Category: Town centres

City Plan 2040 Engagement: What Makes Good Place?

Graphic of typical things you might see in a neighbourhood (coffee cup, house, tree, bike, bus) fitting together like a jigsaw. Test reads: What makes a good place? Tell us about where you live in.

We know that Edinburgh is not just one place, but it is made up of many different areas. Each with its own good points and challenges.

We need to get an understanding of each area, what it’s like to live there and what we need to plan for in City Plan 2040.

To gather people’s views, we have launched a public engagement asking people ‘what they think about where they live’.

The questionnaire covers the important things that make a good place such as homes, local shops and services, healthcare, public transport, open space, play facilities, community space and jobs .

If you live in Edinburgh, you can find out more and fill in the questionnaire on our Consultation Hub here

There are also a series of drop-in events:

  • Monday 3 November at the Waverley Court (Hawthorn Learning Space) from 14:30-19:30
  • Saturday 8 November at the Gyle Shopping Centre (Main Concourse) from 12:00-15:00
  • Tuesday 11 November, Kirkliston Parish Church Hall from 15:30-18:30
  • Wednesday 12 November, Sighthill Library/ Gate 55 from 16:00-19:00
  • Monday 17 November at Oxgangs Library (Community Room) from 16:00-19:00
  • Tuesday 18 November at Drumbrae Library Hub (Parkgrove Room) from 15:30-19:00
  • Wednesday 19 November at Magdalene Community Centre from 15:30-19:00
  • Friday 21 November at North Edinburgh Arts Centre (Theatre Suite) from 16:00-19:00

Saturday 17 January 2026 at Cameron Toll Shopping Centre from 11:30-14:30

City Plan 2040 Update

City Plan 2040 will be our next local development plan after City Plan 2030.

There are several formal stages that we need to go through as we prepare City Plan 2040. We have produced a Development Plan Scheme which explains these stages and sets out the timetable for the plan preparation.

Currently, we are working on our Evidence Report which is the first stage of preparing a local development plan. This will contain topic papers on a wide range of issues.

The Evidence Report will provide a baseline of information and what we might need to address in City Plan 2040.

New Code of Conduct for Responsible Construction

View from Calton Hil over central Edinburgh, with multiple cranes towering above the city.

The impact of construction is a key issue for local communities, leading to negative impacts on quality of life, complaints to the Council and potential disruption to worksites.

In response, the Council has drawn up a new Code of Conduct for constructors.

Whilst the Code of Conduct is not mandatory and will not be enforced, it does set out expectations and best practice for constructors as well as highlighting legal responsibilities governed by legislation and regulation. It is also intended to assist the construction industry in carrying out works safely, efficiently, responsibly and on time.

As a general rule noisy work from construction sites should usually only disturb you Monday to Saturday 7am to 7pm. There are some exemptions to this and other restrictions which may apply.

Good relations with neighbours and a clear communication strategy will greatly assist in reducing the impact of construction.

Disruption may be unavoidable, but the impact will be reduced if neighbouring occupiers are consulted and kept informed throughout the works. This may be through a residents’ association, community council, ward councillors or, preferably, directly with neighbours.

Please read our Code of Conduct for constructors for more information.

Air Quality in the Salamander Street area

With partners, the Council has prepared a Draft Air Quality Action Plan that aims to reduce Particulate Matter (PM10) pollution in the Salamander Street Air Quality Management Area (AQMA), Leith.

The plan outlines how air quality issues will be tackled, to meet and sustain statutory air quality objectives, under four themes:

  1. Industrial
  2. Roads and Transport
  3. Development Management
  4. Information to the Public

Emissions from industry, transport and fugitive sources, including port activities and construction sites, will be addressed.  

The Council’s priorities and drivers for pursuing actions to improve air quality are based on public health principles. Air pollution is associated with many adverse health impacts. It is recognised as a contributing factor in the onset of lung and heart disease, as well as cancer, and evidence is growing in respect to links between air pollution and a decline in mental ability and dementia.

Additionally, air pollution particularly affects the most vulnerable in society: children and older people, and those with pre-existing health conditions. The annual health cost to society of the impacts of particulate matter alone in the UK is estimated to be around £16 billion.  

Polar Plots of PM10 Data at Tower Street in 2024

City Plan 2030 highlights Edinburgh Waterfront area as an opportunity for large scale mixed-use regeneration to help meet the city’s growth needs, particularly for new housing. The City Plan identifies areas for housing-led mixed-use development sites in various ownerships in the Salamander Street AQMA. Some of this land was previously allocated for industry. Other parts of the Port of Leith will continue as industry and the future focus is on the development of Low Carbon / Renewables Enterprise Areas and industry as part of the Green Freeport.

Introducing sensitive uses such as residential properties into an area of poor air quality requires to be undertaken carefully with the appropriate consideration of pollution exposure, potential mitigation and programming of development.

Dust and PM10 emissions from demolition and construction can also be a source of pollution especially for existing residential properties. Such emissions occur during the preparation of the land e.g. demolition, land clearing, and earth moving, and during construction, with a proportion from site plant and road vehicles moving over temporary roads and open ground. If mud is allowed to get onto local roads, dust emissions can occur at some distance from the originating site.

Using the Scottish Government’s R-OpenAir analysis tool, with locally collected pollution data and meteorological data we have been able to show (in the Polar Plots below) that high concentrations of PM10 were associated with known demolition and construction works in 2024.

Developers and landowners need to work together, with the local community and the Council to help reduce this local impact. Control measures such as reducing deliveries by road, vehicle wheel washing, road sweeping/washing, and the use of dust suppressants would all be relevant in addition to general on-site management, mitigation and good practice.

The Council wants to engage with businesses operating in the area or those with interests in the land. One of the actions of the Draft Action Plan is to set up a forum with the Council, housing developers, landowners, businesses and community groups to address the cumulative impact of development on environmental protection matters.

In the meantime, however, we want to hear your views about all the actions in the Plan.

Get in touch by email spatial.policy@edinburgh.gov.uk or via post to the City of Edinburgh Council, Level G.4, Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh, EH8 8BG.

If you require a different format or translation, please also get in touch.

The consultation is seeking views on the Draft Action Plan by 7th September 2025.  Thereafter your participation in the local forum would also be welcome.

International Day for Biodiversity May 22nd 2025

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. 

Nature rich places in the built environment provides urban cooling and slow down water flows.  Our new biodiversity policies in City Plan 2030 are supported by Scottish Government guidance and Nature Scot’s Developing with Nature Guidance, as well as the updated draft Edinburgh Design Guidance. 

We want your views on our draft Planning Design Guidance – Consultation closing soon

We are currently updating some of our planning guidance documents and would like to hear your views on the new draft versions.

The online consultation closes next week on 3 April 2025.

Your views will help us finalise the updates to these guidance documents:

  • Front cover of Edinburgh Design Guidance, showing modern flats on a sunny day and greenspace in the foreground.
    Edinburgh Design Guidance – Guidance for design and placemaking in new developments. This is to make sure we have places that work well and create good places to live. (Photo courtesy of 7N Architects, © Leo Paredes Photography).
  • Front cover of Guidance for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas. Shows a mix of traditional and modern buildings on a sunny day with greenery in the foreground.
    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.
  • Front Cover of Guidance for Househilders, showing well-kept bungalows with hedgerows in front of them.
    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:

Edinburgh Design Guidance

Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas Guidance

Guidance for Householders

You can comment on any or all of them online here.

In response to the National Planning Framework 4, City Plan 2030 and the City Mobility Plan, we have reviewed the guidance documents to make sure they align with the aims and outcomes of the plans.

We have also updated the draft guidance to respond to the climate and nature emergencies. This includes:

  • Minimising energy used in the construction, maintenance and use of buildings.
  • Adapting to the changing climate, including sustainable drainage.
  • Supporting biodiversity and good green space.
  • Enabling sustainable transport.

Our advice on how we make spaces safer for everyone has also been updated.

All three consultations are open until 3 April 2025.