Activists unhappy with new Western Harbour ponds plan
Developers looking to build hundreds of new homes at Edinburgh’s Western Harbour have proposed retaining two large ponds after locals raised concerns about the impact of their removal on wildlife.
The latest plans by FM Developments show some of the wetlands on the waterfront site would not be cleared to make way for flats – but campaigners say this is not an acceptable compromise.
New blueprints shared at a consultation event include “substantial loss” of woodland where many birds nest, as well as loss of the smaller of the three ponds, Isa Masapero, the founder of the Save Western Harbour Ponds group, said.
She added: “As a campaign our position remains that any development on any of the sites wouldn’t be acceptable to us because it fragments that space and the unity of the green space.”
She said the remaining ponds would be “glorified, sanitised water features”.
Construction of apartments on site was abandoned around 15 years ago amid the financial crash, with the plots since blossoming into a wildlife “haven” now home to insects, bats and waterfowl including breeding swans, moorhens, goldeneyes, herons and kingfishers, according to recent surveys.
In December, councillors voted in favour of creating preservation orders for some trees in the area, which means any future proposals to cut them down will need to be carefully considered by the council.
And although the site remains allocated for housing, the council’s City Plan 2030 noted that “further assessment of these ponds is required given the nature of the ponds has progressed over time”.
Scottish Government officials have also visited the woodland and ponds as they consider whether the space should be officially designated as green space, thus gaining protection from development.
FM Developments remain in talks with land owners and is aiming to submit a full planning application this summer. It is understood the most recent plan would deliver around 650 homes.
FM Developments was contacted for comment.