End of the ride for funfair that turned into a nightmare

RESIDENTS are celebrating victory after city councillors threw out plans to allow a controversial travelling funfair to set up in Portobello.

Almost 140 people formally objected to the return of the fair, which locals say brought "gang warfare" to the streets last year.

And, against a recommendation by council officials, members of the council's regulatory committee voted unanimously against the application.

Fair operators M&D said today they were "surprised" at the decision after receiving a good response from families who attended last year.

But Portobello residents had set up a petition against the return of the fair. They felt it brought two weeks of "sheer hell" to the former ScottishPower site on Fishwives Causeway last Easter.

Some locals claimed to have witnessed fights involving up to 100 youths, and the fair also attracted scores of noise complaints.

Three residents from Baileyfield Road, whose back gardens overlook the site, appealed to councillors to reject the application after being allowed to speak at the committee meeting.

Portobello and Craigmillar councillor Maureen Child also spoke out on behalf of the many residents who complained to her about the fair.

She said she was delighted that her colleagues had listened to the "strength of feeling".

"I think the committee took one look at it and decided against it," she said. "The residents spoke very eloquently about the effect this had on them last year, which was just sheer hell for two weeks.

"Nobody would like that on their doorstep, no matter how much fun it might be for others. It was just the wrong thing to have in that location so this is a very positive results for Portobello."

Peter Beaton was just one of the 136 residents who wrote to the council to register his objection to the application. He said: "I believe that things of this nature should be looked at properly, not like last year when we only found out about it at the last minute.

"The committee didn't take a great deal of convincing, actually, once they heard about all the things that happened last year."

Nick Stroud, secretary of Portobello Community Council, was disappointed the fair would not be coming to town, but said it was the right decision to make following the reported violence last year.

He added: "I don't think the council really had any choice because what they were rejecting was the intolerable behaviour that it attracts."

A spokeswoman for M&D's Theme Park said: "We are clearly very disappointed that the application for the funfair at Portobello has been rejected for this year.

"We received excellent feedback from the many families that attended and also from surrounding businesses for last year's fair, so this decision has come as a surprise."

A council spokesman added: "This was a unanimous decision by the committee. As well as the view that this proposal was too big for that particular location, there was significant local concern from residents and their elected representatives."

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