge planting of ivy and fern to maintain the woodland feel. Its an area of the slope that has been bereft of plants other than self seeded grasses, weeds and a few wild flowers. The odd daffodil as well. This planting is to establish some edible woodland plants. Fingers crossed, the light levels are reasonable but it is North West facing.

The old drain pipe is now removed.

Susan Goldwyre
12th November 2012.

Update from my other half - "it can't be a field drain". There's no area to drain unless the tennis courts were cambered to that point or there was a herring bone drain system in place and there's no sign of that. More likely is that this was the septic pipe so maybe this is the pipe that served the septic tank that people tell us became blocked and took away a section of the hillside? Anyone got any more info?????

State of Pennsylvania

This fun e mail came to me from work colleagues. I wonder why they thought of me and my past relationship with Midlothian Council? Did you note the use of the word "past"? Might I be recovering?

The "cooncil" have indeed stated now on more than one occasion that they have no issue with the woodland and the works carried out there. So maybe recovery is justified. They agree that no harm has come from the steps on the bank, the path widening and the bark chip paths. Hallelujah I say, compared to 2 years ago when you would think I had committed a serious crime.

But......Oh there's always a but. Murmurings of dissent continue in the community and I am being stalked on Twitter by janisneil1 who has followed me since August 2012. This person doesn't follow anyone else and has never tweeted! But I dont mind because I have nothing to hide and everything to celebrate. I must get tweeting about the plans to work with network rail to divert the train through the woodland thus creating water tower station.

Enjoy the fun e mail below.

This is an actual letter: State of Pennsylvania 's letter to Mr. DeVries:
SUBJECT: DEQ ... File No.97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec 20; Lycoming County

Dear Mr. DeVries:

It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property. You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity:

Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond.

A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity.. A review of the Department's files shows that no permits have been issued Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.

The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations.. We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted. The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the stream channel. All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31, 2010.

Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff. Failure to comply with this request or any further unauthorized activity on the site may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action..

We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter. Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
David L. Price
District Representative and Water Management Division.

Here is the actual response sent back by Mr. DeVries:
Re: DEQ File
No.. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County

Dear Mr..Price,

Your certified letter dated 11/17/09 has been handed to me. I am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088 Dagget Lane , Trout Run, Pennsylvania .

A couple of beavers are in the process of constructing and maintaining two wood 'debris' dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond. While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I think they would be highly offended that you call their skillful use of natures building materials 'debris.'

I would like to challenge your department to attempt to emulate their dam project any time and/or any place you choose. I believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.




These are the beavers/contractors you are seeking. As to your request, I do not think the beavers are aware that they must first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity.

My first dam question to you is:
(1) Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers, or
(2) do you require all beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request?

If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, through the Freedom of Information Act, I request completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits that have been issued. (Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.)

I have several dam concerns. My first dam concern is, aren't the beavers entitled to legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said representation -- so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer.

The Department's dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event, causing flooding, is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the Department is required to protect. In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling them dam names.

If you want the damed stream 'restored' to a dam free-flow condition please contact the beavers -- but if you are going to arrest them, they obviously did not pay any attention to your dam letter, they being unable to read English.

In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream. They have more dam rights than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond. If the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the natural resources (Beavers) and the environment (Beavers' Dams).

So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why wait until 1/31/2010? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice by then and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them.

In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention to a real environmental quality, health, problem in the area It is the bears! Bears are actually defecating in our woods. I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone. If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your dam step! The bears are not careful where they dump!

Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office.

THANK YOU,

RYAN DEVRIES & THE DAM BEAVERS