Chapter 2: Strategy

A view over Edinburgh

The Character and Importance of Edinburgh Today

2.1 Edinburgh is a thriving city. It has sustained high levels of economic growth for over a decade, and jobs have been created at one of the fastest rates in the country, strengthening its position as the employment hub for the east of Scotland. Its success has been based on the growing importance of the financial and business services sector. Maintaining and expanding this commercial role is of crucial importance, to the national economy and to the prosperity of the city and a wide region.

2.2 The city has many other important roles. It has grown in importance as a centre of government administration with the establishment in 1997 of the Scottish Parliament. It is the pre-eminent shopping and service centre in its region. It is a major cultural and leisure centre, with world famous festivals. It is the second most visited destination for holiday and business tourism in the UK. It is home to companies which are active in international markets and to universities and a growing number of research institutions with a global reputation.

2.3 Underpinning its success, setting it apart from almost all other cities in the world, is the quality and drama of its environment. In 1995 the centre of the city, essentially the Old Town and New Town, was designated a World Heritage Site. There are many other designated areas of architectural, historic, landscape and nature conservation interest, a large number of listed buildings, archaeological sites and monuments. Also, with a population of less than 450,000, it is not a large city, and the accessibility of the surrounding hills, countryside and coastal areas is part of its attraction, to residents and many of its business leaders.

Key Drivers of Change in Edinburgh

A Growing Economy

2.4 Independent analysts predict that the economy of Edinburgh will continue to grow, create jobs and attract inward investment at a fast rate, at least up until 2015, the period to which this Plan must look. Sustaining the city's prosperity is a priority for the Council, and growing the Scottish economy is the top priority for the Scottish Executive (see A Partnership for a Better Scotland, The Scottish Ministers, 2003). Economic growth will mean change and development in much of the city. Policies in this Plan must address the needs which economic growth gives rise to, for more and modern office accommodation, shopping floorspace, hotels, leisure facilities, for much more housing of various types and tenures, and for better transport facilities. Without that investment, economic growth will be hampered.

Higher Densities

2.5 The Structure Plan states that the integrity of the Edinburgh Green Belt must be maintained, and that development needs must be met largely by making better use of urban land without damaging the historic environment or building on important open spaces. The supply of urban sites is ultimately limited, notwithstanding the scale of opportunities opening up on the waterfront. Therefore, demand must be met by encouraging higher densities in suitable locations. Higher density development will help create a compact, more walkable city, and provide the critical mass that will support and need high quality public transport. On the other hand, it raises design challenges and demands innovation, to ensure that attractive, sustainable environments for living and working in are created.

Better Transport

2.6 Good international connectivity is crucial if Edinburgh is to compete effectively in the global economy. Good regional services are necessary to transport a growing number of commuters. Economic growth will be hampered unless concerns about growing traffic congestion are addressed and the city equipped with a modern, integrated transport system. The government has major proposals to increase capacity on the national road, rail and air networks and provide substantial new infrastructure, including rail links to Edinburgh Airport and the Borders and a new crossing of the Firth of Forth. The most important infrastructure project which the Council is promoting is for a tram network, starting with a direct, Edinburgh Airport/city centre/Leith line. This will improve city centre accessibility and will be critical to the success of the waterfront regeneration proposals. Planning policies are needed that will help shape the impact of the tram and integrate land use and transport projects generally.

A More Sustainable City

2.7 There is now an overwhelming body of scientific evidence showing that climate change is a serious and urgent issue. Most of the country's carbon emissions - a major cause of climate change - come from the energy used to heat, light and run homes and workplaces and from motorised transport. The planning system has a key role to play in ensuring that growth is sustainable, in reducing carbon emissions to manageable levels and in minimising other adverse environmental effects of development. When the new planning act comes into force, planning authorities will have a statutory duty to exercise their development plan function 'with the objective of contributing to sustainable development'. Sustainable development aims to minimise the impact of human activity on the environment, whilst supporting economic and social progress. In planning terms it means:

Social inclusion is important to sustainable development. This means seeking to build better, balanced communities and providing everyone with decent homes in safe, attractive and accessible surroundings with convenient access to jobs and services.

The Edinburgh and the Lothians Structure Plan 2015

2.8 The Structure Plan has the overarching aim of providing in full for the development needs of Edinburgh and the Lothians in accordance with the principle of sustainable development, whilst maintaining and enhancing the environmental heritage that underpins the area's quality of life. It provides guidance on the scale and distribution of development that should be planned for in local plans. Reference is made to relevant aspects of this guidance in the topic chapters of this Plan. The Structure Plan identifies core development areas within which local plans should bring forward the land required to meet identified needs to 2015. Three are in this local plan area: the City Centre, the Waterfront (Leith, Granton and Portobello) and Edinburgh Park/South Gyle/Sighthill. In addition, the South East Wedge (mainly in Midlothian but extending towards Craigmillar and Little France) is a fourth core development area, identified in the previous structure plan.

Links to the Community Plan

2.9 The Community Plan (2005) (pdf,523kb) sets out a vision for Edinburgh which has the backing of a range of key local agencies, including for example the University of Edinburgh, Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothians and Lothian Health. The vision provides a direction for policies in this plan. The vision is that by 2015 Edinburgh will:

Core Aims of the Local Plan

2.10 The Plan's core aims sit within the Structure Plan and the vision within the Community Plan, and take account of the overarching issues set out above. Through the Local Plan the Council will:

Spatial Strategy

2.11 The Structure Plan has identified the four locations in the city which will accommodate high levels of new development to meet growth needs (see Figure 2.1).

A Thriving and Accessible City Centre

2.12 The city centre has played the major role in Edinburgh's recent job growth. It has attracted a wide range of high quality development which has had major regenerative impacts on different parts of the centre, notably the Old Town. Significant amounts of new office building and housing have taken place, together with individual developments associated with its cultural, leisure and entertainment functions. It has however struggled to attract retail investment in the core area which must withstand competition and provide an alternative to out-of-centre pressures. The city centre is the hub of the transport system. It will continue to play a crucial role in the city's economic growth, and its further development as a service centre of national importance. Its accessibility will be significantly enhanced through the tram project. The Plan will therefore continue to encourage a wide range of development, emphasising diversity of provision and mixed uses on individual sites, to retain city centre vitality, but recognising also that this is a lived-in centre and housing will continue to play a large part in regeneration.

2.13 The Council has in 2007 approved strategies to guide the redevelopment of the St James Centre and the regeneration of Princes Street in depth to Rose Street. These reflect the high priority that the Council attaches to encouraging retail-led regeneration in the city centre, taking advantage of the enhanced accessibility in prospect through the tram project. The city centre is the focus of the city's functioning as a festival city and visitor destination. A public realm of the highest quality, able to support the city's roles as a festival city and tourism destination and provide for intense use by large numbers of people is crucial. A programme of environmental improvements will be developed in the framework of the City Centre Strategy.

2.14 The currently identifiable opportunities are set out in Chapter 10 following, which provides an indication of the mix of uses that will be encouraged. These are within the recognised central area, except Fountainbridge which effectively extends city centre functions westwards along the Fountainbridge/West Approach Road corridor.

New Urban Quarters on Edinburgh's Waterfront

2.15 Two extensive areas of land along Edinburgh's waterfront, at Leith and Granton, will see significant development during the Local Plan period and beyond, providing much needed housing and associated retail and community facilities, as well as employment and leisure/ tourism related developments that will enable these areas to take on a wider role, complementary to that of the city centre. The potential of both areas combined is for approximately 30,000 houses. The tram will be crucial if the full potential of these areas is to be realised. Strategies are in place to provide a framework for the delivery of development in these areas. The strategic objectives are summarised in Chapter 11 following.

The Completion and Consolidation of Economic Development in West Edinburgh

2.16 Edinburgh Park at the heart of the South Gyle/Sighthill core development area identified in the Structure Plan has progressed steadily to become Scotland's premier business park. The tram will enhance the accessibility of this area, and development at Edinburgh Park will be completed with the construction of office buildings at higher densities than exist, but within the design controls set by an agreed master plan. Edinburgh Park and Sighthill/South Gyle are included in the West Edinburgh Planning Framework which is published jointly by the Scottish Executive, SEEL, City of Edinburgh Council and West Lothian Council. It sets out strategic proposals for the area around Edinburgh Airport which is recognised as being of national importance in terms of economic development, global connectivity and transport.

South East Wedge Centre Edinburgh BioQuater

2.17 The agreed City of Edinburgh/Midlothian strategy for the South East Wedge includes the development of a centre for biomedical research on land south and east of the new Royal Infirmary, together with housing south and east of Greendykes. A key part of the strategy is the establishment of a landscape framework and public open spaces around the new growth areas. This local plan confirms the allocations and will safeguard an extended area of land to allow for future expansion of the 'BioQuarter' with further inter-related hospital, university and commercial business development expected to be of national significance.

The Urban Area

2.18 Outwith the major growth areas, the scale of change will be gradual and organic, unless major individual opportunities come forward through the operations of the property market. The Plan seeks to ensure that all new development respects the principles of sustainable development and contributes positively to the development of sustainable communities. New residential development should therefore contribute to mixed, sustainable communities, avoiding concentrations of tenure or household types in any one area. This will mean ensuring the provision of family housing in flatted schemes. The Council's affordable housing policy will require the inclusion of a significant proportion of affordable housing in all schemes across the city above set thresholds. Accessible services, job opportunities are also important. The Plan will encourage mixed use developments, and will sustain a network of centres of different sizes and types across the urban area, to meet shopping and other community needs.

2.19 Progress is being made with the regeneration of neighbourhoods identified as priority for investment through Scottish Government funding programmes such as the Social Inclusion Partnership and New Housing Partnership programmes. These are the Neighbourhood Renewal Areas indicated on the strategy diagram (Figure 2.1). These are areas of housing largely rented from the Council or other social landlords. A key aim is to develop more balanced communities, more reflective of social structures in the city as a whole. This is to be achieved through extensive clearance of existing housing and increasing the amount of private building for sale and home ownership on redevelopment.

The Enhancement and Improvement of the Green Network

2.20 The Local Plan seeks to protect and enhance green spaces and improve their biodiversity and their accessibility to local communities. Where major new developments are allowed, the Plan will ensure that open space is provided, if possible in ways which link with and extend the existing network. Provision is made in the strategy for the Waterfront Areas of Change for a coastal path to link existing promenades and create a walking and cycling route for the full length of the city's coastal edge.

Figure 2.1 Spatial Strategy Diagram

Figure 2.1: Spatial Strategy Diagram

Implementation

2.21 The Plan will be at the heart of development management - the process of deciding whether and under what conditions to grant planning permission. The Plan is supplemented by a range of guidance covering individual topics, including the Edinburgh Standards setting out the Council's expectations on the issues of design, housing, sustainable building and streets. Supplementary planning guidance may also be prepared for individual sites (development briefs) and for wider areas in the form of development frameworks and master plans. Such guidance does not have the status of the development plan when planning decisions are made, but may be a material consideration. The Council is committed to partnership working with land owners and prospective developers, including the joint preparation of development frameworks, and encourages the use of collaborative workshops involving local communities at early stages of the design process. Partnership working will be extended where necessary in major growth areas - the city centre and the Waterfront. For each of these, the Council has set up Development Partnerships, to bring key players together and ensure that the visions for these crucial areas are achieved.

Planning Agreements

2.22 Development proposals, major proposals especially, can have diverse and wide ranging impacts. If these cannot be addressed through planning conditions, the Council may negotiate the provision of developer contributions, which are usually financial but may be 'in kind', as part of the process of considering and approving a planning application. Developer contributions will be sought when necessary and relevant to securing the best use of land and a properly planned environment. Examples of benefits and mitigation measures which may be negotiated in accordance with policies in this Plan are:

Enforcement

2.23 The planning system rests on the powers which planning authorities have to manage development and to take enforcement action against any breaches of planning control. When appropriate the Council will remove, modify or stop unauthorised developments and changes of use. These powers are used at the discretion of the Council.

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