Edinburgh Council is Scotland’s busiest planning authority, handling over 3,000 applications a year, in a city with internationally-valued built and natural heritage.
The Council is also the Statutory Addressing authority and responsible for the naming of streets in new development and the numbering of any new properties being created.
For both roles we are looking for individuals who are committed to delivering an efficient, effective and customer-focused service.
You will be responsible for handling a varied and challenging range of statutory duties for either the process of validation and handling of information for planning applications, or for naming streets, numbering properties and related services.
The National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) was adopted today by Scottish Ministers and becomes a key factor in determining planning applications and appeals in Edinburgh.
NPF4 is now part of the Council’s development plan and – unless material considerations indicate otherwise – decisions on planning applications will need to be made in accordance with both:
This means that from today, the section of the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 that sets out what happens when there is ‘any incompatibility’ between parts of a development plan will also come into force.
This means that some Local Development Plan policies will no longer be used to the same extent.
A report to Planning Committee on 18 January 2023 explains this in more detail and provides a list containing:
NPF4 policies
Local Development Plan policies which are compatible with NPF4
Local Development Plan policies which are not compatible with NPF4 and will not be used to the same extent
We are Scotland’s busiest planning authority, handling over 3,000 applications a year in a city with internationally valued built and natural heritage. We have ambitious plans to realise Edinburgh’s vision of a fair, welcoming, pioneering and thriving city.
So, if you’re looking for an opportunity to get involved in a range of planning projects and processes, develop your knowledge and skills, and of course, work with a great bunch of people, then you can apply via myjobscotland.
The closing date for all positions is 15 January 2023.
In this short video some of the team share what it’s like to work here:
In an earlier post from 2022, one of our planners blogged about their experience of the job and how it helped them to develop their skills.
The proposed Plan was presented to Councillors at Planning Committee to decide on whether to submit the plan to Scottish Ministers for examination.
Councillors from across the political groups voted unanimously in favour of submitting the plan and congratulated planning officers and all those who contributed to the plan by concluding the session with a rare committee occurrence of a round of applause.
Councillors gave praise to the quality of the plan and commended the scale of the work that had been undertaken to produce such an ambitious document. Councillors recognised the capability of the plan to usher in a sustainable and modern future for Edinburgh, with comments of support from across the board over the need to progress the plan and see it adopted.
Planning officers have now officially submitted their request for examination to the Scottish Ministers and the submission package includes:
The Proposed City Plan 2030
Representations to the plan
Schedule 4 Reports (the Council’s response to the representations)
Supporting documents submitted with representations
Supporting documents to the proposed plan (appendices, maps etc.)
A Scottish Government reporter will then begin the process of reviewing the plan and schedule 4 reports and evaluating the responses from the Council. This process is expected to take close to a year.
City Plan 2030 has taken a lot of hard work to get to this stage, and we’re looking forward to bringing the plan to adoption.
City Plan is ambitious. It aims to ensure that the planning of housing, employment and services addresses the need for net-zero development, resilience to climate change, quality places and green spaces; to deliver community infrastructure and job opportunities where people live and to embed a 20-minute neighbourhood principle at the heart of all places in Edinburgh. City Plan 2030 will help to transform Edinburgh into a truly modern, vibrant, and sustainable place that is befitting of a capital city.
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.
Planning Edinburgh 
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