Tag: community engagement

Short Term Lets: Drop-in session on proposed changes to our Guidance for Businesses

Row of Edinburgh tenements with some trees in the foreground.

We will be holding a drop-in session on proposed changes to our Guidance for Businesses and specifically the expanded section on short term lets.

  • When:  1.00pm – 4.30pm on Wednesday 9 November
  • Where: Planning and Building Standards front counter area at Waverley Court (4 East Market Street, Edinburgh, EH8 8BG)

Members of the planning team will be on hand to explain the proposed, answer any questions and get your feedback.

In 2021, Scottish Government legislation allowed councils to have a short-term let control area. In a control area, this means if that if a flat or a house, which is not the home you live in, is used for a short-term let, you will need planning permission.

Edinburgh’s short-term let control area has now been in place since 5 September 2022.

Come along if you

  • live in an area where properties are let out for short breaks
  • offer flats or houses for holiday lets in Edinburgh
  • are an interested member of the public

Complete the online consultation here by 22 December 2022.

Changes to pre-application consultation with local communities

View of Princes Street from the Castle looking North on a sunny day.

Changes are coming to the way pre-application consultation with local communities takes place.

All applications for national or major development must comply with the Pre-Application Consultation (PAC) process. Where pre-application consultation is required, applicants must submit a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) at least 12 weeks prior to the submission of the planning application.

Previously, a minimum of one event was required to take place, however for notices submitted after 1 October, there will now need to be two events, in accordance with The Town and Country Planning (Pre-Application Consultation) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2021 .

At the second event the application will provide feedback on comments received regarding the proposed development. Both of these exhibition/events must be press advertised.

The changes also introduce a time limit of 18 months within which an application must be submitted.

Notices submitted prior to 1 October will not be required to hold two events but will be subject to the 18 month time limit, starting from 1 October. 

Since the first outbreak of Covid in March 2020, all events have been taking place online. For notices received after 1 October, all events must now be in person. It is still good practice however to provide online information for those not able to attend in person.

The Edinburgh Development Concordat promotes collaborative working between the developer, community councils and the Council. It is recommended that an engagement strategy is prepared which sets out how community feedback will be sought. This could include the use of:

  • Public meetings
  • Meetings with community councils
  • Exhibitions with developer staff on hand to answer questions
  • Social media to promote events
  • Bespoke websites for the development
  • Surveys – both online and in person
  • Posters in local libraries and other public places
  • Leaflets distributed to properties in the local area

Consultation should be a meaningful engagement with the community and should offer the opportunity to mitigate negative impacts and misunderstandings and deal with community issues that can be addressed.

The Edinburgh Development Concordat

We have published our new Development Concordat which sets out how developers, community organisations and the Council can work together to achieve good placemaking.

The Concordat seeks to help the city’s economic recovery by promoting collaboration.  It builds on the values and principles of the 2050 Edinburgh City Vision which provides clear aspirations for what the city is looking to achieve.

The Concordat recognises the need for agility, flexibility and collaborative engagement between Council services, the development and business communities and community organisations. We all need to work together to address the City’s recovery.

Developers are encouraged to promote the value of early and meaningful engagement including post planning decision engagement with Community Councils in shaping and realising development proposals. Within this context, the changes to pre-application consultation proposed by the Scottish Government: consultation should be recognised.

Community Organisations are encouraged to promote the vital role in representing the views of the wider community when new developments are proposed and to work collaboratively with developers from pre-application through to post planning decision.

The Council will promote the ways that developers and representative community organisations can engage with each other and will promote a “whole Council approach” as an enabler of development to facilitate a more continuous “end to end” approach taking in all of the development functions of the Council throughout the whole development process.

Cllr Neil Gardiner, Convener of the Planning Committee, said

“Edinburgh attracts a wide range of major investments and developments and more minor applications which can be complex. It’s important that the process is as smooth as possible for applicants and that we give quality, consistent and timely advice at all times.

The Concordat highlights the need for early community engagement in the planning process.

Good collaboration is even more important at the moment and the Concordat will help us all work together to address the city’s recovery. This Concordat is about adding value and helping to create good places.”

The Concordat was approved by the Council’s Policy and Sustainability Committee and replaces the Edinburgh Planning Concordat which has existed in various forms since 2009.

Read the full Edinburgh Development Concordat here.

Future Edinburgh – City Plan 2030 and our City Mobility Plan

FutureEd snip1

Shaping our city for future generations

Edinburgh has set an ambitious target for Edinburgh to be carbon neutral by 2030. We want everyone in every community to benefit from the city’s success, and make neighbourhoods great places for people to live in. To achieve our ambitious target, we need to make changes to how we manage and develop our city. This will be challenging.

We’ve already approved a programme to transform our city centre so that people come first. We’ve committed to building 20,000 affordable and low-cost homes by 2027. We’re committed to improving air quality by introducing a low emission zone.

These are just three of the many ways in which we’re working to meet our bold ambitions.

We’re developing two long-term strategies which will set out the way we shape and transform our city. We need to know what you think of our proposed plans:

  • Choices for City Plan 2030 sets out options for how we could develop our city sustainably over the next ten years
  • City Mobility Plan proposes radical changes as to how people and goods move around our city.

You can find out more about both projects at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/futureedinburgh

Respond to the Choices and City Mobility Plan consultations

The consultations on both strategies are now live and will run until Tuesday 31st March 2020.

Choices for City Plan 2030

City Mobility Plan

 Talk to us

The Choices for City Plan 2030 and the City Mobility Plan are about Edinburgh’s future and the city we leave for generations to come. Your views are important.

You can find out by speaking to us at our drop-in events and get help with filling out our online questionnaire at our ‘surgeries’.

Find out about our engagement events

Keep up to date

You can keep up to date with the City Plan 2030 project by:

Visiting the website at gov.uk/cityplan2030

Subscribing to this blog at https://planningedinburgh.com

Following us on twitter at @planningedin

Join in the conversation by using the #cityplan2030 hashtag

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

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)

SE community Briefing June 2018 1.JPG

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.