We have an exciting opportunity to work with us as a Technician in the Development Planning team.
We are looking for someone who has cartographic, design and GIS skills to update and create maps. You would be a key member of the team working on our next local development plan (City Plan 2040) which will be more visual and map based.
Edinburgh is Scotland’s busiest planning authority, handling over 3,000 applications a year in a city with internationally valued built and natural heritage. We have ambitious plans to realise Edinburgh’s vision of a fair, welcoming, pioneering and thriving city.
So, if you’re looking for an opportunity to get involved in a range of planning projects and processes, develop your knowledge and skills, and of course, work with a great bunch of people, then you can apply via myjobscotland.
The closing date is 10 June 2025.
In this short video some of the team share what it’s like to work here:
This is a very special time to welcome International Biodiversity Day 2025, as Edinburgh celebrates a very important biodiversity anniversary this year. There is a long history of partnership working for biodiversity in the city and this year marks 25 years of the Edinburgh Biodiversity Partnership.
May is a great month to celebrate biodiversity and enjoy spending time in nature, and Edinburgh has some very special places to see nature – all year round!
We are really fortunate to have some amazing wildlife across our city, and this includes fantastic species like otters who have returned to our rivers and burns in recent years.
This month sees the return of Swifts, a bird which comes here just to breed and relies entirely on buildings for nesting sites. However, the nature crisis is well documented and there continue to be declines across all species groups globally and in Scotland. This is due to habitat loss, poor habitat management, pollution, invasive species and disease. Extreme weather caused by our changing climate can also have a negative impact through droughts and flooding. Climate change also makes some of the other threats worse, such as the spread of pests and diseases.
Tackling these challenges and supporting the recovery of nature requires a step change in land use planning and embedding positive effects for biodiversity into new developments.
Integrating nature at the design stage and creating nature positive places is good for health and wellbeing as well as biodiversity. It also supports resilience in the built environment to the impacts of climate change from overheating and extreme rainfall.
Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas – Guidance to support works to a listed building or within a conservation area. This is to make sure we look after our historic buildings and places.
Guidance for Householders – Guidance for development undertaken by individual householders. This includes work to existing houses and gardens.
You can view the draft-for-consultation documents here:
The guidance has been informed by a ‘public life street assessments’ carried out in 2016, which explored how town centres should evolve to maximise the potential for benefiting public life and a health check which has considered the centre’s strengths, vitality and viability, weaknesses and resiliencies.
The guidance assists the delivery of NPF4 objectives and policies, in particular to ensure town centres are vibrant, healthy and resilient places for people to work, enjoy and visit.
Town centres are an important focal point for people who live and work in Edinburgh. They provide shopping, leisure and community facilities in locations which are easily accessible by walking, wheeling and cycling or public transport. They also contribute to local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods.
The updated guidance is no longer statutory supplementary guidance, but will remain as planning guidance and a material consideration in the determination of planning applications.
Our consultation is now open for draft planning guidance for purpose built student accommodation (PBSA) in Edinburgh.
The draft guidance has been prepared to support City Plan 2030 policy dealing with PBSA. It sets out the Council’s expectations and provides guidance for developers and planning officers. It also seeks to ensure the provision of good quality PBSA in appropriate locations whilst protecting the character of existing areas.
It applies to all types of PBSA developments, including new build, change of use and conversion. To support the health and wellbeing of students, it is essential that they are provided with appropriately located, high quality accommodation. While many students will choose to live in other forms of accommodation, PBSA is a key part of the available accommodation in the city.
We want the guidance to help people understand what we require from the development of PBSA. To do this, we want to make sure the content is clear, helpful, and balanced.
When approved in its final form it will be used by the Council to assess planning applications.
You can read the draft guidance and give us your views in our online survey by Friday 23 May 2025.
Planning Edinburgh 
You must be logged in to post a comment.