Mr Charles Girdler MBE
Charles Girdler has given many years of service to Currie and is now
demitting office as chair of the Community Council. Looking back over
his term of office, he expressed satisfaction at having won for Currie
its own coat of arms and the right to hold two fairs per year. He
also referred to the many battles to resist encroachment in to the
Green Belt in the North Pentlands. His good sense and good humour
will be missed, but the results of his hard work will endure. We wish
him a happy retirement.
Currie Community High School
The drive for learning is proceeding apace, with a study club in
conjunction with Heriot-Watt University, a well-supported partnership
with Balerno Community High School, links to Germany and Denmark and a
programme of extra-curricular activities that involves 70% of the
staff, as well as parents and former pupils.
The school will be undergoing a full inspection in November, which is
bound to be a stressful process. We can however have confidence that
the inspection will show the school to be an excellent centre of
learning.
The Currie Community Sports Trust
The application for lottery money has been put on hold, as there is a
ban on disposal of City Council owned land at the moment. This is
connected to the Public Private Partnership scheme to bring private
investment money into public services. It is ironic that one way of
bringing more investment into public services should be getting in the
way of another.
Planning
A proposal has been made that Balerno and Currie Community Councils
should hold a joint meeting to consider the CALA planning application
by CALA to build several hundred houses on the strip between
Currievale Drive and the railway. The new Council will give this
sympathetic consideration.
Kirking
The annual parade and service will commence at Curriehill Primary
School at 2.30 pm, and everyone is welcome to come and watch or join
in the procession, which will follow the colours down Kirk Brae. The
service will begin in Currie Kirk at 3 pm.
Green Belt
It is proposed to delete the area of the electricity substation on
Riccarton Mains Road and the triangle of land opposite (i.e. north of
Weaver's Knowe Crescent) from the Green Belt. Any local residents who
have a view on this are asked to communicate at once with either
Graham Dane (449-2771) or Brenda McGovern (449-3292). Deletion will
inevitably lead to pressure to build houses on the unoccupied land.
Objections must be lodged before 9.10.98.
The New Council
There were twelve nominations for the fifteen elected places on Currie
Community Council, leaving three to be filled by co-option. Anyone
interested in being co-opted as a member of the Council should contact
one of the elected members, who are:
David Bertram, 14 Muirwood Grove;
Gordon Browne, 40 Riccarton Grove;
Graham Dane, 25 Thomson Road;
Derek Henderson, 38 Blinkbonny Road;
Arthur Hilton,6 Riccarton Crescent;
Jim McCraith, 13 Nether Currie Rd;
Bill McCulloch, 159 Currievale Drive;
Brenda McGovern, 225 Lanark Rd West;
Freda Morrison, 9 Bryce Road;
Cynthia Taylor, 28 Hermiston;
Charles Urquhart, 50 Corslet Crescent;
Nairn Wight, 90 Dolphin Road.
Graham Dane
Press Officer