Agenda item

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure recommending a course of action to protect the structural integrity of a culvert in Osborne Place.

This was approximately 24 metres in length and carried the Denburn watercourse under Osborne Place.  The structure comprised a 3.7 metre single span culvert and a steel beam and concrete jack arch deck with concrete abutments and a concrete culvert. 

An assessment had been carried out in 2000 and had revealed corrosion of the steel beams which were no longer able to sustain heavier loading.  Accordingly a three tonne weight restriction had been introduced on the road (between Blenheim Lane and Blenheim Place).

On 25 May 2004, the former Environment and Infrastructure Committee had considered a report on the matter and the officials had been requested to carry out preliminary statutory consultation on a proposal to establish two build-outs covering the culvert section of the road.  However, this had been set aside in the face of objections from local residents who were concerned about the loss of car parking potential. 

On 10 March 2009, a confined space inspection had been carried out which had identified significant delamination and separation of layers affecting approximately 50% of the main steel beams, particularly at the bearings, resulting in a loss of section.

Osborne Place was in one of the controlled parking zone and featured a mixture of residential and pay and display bays.  In the relevant section between Prince Albert Street and Blenheim Place, there were approximately fifty-three exclusively residential spaces and eighteen pay and display ones.

The report recommended:-

the resumption of the plan to use build-outs, with one to be located on the south side of Osborne Place outside Nos. 109-111 and the other on the north side outside Nos. 152-154.  This would cause the loss of three exclusively residential spaces in the first case and two in the second case.  This could be ameliorated by redesignating five existing pay and display spaces as residential ones (between 113 Osborne Place and Blenheim Place and between 152 Osborne Place and Blenheim Place).   

The estimated cost of this scheme was £18,000, for which there was sufficient funding in the 2010/2011 Weak Bridges Capital Budget. 

However, the report also outlined two other options, one involving the replacement of the complete structure at an estimated cost of £160,000 and the other contemplating the removal of the fill and the construction of a thin reinforced concrete slab at an estimated cost of £120,000. 

As agreed at the beginning of the meeting (see Article 2 above), the Committee then heard from Dr. Paul Arnell of 113 Osborne Place who emphasised that he understood why the Council might feel drawn towards the recommendation.  Nevertheless he argued strongly that the construction of build-outs merely postponed the fateful day when larger-scale works would become inevitable, and that, notwithstanding the high cost at £160,000, the long term solution of replacing the structure altogether was a more responsible choice.

Councillor Jennifer Stewart, one of the local members, supported this view.  A cheap option now might cost all the more later.  Five important on-street car parking spaces were being lost.

After hearing from the officials that the recommended solution would increase the lifespan of the culvert, the Convener, seconded by Councillor Yuill, moved:-

that the recommendation be accepted and the build-outs be established in association with the designating pay and display parking spaces as exclusively residential ones.

As an amendment, Councillor Hunter, seconded by Councillor Crockett, moved that the scheme to replace the complete structure at a cost of £160,000 be referred to the Budget process.

On a division, there voted:-  for the motion (10) – the Convener;  and Councillors Corall, Cormack, Cormie, Greig, Jaffrey, Penny, Robertson, Kevin Stewart and Yuill;  for the amendment (5) – Councillors Adam, Boulton, Crockett, Hunter and Milne.

The Committee resolved:-

to adopt the motion.