Readers' letters

NEW SCHOOL'S AN EDUCATION

Dear Ed, — I have recently visited the New Lanark Grammar School and I am very impressed.

I have been to many of the other newly built schools in South Lanarkshire, and I find that Lanark has added features which none of the other schools have.

As you approach the building along Dead Man's Lane you unexpectedly encounter a small, beautifully built, classical amphitheatre, about thirty metres in diameter, and tiered on one side.

Where people will sit on the tiers, the top courses of brick have been substituted with stout light wooden blocks.

This is echoed in the central quadrangle of the school where the flower beds in the shape of the double headed eagle, as reported in the Lanark Gazette, are also constructed of this wood.

People will also sit here. In this age of Google bird's eye views on the internet, this will look really impressive along with the date of 1183 and additional brick detail to give the eagle pageantry. At one corner of the quadrangle, it is overlooked by a first floor balcony.

This balcony is accessed from both outside the building by a wide open passage — as is the quadrangle itself — and these passages in turn are accessed by doors from inside the building.

My mind immediately leaps to Shakespeare plays, which along with the amphitheatre and other features give the building great style.

The quadrangle is also accessed from the street by numerous doors, and in most seasons I imagine will form an outside anteroom to the street. (The street is a large all purpose hall, theatre, dining room, exam hall and a general public space).

Your report emphasises the beautiful library but happily this is a standard centre piece in all the new schools.

Also standard are the clean lines of all the buildings — the factory look comes from some of the walls which are blank and grey, but they'd be easily maintained, and this is the other side of the coin.

Another feature is in the interior walls of the quadrangle. A contrast is obtained with very plain, traditional, austere, brick, with uniform windows in three sides, against the fourth wall which is tinted glass and steel.

However, for me, the final clever touch is in the ramp which leaves the rear of the school on the second floor, then gracefully splits into access to Dead Man's Lane on the left, and back down eventually to the front of the school, via sports court and the first floor balcony area, on the right.

I have never seen such a bold and deliberate opportunity taken on the lie of the land allied with presumably, fire regulations and the desirability of shortened pedestrian access to the south and south east of the town.

I have never seen a non emergency type of outside access gained from a lift served second floor building to round level, anywhere.

The pupils of the school are responding to their new environment with an admirable grace and maturity. I have not seen such adult attitudes in any of the literally hundreds of schools I have visited up and down Britain.

I felt that many people in Lanark might not be aware of just what a fine and well planned building has arrived in the town. Yours etc,.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED.

LANDSCAPE BLOT

Dear Ed, — The article about the new Grammar School ends by saying that if the building looks like a factory who cares as long as it produces good young citizens.

Well I care, as do others living in the area adjacent to the school. I care about its dominating presence, looming over nearby houses.

I also care about the future young citizens but that doesn't stop me considering the building to be a blot on the landscape and of no architectural merit whatsoever.

I see the Community Council will have a visit. It would have been a positive gesture to offer the same to those in the area who have had to put up with years of mess and the still continuing problems of noise and car parking. — Yours etc.,

MAUREEN CRAIG,

Albany Drive,

Lanark.

ROW OVER QUARRY

Dear Ed, — Tom Mitchell's letter published in the Gazette of March 4

contains several inaccuracies that I would like the opportunity to address.

The fact that I, or anyone else, happens to be chair of the Area Committee is a total irrelevance to the decision taken regarding the Rowhead Quarry site given that the application came to the full planning committee in Hamilton — not to the Area Committee.

Planning gain money totalling 8500 was paid when the initial consent was granted for this site to a private developer.

I ensured that this money did indeed go into the Burn Braes improvement scheme as I am sure the Burn Braes Action Group would be happy to confirm.

Because the current consent relates to much needed social rented housing it would not be considered appropriate for the council to seek further planning gain money given that the developer is a not-for-profit organisation.

I agree 100 per cent with Mr Mitchell regarding the potential road hazards that the siting of this development might cause both in the Burn Braes and on Rowhead Terrace and indeed argued that very point at great length at the Planning Committee in 2007 and last month.

Any member who was present will confirm that. Unfortunately I was a lone voice on both occasions and unable to convince the traffic section of the roads department that an appropriate condition relating to road safety improvements be recommended for addition to the consent.

I also highlighted Biggar Community Council's representations and stated my support for their position.

Interestingly, given his sudden interest, Tom Mitchell's name does not appear among the list of objectors to the application. — Yours etc.,

COUNCILLOR HAMISH STEWART.