Council to hear results of Portobello Park consultation

COUNCIL chiefs are set to consider the outcome of consultation on a legal move that would allow them to build a new Portobello High School in a public park.

Education bosses launched the consultation on taking a Bill to the Scottish Parliament to enable the construction of the school in Portobello Park.

The park has Common Good status, which means the council does not have the legal authority to build on it.

If approved, a Bill would be presented to MSPs asking them to reclassify the park as alienable common good land, which would allow it to become the site for the school.

The outcome of the consultation is to be considered at a meeting of the full city council on March 14.

Councillor Paul Godzik, education leader, said: “We have gone through a consultation to see if we have the public backing for the private Bill.

“In advance of it being discussed at full council, we want to make it clear that the proposed private Bill would relate solely to a change in status for Portobello Park and would have no impact on any other common good land, either elsewhere in Edinburgh or the rest of the country.

“We only want to build the school which is so badly needed on the best location which is available for it.”