› Forums › Planning Applications › City Plan 2030 › Reply To: City Plan 2030
[From original post: 1 October 2021]
City Plan 2030 published and available for comment
The City Plan 2030 was approved by the Council’s Planning Committee on 29 September 2021. This means that the plan can progress to its next stage and be published to allow for representations to be made. Details of the representation period and the engagement programme are yet to follow.
The City Plan 2030 is available here. Other supporting documentation is available on the Council’s City Plan 2030 web pages.
The introduction to the plan explains (page 6):
1.6 City Plan 2030 is our Local Development Plan for Edinburgh for the period 2022-2032. A Local Development Plan protects places of value, sets out locations for new homes and businesses, and ensures essentials for a good quality of life are in place – such as public transport, active travel, schools, healthcare and green space.
1.7 The plan sets out policies and proposals relating to the development and use of land in the Edinburgh area, and where new infrastructure and community facilities are required. The plan sets out where development should happen and where it should not. The policies in the plan will be used to determine future planning applications to meet our outcomes.
Policies and proposals directly relevant to the Grange
The City Plan 2030 includes Policies that will replace those in the current Local Development Plan (LDP). The Policies set the criteria by which planning applications are assessed. New developments are required to be compatible with the Policies for planning permission to be granted.
The new Plan includes a new “Place” category of Policy. This gives guidance on the form of development that will be acceptable in specific locations. For us, the most relevant is:
Place 3 (page 44) – Astley Ainslie Hospital
Planning permission will be granted for development within the boundary of Astley Ainslie as defined on the Proposal Map provided it accords with a Place Brief, Astley Ainslie Development Principles and a subsequent Masterplan.
The requirements in principle will be:
- A housing-led mixed-use development, in line with the density requirements in Part 4, Table 2 [i.e. 500 units], which respects the mature landscape setting of the site, whilst also creating a sustainable place, and retaining its special character, through the provision of new connections, open spaces and other community infrastructure.
Other Policies that were in the current LDP are largely retained in the new Plan (albeit renumbered). For example, the current ENV6 is replaced by the new ENV14 (page 107), giving protection to the Conservation Area and defining development that is acceptable within the area.
Proposals
The new Plan contains many proposals for specific developments. Those relevant to the Grange include:
- BGN 23 (‘Blue Green network’) (page 150) – protection for the mature landscape of the Astley Ainslie, including its trees;
- H8 (page 157) – Astley Ainslie site 500 housing units: “Proposals for any part of this site in advance of an approved Place Brief will be considered as premature”.
- ATPR7 – ATPR10 (pp 167-168) – Astley Ainslie Active Travel proposals – Links and crossings at Canaan Lane, Grange Loan, Newbattle Terrace, Oswald Road, Cluny Gardens, and a Mobility Hub on site.
- ATSG23 (page 171) – Safeguarded Active Travel route to King’s Buildings and Mayfield Road
- PT15 (page 172) – Public Transport – Bus links from Astley Ainslie to Morningside Road and Cluny Gardens
- PTSG3 (page 178) – Public Transport Safeguard – Halts on South Suburban railway line (Morningside station; Blackford Hill station; Newington station)
In addition, the Plan defines ‘Shopping Centres’ including Ratcliffe Terrace (page 192) with very specific property details defining the boundaries in Grange Loan and Fountainhall Road.
Please read the City Plan 2030 and add comments below.