City puts faith in review to save Meadows from damage

Published on Saturday 24 May 2008 10:57

A REVIEW is set to be carried out into the number of events staged on the Meadows to save the beauty spot from further damage.

Councillors have ordered the review after giving the go-ahead for two major Festival shows to be staged there this August.

The bid by the Lady Boys of Bangkok cabaret show and a circus big tent – hosting the Chinese State Circus – attracted dozens of objections from campaigners, who claimed the grass had barely recovered from last year's events.

Despite the protests, councillors agreed to the licence applications at a meeting yesterday, but said there was a need to look at the wider use of the park.

Committee member Councillor Ian Perry said: "We have to come to a decision about what we do with the Meadows.

"Do we use it more extensively, less extensively or ban all activities? I don't think it's fair to penalise one activity, but we need to get it sorted out very quickly."

The Friends of the Meadows, Southside Community Council and Merchiston Community Council were among the objectors to Urban Circus Ltd's plans.

Bridget Stevens, chairwoman of Merchiston Community Council, said the shows left part of the Meadows "unusable" for several months. She said: "To permit a month-long takeover of this public park is unfair to both visitors to our city and local residents."

Neighbours had complained about a large number of vehicles and caravans at the site, noise caused by audiences late at night and excessive flyposting.

A combination of bad weather last year and new events such as the Moonwalk and the Taste of Edinburgh Festival had left the middle section of the Meadows in its worst state of repair for years.

Geraldine Brown, of the Friends of the Meadows, said: "The people living around the Meadows recognise that it's public space. There are many local community events. But we are against large-scale events that take over the same part until the end of August, starting with the Moonwalk.

"It's a very intensive use of a particular part, which we feel is inappropriate and damaging."

But the shows' organisers insist they are "good neighbours" and repair any damage each year.

Peter Lawson, licensing agent for Urban Circus, said it paid 2000 on top of rent to cover repairs to the Meadows. It also paid a bond for any additional damage, which had been returned by the council last year.