Tag: City Plan 2030

City Plan 2030 – March Timetable Update

cpupdateimage2As we mentioned in our City Plan Timetable Update, we’re revising the City Plan 2030 project timetable.  We’re making these changes as we don’t want to ask for your views on the choices for City Plan until we know what is in another plan – the second Strategic Development Plan for South East Scotland.

We had hoped to carry out the main consultation for City Plan 2030 in the first half of 2019. However, this is now not possible. The main consultation for City Plan 2030 is now expected to take place in the latter half of 2019. We will publish a new Development Plan Scheme in August 2019 which will include the new timetable.

Until then, we will use this time to gather and build on our evidence and studies for Choices for City Plan and hold further engagement events in local places around the city. In the meantime, watch this space and keep up to date with the project by:

Subscribe to the newsletter by emailing us at cityplan2030@edinburgh.gov.uk

City Plan 2030 – Shopping and Leisure Seminar

On 22 February 2019 we held a shopping and leisure seminar with people who work in this sector as well as people from community councils. The seminar was a chance to share findings from our research into the shopping and leisure market in Edinburgh. As with the seminars we held on housing and visitor accommodation, these events help us gather a range of views to help shape our policies for City Plan 2030.

The event included an open discussion with a number of issues and queries raised.

The speakers included Cllr Neil Gardiner, Convener of the Planning Commitee, who welcomed the attendees to the seminar:

 

Daisy Narayanan (Project Director, the City of Edinburgh Council) who talked about the progress of the Edinburgh City Centre Transformation project:

 

Keith Miller (Senior Planner, the City of Edinburgh Council) who shared the context and timing of City Plan 2030, and our research and monitoring done on the subject of the shopping and leisure market in the city;

 

and Dr Mark Robertson (Ryden) who covered the draft retail and leisure commercial needs study which was commissioned by us to inform our retail policies for City Plan 2030;

 

Part of the draft study can be seen below, including some detailed findings on the number of shops, rent and vacant units in our town centres. You may not know that Portobello town centre has the lowest rent costs but also the lowest rate of vacancy in the city, and that Leith/Leith Walk has the most shops of all centres:

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rentunitsslide

 

The city centre has been rated highly in surveys which were done as part of this study:

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And access to shops outside of centres was covered, with this map showing parts of the city which are within walking distance of a food or local grocery shop:

AccessToShops_with centres map.jpg

 

The Ryden study includes a lot of data, but a few key points include;

  • Vacancy levels have fallen since the recession, and are below the Scottish average.
  • Although not the biggest shopping and leisure market, Edinburgh city centre ranks highly on quality. Edinburgh St James will continue to shift the market to the east of the city.
  • The reduction in comparison goods shops has been offset by higher numbers of leisure and service uses, although spending on comparison goods (which shoppers buy less often, and will compare prices, features and quality between products and shops before buying) is forecast to grow up to 2028.
  • There is enough convenience shopping space to allow for the expected growth of the city up to 2028.

These are all trends we will need to address as we continue to shape our policies. This is only part of the research that is going into City Plan 2030, and as the plan moves forward we will be getting more views and consulting on what the plan should include. You can keep track and take part by:

City Plan 2030 – Shopping and Leisure

We are continuing our series of topic stakeholder events, where we discuss a key topic to be addressed by City Plan 2030 (such as housing or visitor accommodation) and invite people who work in these areas and are a way of sharing and gaining knowledge in these topics, with our next event on the shopping and leisure sector in Edinburgh. At this seminar we would like to share early findings of our market research in this sector.

This includes the work we already do to keep track of retail floorspace, empty units and types of shops. For example, we conduct a survey of all shop units in the city to look at the health of the retail sector and see how our shopping policies are working.

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All shops are surveyed every five years while the city centre and our 8 town centres are surveyed once a year.

In recent years, there has been a decrease in the number of ‘comparison goods’ shops (where shoppers buy from less often, and will compare prices, features and quality between products and shops before buying) and at the same time an increase in non-retail uses such as hair salons, cafes and restaurants.

The number of vacant units has fallen in recent years, across the city and in most of our town centres. The supplementary guidance we use to set out where and how other uses, such as food and drink, are to be allowed in our centres plays a key role in this by encouraging other uses in the right places to reduce the number of empty units as the shopping and leisure market changes.

We also review our guidance when needed and ask for your views on what kind of uses we should allow and where.

Watch this space for more on our shopping and leisure seminar! In the meantime you can keep track of City Plan 2030 by:

City Plan 2030 – Corrected Times – Community Groups and Elected Members Engagement

(Please note – due to a mistake these times have been corrected from a previous post, apologies for any inconvenience or confusion)

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We will soon meet again with Ward Elected Members and Community Councils to update on the timetable for City Plan 2030. This will include updates on our planned consultations.

We want to connect with other community and amenity groups e.g. Residents Associations, ‘Friends of’ groups, youth groups, etc. It would be great if you would get in touch with us to book a place for your group at a session near you, so we can make sure we have enough space in advance.

Area Date Venue
NW Monday 18 February 2019 Blackhall Library, 56 Hillhouse Road, Edinburgh, EH4 5EG

Event: 6pm – 7.30pm

Registration and light refreshments from 5.45pm
SW Monday 25 February 2019 Fountainbridge Library, 137 Dundee Street, Edinburgh, EH11 1BG

Event: 6pm – 7.30pm

Registration and light refreshments from 5.45pm
NE Monday 4 March 2019 Piershill Library, 30 Piersfield Terrace, Edinburgh, EH8 7BQ

Event: 6pm – 7.30pm

Registration and light refreshments from 5.45pm
SE Monday 11 March 2019 Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh, EH8 8BG

Event: 6pm – 7.30pm

Registration and light refreshments from 5.45pm

To book a place for your community group or amenity group please email the City Plan team at cityplan2030@edinburgh.gov.uk or call us at 0131 529 4692.

City Plan 2030 – Timetable Update

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As we mentioned in our last post of 2018, we’re now looking at revising the City Plan 2030 project timetable.  We’re making these changes as we don’t want to ask for your view on the choices for City Plan until we know what is in another plan – the second Strategic Development Plan for South East Scotland.

The Strategic Development Plan is currently with Scottish Ministers.  It hasn’t been approved yet, so we’re changing the project timetable.  This means:

  • We will not report the Choices for City Plan 2030 (the main issues report) in January 2019.
  • We won’t be carrying out the main consultation from February to April 2019.
  • The events set out in our current Development Plan Scheme (from September 2018) will be moved to later in 2019.
  • The timing of the next stages in the City Plan 2030 project will be affected.

We still hope to carry out the main consultation in the first half of 2019 and will announce the dates of the new consultation period in the next couple of months (e.g. February or March).  We will publish a new Development Plan Scheme with rescheduled consultation dates and events then too.

Until then, we will use this time to gather and build on our evidence and studies for Choices for City Plan and hold further engagement events in local places around the city.

In the meantime, watch this space and keep up to date with the project by: