Friends of the Rocheid Path (FORP) have held several meetings with City of Edinburgh Council officials about how to restore and improve the popular pedestrian and cycle route between Canonmills and Inverleith Park. Search for the group's name within this website and you will find various reports and background papers.
Now FORP's Pam Barnes and Ian Hooper have summarised (below) where all the talking, planning and negotiation have arrived at to date. They ask all those who care about the Path to read what follows, and to respond within 2 weeks if they have comments to make or amendments to suggest. Emails to: pambarnes66@yahoo.co.uk
- The Long-Term Plan for the Rocheid Path (by Ian Hooper) is accepted as basically a good idea and we have had discussions about how to implement it.
- Two dangerous trees – one on each side of the gate at the Inverleith end have now been taken down as agreed previously.
- The proposed building for demountable flood defences on the green open space by the Falshaw Bridge is now not likely to be built there. The flood defences will be stored in a building in Inverleith Park depot instead. This remains to be confirmed but is a good outcome.
- Arboretum Triangle (on Arboretum Avenue): The decision of the FORP Committee (who went on the site visit) was that railings should be put in on the road side of the triangle so that dogs and children wouldn't be able to run straight out onto the road. There is already an inner tarmac path with lights which would now be incorporated into and attached to the present green open space along the river that we are calling the Arboretum Bank. However gates would not be put across this inner path so that the incorporated area would not be entirely cut off from the road. Gates are too expensive and the area of path quite wide and awkward. We asked that the present railing along the river – which has been partially removed by Lagan – be removed altogether. The officials are consulting with their colleagues about the safety aspect as there is a steep drop into the Water of Leith at this point. However, there seems to be an inconsistent policy along the length of the river about railings and drops – but we suspect that the result of the health and safety will be that the railings must stay. This means we will have railings along the river and within the triangle area – if so we will try and get their height reduced. It is proposed that about 3 or 4 fruit trees be put in at the Triangle and that it be grassed with 3 benches. Proposed but still to be decided: 2 or 3 apples suitable for Scotland and a Victoria plum depending on the space available.
- Arboretum Bank (the green strip along Arboretum Avenue by the river): Some of the hollies along here are now very large and are in awkward places. It is proposed to cut down quite a few. If you take a look, they are either growing extremely close to a mature deciduous tree that would be better without them, or obscuring the narrow path, or in one case growing through the railings into a seat on the road side of the railings.
The proposals covered in Points 4 and 5 will be done this autumn when floodwork contractors Lagan finish and removes their heavy vehicles from the Triangle area. Other areas along the Path were looked at, and further discussions are to take place with Forestry officials – we will come back to you on this.
