consultation – Planning Edinburgh

Help shape Edinburgh’s transport future

A major consultation to help shape the way people move around, to and from Edinburgh got underway on Monday (17 April).

Future Edinburgh. Images of transport and movement modes.

A suite of action plans designed to support the delivery of the City Mobility Plan to 2030 (CMP) were approved for consultation by councillors in December and February.

Together, the Active Travel, Public Transport, Parking, Road Safety and Air Quality Action Plans aim to create cleaner, greener, safer, more accessible and affordable travel choices, while reinforcing the Capital’s Net Zero 2030 goals.

Each of the plans sits under the emerging Circulation Plan and its associated Streetspace Allocation Framework, which underpin the transition towards a less congested, more liveable, healthy and sustainable city.

Feedback is sought on all of the plans collectively, including via an online survey, public drop-ins, focus group and key stakeholder discussions and a toolkit to support community group involvement.

The consultation will run until 9 July and outcomes will be reported to Transport and Environment Committee later this year, culminating in the finalisation of each plan.

Respondents to the survey can share their views on proposals and priorities in a range of areas, including making streets more accessible, improving public transport and active travel networks, as well as achieving ambitious road safety targets and creating people-friendly, thriving neighbourhoods and shopping streets.

CMP actions support Edinburgh’s Net Zero 2030 target and aim to help drive down the number of kilometres travelled by car in the city by 30% by 2030, reduce air pollution and improve public health.

Find out more about the proposals and take part in the consultation online.

‘Conservation & Adaptation’ Consultation

Edinburgh has set an ambitious target for the city to be net zero by 2030. An important part of achieving this target is for all homes to be well-insulated and energy efficient. However, it is recognised that people who own listed buildings or own property within conservation areas face additional and unique challenges to adapt their properties to make them more sustainable for the future. The current cost of living crisis is also contributing to these challenges by affecting many residents’ ability to afford essentials such as heating, food, rent or transport.

We are asking for the views of people who own listed buildings or properties in conservation areas on the challenges they face when trying to maintain, repair and adapt their historic homes in response to climate change and the cost of living crisis.

A ten-week online consultation relating to these challenges will begin on Friday, 31 March. Feedback from the consultation will be considered by a short-term working group being established to discuss these challenges as well as any possible solutions. It will look at what can be done in the short and longer term and how any changes to planning guidance might adversely impact our built heritage.

The consultation is available at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/conservation-adaptation

CONSULTATION CLOSING SOON: Share your views on the proposed changes to Guidance for Businesses – Short Term Lets

Row of Edinburgh tenements with trees in the foreground.

This Thursday (22 Dec) our consultation on the proposed changes to the Guidance for Businesses is closing. We want to hear your views on the proposed changes and specifically the expanded section on short term lets (STLs).

In 2021, Scottish Government legislation allowed councils to have a short-term let control area. In a control area, this means 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 was the first council in Scotland to apply for a short-term control area, which has now been in place since 5 September 2022 and covers the whole of the Council’s area.

The amount of STL accommodation has grown significantly in the last ten years and Edinburgh is recognised as an area that has greater pressures than other parts of the country.

The current Guidance for Businesses has a section on short-term commercial visitor accommodation and we are proposing changes which were presented to the Planning Committee on 31 August 2022.

Planning applications for STLs be assessed against the Local Development Plan along with the updated guidance and any other relevant material considerations.

Your responses will shape the final version of the guidance which we aim to have in place in early 2023.

Complete the online consultation here.

World Heritage Site – Draft Management Plan 2023

View of Old Town from the Crags looking North West with the Forth Bridges in the distance.

The Management Plan for the Old & New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site is being reviewed and we want to hear your views.

An updated Draft Management Plan is being prepared by the City of Edinburgh Council, Historic Environment Scotland and Edinburgh World Heritage. It identifies issues and opportunities within the site and presents an action plan for implementation over a five-year period.

The issues identified include:

care and maintenance of buildings and streets
control and guidance and contribution of new development
awareness of World Heritage Site status
visitor management
influence and sense of control

This is your opportunity to tell us what matters to you and to help us to best address these issues. We want to hear your thoughts on how the World Heritage Site has been looked after, what works well and what we could be doing better.

We specifically want to know whether you feel we are doing enough to protect and enhance the Site, and any other ideas or suggestions which you may have.

Complete the consultation online by 12 December 2022.

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.