development – Planning Edinburgh

Share Your Views on the Astley Ainslie Place Brief

Front Cover of the draft Astley Ainslie Place Brief, dated September 2026. Image is of a mature tree and grass, with low rise hospital buildings in the background. It has a green/sepia filter over it.

We are asking what your think of our new draft Place Brief for the existing hospital site, which was approved by Planning Committee on 9 September 2026 for consultation.

Our Consultation is now live until 11 November 2026.

The Astley Ainslie has been in hospital use for over 100 years. It was originally a convalescent hospital and at the forefront of medical rehabilitation in Scotland throughout its history with the natural landscape setting important to help recovery. You can find out more about Astley Ainslie Hospital’s history on the NHS website celebrating its centenary in 2023.

The NHS is planning to keep some services on the site including GPs and the SMART Centre but is selling the rest of the site.

City Plan 2030 identifies Astley Ainslie for housing-led mixed-use development. There will be new development on the site, but this will need to respect the mature landscape setting, create a sustainable place and keep its special character.

Astley Ainslee hospital buildings on a sunny day with a variety of trees and grass in the foreground.

Astley Ainslie is well-loved by the surrounding communities with the Astley Ainslie Community Trust working with local residents to produce a Local Place Plan for the site.

The Draft Place Brief brings together that community voice with an assessment of the site and the aspirations of the NHS. It puts forward a set of principles for the future development.

You can read the Astley Ainslie Draft Place Brief and give us your views on the Consultation Hub until 11 November 2026.

Come along and meet the team

There are also drop-in events where you can chat to planning officers on:

Monday 5 October 16:30-19:00 at Morningside Library, 184 Morningside Road
Saturday 24 October 10:30-13:30 at Newington Library, 17-21 Fountainhall Road

Call for Ideas: Help us shape Edinburgh’s next local development plan

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 Update

Public space at a new urban residential development on a sunny day. Tall buildings towards the background overlook benches and seating in the foreground.

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.

Changes to Planning Fees – 1 April 2026

Aerial view of New Town and Princes Street gardens on a sunny day. Edinburgh Castle sits to the top left.

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

Further guidance is available in Scottish Government Planning Circular 1/2026

Also on 1 April, some other fees related to Planning & Building Standards are changing, including;

Fees for Pre-application Planning Advice
Fees for Non Material Variations
Building Standards Property Inspection/Confirmation of Completion Certificate fees
Plan Store fees
Fees for Street Naming & Numbering

Please refer to planning validation guidelines for information about what to include as part of your submission.

Gilmerton Conservation Area Draft Character Appraisal Consultation

Front cover of the Draft Character Appraisal Consultation, showing the Restored Pantile Cottage on Ravenscroft St, Gilmerton on a sunny day

We are seeking your views on a draft Conservation Area Character Appraisal for Gilmerton.

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.