Tag: Edinburgh

December 2013 Planning Committee

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Tollcross

At our meeting on 5 December, the Planning Committee agreed new guidance for Tollcross which will guide the type of uses that will be supported in the main shopping area.  As well as shops, we will support other complementary uses such as estate agents, cafes or restaurants in most parts of the town centre. Although we still want a strong retail offer, by being open to other uses that attract people to the area we hope to enhance the vitality and vibrancy of Tollcross.

The Council is committed to ensuring that our town centres serve those who live, work, visit and shop and will continue to thrive in the future. We now plan to look closely at all the other town centres in a similar way over the next couple of years.

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The Edinburgh BioQuarter area

Guidance to support the development of ‘The Edinburgh Bioquarter’ on land next to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary was also agreed by the Committee.  The aim is that the area will become a top 10 global centre of excellence for life sciences with the potential to create a significant number of jobs.  The guidance sets out an exciting vision for the creation of a mixed use, urban quarter which protects and enhances the landscape setting of the city. Consultation on the detailed draft masterplan for the area will take place over the coming months.

The Committee also agreed revised guidance on adverts including the use of digital advertising. This is an emerging issue with media companies keen to make adverts time specific and able to be frequently changed and managed remotely. However, it is important that digital advertising does not have an adverse impact on public safety or the amenity of nearby residents or special places such as the World Heritage Site.  You can read the all the Planning Committee reports in full online.

Reviewing Edinburgh’s Conservation Areas

We are about to start a review of our conservation area character appraisals.  The appraisals help us, community and amenity groups, householders, developers and others understand what makes a conservation area special, and how change in the area can be managed sensitively.

With some of our current appraisals around 15 years old, changes over time, development pressures, and changing priorities have made a fresh look at the appraisals essential. Feedback has also shown that the format of the appraisals could be improved to make them more user-friendly and focus more on analysis rather than description – emphasising that understanding the area is important.  We will be reviewing six conservation areas over the next two years, with the initial priorities being:

Lauder Griffin within the Grange Conservation Area
Lauder Griffin within the Grange Conservation Area

The first area to be reviewed will be The Grange.  We are working in partnership with the Grange Association to understand the changes that have taken place in the area since the last appraisal and what we can learn from this.  At the same time, Architectural Conservation MSc students from the University of Edinburgh are assessing the area’s character and development and will be sharing their results with us over the next few months.  

Watch this space – we’ll be seeking views from the community and other stakeholders as the draft Grange appraisal and new format are developed.  The more feedback we receive, the better and more fit-for-purpose the new appraisals will be.