Right decision

Your report (10 June) about the refusal of planning permission for a waste transfer station in Portobello quotes Viridor's spokesman, Colin Paterson, as saying: "It is frustrating that the visual impact of an industrial-type building in an industrial location has ultimately led to the refusal."

The reality is that, whilst the proposed waste transfer station would have been sited on a former freightliner terminal, it would have been in close proximity to many residential properties in the Portobello conservation area. The massive shed-like structure would have been a blot on Portobello's landscape and visible from several sections of the conservation area, as noted by the Scottish Government's Reporters in their decision.

Coupled with the lack of an identified need for the facility in the public interest in this location and of the scale proposed, this amounts to pretty robust reasons for refusal, vindicating the concerns the community has had from the outset.

DIANA CAIRNS

Chair, Portobello Opposes New Garbage Site

West Brighton Crescent

Edinburgh