We’re at the very early stages of putting together our next local development plan City Plan 2040.
There is still time to submit your proposals and ideas to help frame the vision, policies and proposals for the Proposed Plan.
Your ideas should focus on the use and development of land and buildings across Edinburgh – this could be proposals for an area of land, site or building, something you want to protect or improve or planning policies you want to change.
You can submit your suggestions via the Council’s Consultation Hub. You can also find out more and what information is required to submit a proposal or idea.
The consultation is open until 30 September 2026 and every idea will be considered.
City Plan 2040 has taken another important step forward with the Evidence Report now finalised and approved by Planning Committee on 3 June 2026, then agreed at Full Council on 25 June 2026.
The Evidence Report will now be submitted to the Scottish Government for the ‘Gate Check’ stage to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to start to prepare the Proposed Plan.
The Evidence Report contains 26 topic papers on a range of subjects and 17 Place Profiles for the different wards within the city and sets out what needs to be considered for the Proposed Plan.
Call for Ideas
We have launched the ‘Call for Ideas’ and this is an opportunity for you to submit proposals and ideas to help frame the vision, priorities and early proposals for the Proposed Plan.
Your ideas should focus on the use and development of land and buildings across Edinburgh.
The Call for Ideas can only be made via the Council’s Consultation Hub. You can find out more and what information is required to submit a proposal or idea there.
If you would like to receive updates on City Plan 2040, you can join the mailing list by e-mailing us at cityplan2040@edinburgh.gov.uk or follow this blog.
Today Planning fees increased nationally. To reflect these changes, we have updated our Fees Charter. All planning applications received from today onwards will be charged the new fees.
Since 2025, fees have also been charged for local reviews and appeals against planning decisions.
Most planning fees are set by the Scottish Government. The relevant legislation is;
the Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications) (Scotland) Regulations 2022 as amended (‘the Application Fees Regulations’)
the Town and Country Planning (Fees for Appeals) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 as amended (‘the Appeal Fees Regulations’)
the Town and Country Planning (Fees for Local Reviews) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 as amended (‘the Local Review Fees Regulations’).All of which came into effect on 1 April 2026
A Conservation Area Character Appraisal explains what is special about a particular area and why it is a conservation area. It outlines its historical development and identifies the key elements, essential features and special qualities that contribute to its unique character and appearance.
In 1977 Gilmerton was designated a Conservation Area which aims to protect its unique agricultural and mining heritage and qualities for the future.
The current appraisal was adopted in 2000. Since then, Gilmerton has evolved and we need to update the character appraisal to reflect Gilmerton Conservation Area today.
The questionnaire is asking about the draft appraisal;
Our Planning Helpdesk (which operates as an email and call-back service) will be closed from 22 December 2025 and will reopen on 5 January 2026. Queries received over this time will be responded to when we re-open.
Our online resources and self-service options will still be available 24/7 during this time, ensuring that you can find information and resources whenever you need them.
We have a wide range of planning quick guides aimed at householders – these answer a lot of commonly asked questions, including for
The quickest & easiest way to comment on planning applications is on the Planning Portal. When a comment is submitted over the Planning Portal, we receive it within minutes.
There will also be NO planning advertisement in the Edinburgh Evening News on the following dates:
Friday 26 December 2025
Friday 2 January 2026
The week commencing Monday 5 January 2026 will see things go back to normal – the helpdesk will re-open, with the weekly list issued & an advertisement on Friday 9 January 2026.
Full details of Council services at Christmas and New Year, including emergency contacts, can be found on our website.
Season’s Greeting to all our customers and wishing you a happy 2026.
Planning Edinburgh 
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