Residents in Moredun were celebrating today after their camping protest paid off.
Edinburgh City Council said they were withdrawing workmen from a large area of green space used as a garden by the residents of eight tower blocks in Moredunvale.
Residents set up tents on the land to protest council contractors who fenced off the green while they explored the site to see if it would be possible to build there.
Passionate locals who had camped out – some for many nights in a row – spoke to Edinburgh Live in the video above on Friday, saying they would keep fighting for ‘as long as it takes’.
Yesterday the council announced they were putting the work on hold marking a victory for the protesters, for now at least.
Cllr Kate Campbell, Convener for Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work, said: "We appreciate how important access to outdoor space is for communities. If anything our shared experience of lockdown has made that even clearer.
These were just preliminary investigations to see if the site could even be developed and what scope there is for wider improvements and landscaping. The intention was to discuss the results with the community and, if development and improvements were shown to be possible, to engage in a detailed consultation with local residents, building on the consultation which took place last year".
"Unfortunately some local people have come to understand that detailed plans are already in place. We’ve decided to postpone the investigations so that we can offer reassurance that nothing has yet been decided. Any plans that do come forward will be shaped by the local community and will reflect their aspirations for their local area.
"We’ll be writing to residents this week to make this clear and invite them to engage with us and share their views on what their community needs."
