Portobello Park court case begins

A LEGAL challenge to determine whether or not the council has the right to build a new school on Portobello Park will start tomorrow. Members of Portobello Park Action Group (PPAG) have raised a petition in the Court of Session and the hearing has been scheduled for two days.

Campaigners fighting to save the park from development argue that the council has no legal right to build a new high school on the park as it is “common good land”, but the council’s own legal advice states the opposite.

The council hopes the action will be thrown out of court on the first day.

Council bosses believe PPAG has left it too late to start court proceedings as it has known about the plans to build a replacement school on the park for several years.

The court proceedings have already delayed the school building project by at least five months.