OH NO they are closing 22 schools in Edinburgh

[nailpolish]

not dds school thank GOD

[nailpolish]

it always comes down to money, doesnt it

[nailpolish]

the population IS getting less i suppose, especially in areas like stockbridge where families cant afford to stay

[Gobbledigook]

Bloody hell!

[Sheherazadethegoat]

or families who can afford to stay in stockbridge send their kids privately. this will just reinforce that whole edinburgh private school thing.

never mind at least we while have the fecking tramline - like a great white elephant running throught the city.

[nailpolish]

i know - the tramline will be crap
will be nowhere near me so im not interested

[nailpolish]

dh says they wont touch dds school because it is 1/2 RC 1/2 ND

they whole thing just makes no sense at all

[SueW]

People thought trams in Nottingham would be a disaster but they seem to be very popular now they are in place.

Some areas are still fighting against future plans though.

[Upwind]

The obvious question was not asked - why are families leaving Edinburgh?

[expatinscotland]

Probably a combination of falling school rolls AND that the land some of these schools are sitting on is very valuable.

Also many in affluent areas do send their kids to private school.

Lack of affordable housing suitable for families is definitely the reason we are leaving Edinburgh.

[expatinscotland]

That trams is beyond a joke. Already hundreds of thousands of pounds over budget.

Very limited service in relation to how the city is laid out.

Ach, well, I suppose the council tax payers will be stuck footing half of the bill.

[scienceteacher]

Maybe getting rid of old Victorian school buildings is the right thing to do in this technology age?

Edinburgh has always been closing their old schools - this is nothing new. 22 schools doesn't seem like very many, tbh. Demographics change. You have a lot more single occupancy households nowadays, where there are no potential customers.

[expatinscotland]

And think of how much those Victorian buildings will sell for, especially when they're converted into 'loft apartments'?

[scienceteacher]

Sounds like a win-win then, Expat. Those who like loft living get what they want, and there is plenty money in the pot to build modern new schools in the areas where the children live

[expatinscotland]

'Those who like loft living get what they want, and there is plenty money in the pot to build modern new schools in the areas where the children live '

Um, there's only one problem with that, science: the children are increasingly living in East and West Lothian council, hence falling pupil numbers in Edinburgh itself.

But hey, you're right, it's a win win! Single people who don't like to cook - which is good because you can't swing a cat in most of the kitchens in new builds these days - get to live how they want and the council gets money for its tram.

[nailpolish]

expat, there is affordable housing in edinburgh. ive just moved to edinburgh, and dh and i are by no means well off. not at all. AND we found a house beside a good school. you just have to look hard.

[scienceteacher]

Nothing wrong with East Lothian

[expatinscotland]

Naily, you and I have a very different take on what constitutes affordable.

When ex-council flats in Pilton sell for £100,000+, for some folks, that's a sign to look elsewhere.

[expatinscotland]

East Lothian is indeed attractive to many, science.

Because they tend to get more space for the money and there are Lothain buses servicing many parts of East Lothian.

[nailpolish]

no,i dont think we do have different takes at all

excouncil flats sell for £100k+ all over scotland, not just edinburgh

and its affordable, because, well, i can afford it. and im not well off.

[cylon]

my old school cloesed down a few years ago. now more schools are closing down?
how sad

[scienceteacher]

Indeed - much better than when I was growing up there. We only had SMT buses - now there's LRT and a train

[expatinscotland]

That's not affordable for us.

[nailpolish]

expat, good luck finding somewhere to live under £100k

[expatinscotland]

It's also that you can buy more space for the money elsewhere, hence, many families moving out to Fife, East and West Lothian, the Borders and the Central Belt.

[nailpolish]

id rahter have somewhere smaller in an area i like than a bighouse in an area i dont like