As we have written previously, the restrictions imposed due to the Covid -19 pandemic have meant that there has been a need to publicise applications and decisions made online.
In addition to this, we are now advertising new tree preservation orders (TPOs) made by the council online on a new page on the Council website. These would usually only be advertised in print, at our offices and at local libraries.
TPOs protect trees that contribute to amenity, or have historical or cultural significance. Anyone can propose a tree (or groups of trees and woodland) be protected and full details on how to do so and what criteria is used to consider them can be found here.
In addition, we are now showing all TPOs on our online Council GIS Atlas. You can view these by selecting the TPOs layer under the Planning list, as highlighted in the below screenshot.
You can then click the arrow highlighted below to find out more about that specific TPO.
We have written previously about the need to publicise applications and decisions made online, due to Covid -19 restrictions preventing us from using our usual way of advertising.
We have already been publishing our weekly lists online here, but we are now trialling a new tool to show this weekly list of new applications and decisions in the form of an interactive GIS map. We hope this will be a way to view the list of applications in a way that gives a better, user-friendly and visually interesting overview.
Using the Map
Click here to go to the Weekly List Map, and the screen should show a map of the city as below:
The map shows all application and decisions advertised in the weekly list, with red dots showing where new applications have been made and blue dots showing where we have made a decision. You can use the ‘find address or place’ bar to go to a valid location or address when typed in.
If you zoom into the map, further detail is provided and the dots become shapes which show the boundary of each application:
Clicking on each dot or shape, and then on the arrow that pops up will show more detail about each application including a link to the application page on the planning portal:
This map will be updated weekly along with the weekly list. It will be trialled initially for six weeks to see how well it is used and how useful people find it. Please let us know your thoughts on this new tool by leaving a comment here on the blog, or sending an email to Planning.ServiceDelivery@edinburgh.gov.uk with your comments.
The Housing Land and Completions Programme data on our online GIS atlas
As part of our effort to ensure we have the land available within Edinburgh to meet our need for new housing, we have published our annual Housing Land Audit and Completions Programme for 2019.
We have always looked at housing land supply, but by also looking at how much housing has been built we can get a clearer picture of where and how house-building is being held up. This video gives an overview of the findings from the 2019 audit.
You can also view the Housing Land Audit and Completions data on our online GIS Atlas, by selecting the Housing Land Audit schedule and Housing Land Audit completions tab shown in the image at the top of this post.
The key facts from this study show that our current effective supply of land for over 22,000 homes is substantially more than our target of almost 15,000 and the current rate of house completions is also above target and projected to increase over the next two years.
The study confirms the trends of the 2018 Housing Land Audit and Completions Programme and we will keep looking at our housing land supply and completions rate as we gear up to write our policies for new housing in City Plan 2030 and identify the sites where we want to direct new housing development to. We will soon start to consult on our Choices for City Plan 2030, including potential housing locations and policies, and you can keep up to date with this by:
Apologies for the erratic nature of my blogging, but as the student in the office, I’m working on a whole range of topics which gives me the chance to experience lots of planning issues. I’m not just here to make tea! HOWEVER, I have (fortunately for you, reader) found the time to write and henceforth publish yet another blog post.
I apologise for that subtitle. Wasn’t very snappy. ANYWAY the map is actually very good. The new LDP was adopted at the end of November, and the map is now live. It shows the land allocations from the LDP, and the associated policies, so you can easily check which policies apply to your area (or your house, if you’re just having a nosey). You can click on your area/site (house), and all the policies pop up with links to the LDP document. Let’s use Leith as an example, because I may or may not live there.
(This isn’t actually where I live)
Click somewhere on the map, and up pops a dialogue box where you can flick through the different categories that apply to the area. And hyperlinks are in there that take you straight to the written policies. It’s a pretty useful bit of kit. AND: it can be used on your mobile device, so you can check your policies on the go. You can flick through the different layers, there, on the right. Turn some off, turn more on. Whatever tickles your fancy. You can even scribble on it, or leave text boxes, if you were so inclined.
BUT WAIT! There’s more. There’s a whole “other” section on the layers list. Here, you can see data sets like “Education” and “Derelict and Vacant Land” etc etc. AND THEN you can map these onto different basemaps, to see what has changed over time.
^^ That ^^ is all the “other” data, mapped onto an aerial picture of Edinburgh from 1940, and I think it shows quite well how things have changed since then. So some structures are the same, but some have transformed drastically… Like Leith Academy on top of what looks to have been a train depot?
Feel free to leave a comment with any planning-related topics you would like to see covered in the blog – I’m open to suggestions (FYI: I’m obviously eager for my posts not to be about maps every time). I’ll try my best to enliven anything you suggest. I know some people think planning can be a bit dull… but I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s ALWAYS EXCITING.
Planning Edinburgh 
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