You may recall earlier this year we asked for your comments on a number of recently completed buildings in Edinburgh. We’ve now reported the findings to the 7 August 2014 Planning Committee.
Category: News & updates
Penrose makes plans
If you go down to the Planning service today, you might get a big surprise – Penrose the bear is coming to see the Head of Planning and the team! And who you may ask is Penrose Trelawney Rumble-Tum Me-Handsome Bear, or Penrose for short? Well, he is a bear living in a house on Honeycomb Lane in Bearside, Edinbearugh. He wants to make sure that his home, which is a listed building and has a hole in the roof, is mended and looked after.
Penrose, who is only 3 and half teddy bear high, goes with Sarah Jane (the head of this unusual family of animals) to visit the Planning service for advice on their plan to open a dancing school, using the house’s conservatory. But will Penrose get Planning permission? What will he say to the Development Management committee to make them say “yes” to a bearillant idea? To find out, simply head to the Black Diamond Radio website and listen to the full story.
19 June 2014 Planning Committee: second proposed Local Development Plan
Edinburgh is a successful, growing city but this brings a huge demand for places where people can live. At our meeting on 19 June 2014, the Planning Committee approved the Second Proposed Local Development Plan which has a clear aim of supporting the growth of the city economy and increasing the number of new homes being built. There will be an opportunity for people to formally comment on the Plan in August and I will ensure that this process is made as easy as possible.
74% of the homes in the Proposed Plan is expected to be built on brownfield land and the Committee has agreed to explore ways to bring these development sites forward and maximise the contribution they make to our housing supply. However, there is not enough brownfield land to meet the city’s housing need and the Plan does propose that some Green Belt land is released for development. There has been considerable objection to these proposals and the concerns of local communities were clearly in the mind of Committee members when coming to the decision. In particular, the potential impact on road junctions and congestion, as well as promoting the use of sustainable transport modes, are issues that we must take into account when moving forward.
Approving the Proposed Plan at the meeting gives the Council the best chance of preventing ad hoc green field developments in locations where we have no control. However, the Committee has asked that further analysis of a potential housing site to the west of Edinburgh Park is also undertaken.
All the Planning Committee reports, including the Capital Coalition motion, are available online.
Councillor Ian Perry
Convener of the Planning Committee
Community Council Training on Planning in Edinburgh
On Saturday 7 June we held community council training at the City Chambers. This gave community councils an opportunity to hear more about the work we do and how they can get more involved in planning in Edinburgh. We held a similar event on 27 May.
The event was well attended with 53 participants from 23 community councils. Following the welcome by Councillor Ian Perry (Convener of the Planning Committee) and an introduction by David Leslie (Acting Head of Planning and Building Standards) there were presentations about the Local Development Plan, major planning applications, how planning decisions are made and how we deal with enforcement issues. All the talks had a question and answer session and the community councils had a number of detailed questions which gave us the chance to explain things in more detail.
Workshop groups discussed how to get involved in the Local Development Plan process, commenting on planning applications and our use of enforcement powers. The groups had a healthy debate with various issues raised.
The comments we received will help inform how we communicate with community councils and how they can influence planning in their area. Feedback from the event has been positive and we intend to hold future events with ward members later in the year looking at other aspects of planning in Edinburgh. The advice notes, presentations and additional guidance covered at the event are all available on the Council’s website.
Craighouse Campus: Scheme 3
The third scheme for the proposed development at Craighouse Campus, Craighouse Road has been submitted with the information now available online and at the Planning and Building Standards reception area. The application has a new reference number 12/04007/SCH3 and we would encourage you to use our online services to comment on the revised proposals.
The application will be advertised on Friday 6 June 2014 and there is a 4 week period to submit comments. The consultation will end on Friday 4 July 2014.
Planning Edinburgh 
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