A COMMUNITY group has urged Edinburgh residents to object to a planning application for flats on a local nature spot, with just one week left until the deadline.
Friends of Western Harbour Ponds has been campaigning against the development of the Newhaven site, consisting of four re-wilded plots, since it was put up for sale in 2022, with the group officially constituted in October 2023.
On 4 November, an application was submitted to the city council for a four-storey block of 104 flats on one of the plots, following months of consultation.
With the 29 November deadline fast approaching, the group has issued a fresh drive for membership, so they can send out guides on how to object to the plans.
It remains firm in its position that any development on any part of the site is not acceptable to them, as it has become a peaceful corner of a built-up area to enjoy nature.
The area started to flourish after half-dug building foundations in Western Harbour were abandoned following the 2008 financial crash.
Wetlands, ponds and woodland formed naturally on the plots and became an untouched habitat and breeding ground for wildlife including kingfishers, herons and bats.
Friends of Western Harbour Ponds has sent out a guide to its “friends” on how to object to a council planning application, with anybody able to comment, not just local residents.
It has also encouraged anybody not registered to sign up and receive the details.
The group has repeatedly called on the council, government and developers to recognise the value of the site beyond just a development opportunity.
Supporters have engaged with city councillors, MPs and MSPs throughout the process, with one securing a temporary Tree Protection Order for the area in December 2023.
In March 2024, it spoke out after previous proposals outlined leaving two of the plots alone, criticising them as an unacceptable compromise.
Members believed the construction work would be damaging to the diversity of habitats, and that nesting bird activity would be disrupted by the construction work.
Its founder said at the time the ponds would be reduced to “glorified, sanitised water features”.
The developers are equally as firm, claiming the site is allocated specifically for residential development, and that there would be no impact on the ponds, with “no evidence of protected species”.
Previous plans for a 272-unit building were scrapped following concerns about parking and transport, and the overall attractiveness of the development.
Speaking today, Ida Maspero, Chair of Friends of Western Harbour Ponds, said: “The current planning application is for plot A1, the woodland plot, only.
“However, as a campaign committee, our position remains as it was when we provided feedback at the developer’s consultation events: any development on any part of the Ponds site would be unacceptable to us, as it would fragment this ‘rewilded’ blue-green space and disrupt the precious wetland and woodland habitats that nature has created here.
“The area has become a much-loved ad hoc greenspace that is valued and enjoyed by local people, as well as being a place to observe and connect with wildlife and with natural regeneration processes.
“We would like to see the long-term future of the entire Ponds area (all four plots) secured as a green space – for nature, for people and for climate.”
