Caltongate sale ‘must be blocked’

CAMPAIGNERS are to ask the Scottish Parliament to block the sale of publicly-owned property to make way for the controversial £300 million Caltongate project in Edinburgh’s Old Town.

Members of the Canongate Community Forum say the city council was wrong to approve the sale of land and buildings for £3.4m last month without enough consultation, it was reported today.

Resident Julie Logan said: “The sale of these assets was approved just before Christmas at a time when all of the interested groups did not have the time to put together formal objections. It was agreed without providing any evidence this delivers best value.”

The Caltongate scheme includes a five-star hotel and conference centre, offices, shops, cafes and 165 new homes.

The Cockburn Association also criticised the sale, saying the council was “rushing this through at a very bad time to sell”.