Sale battle depot to be public space

Councillors have agreed to redesignate a depot site on the edge of Inverleith Park as public open space.

The controversial proposal to sell the council-owned depot was halted last week after councillors agreed to investigate whether it could be turned into allotments or put to other community uses.

Now the city’s planning committee has agreed to include the site as open space within the new local development plan.

A motion proposed by Lib Dem councillor Tim MacKay said that the committee recognised the level of concern in the local community that the site was not dedicated open space.

The campaign to block the sale of the site attracted more than 8000 signatures and has now been successful, with councillors hoping to see the site used as a way of reducing the lengthy 2367 waiting list for an allotment in the city.