Planning

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NTBCC submits formal complaint regarding handling of planning application

The New Town and Broughton Community Council has submitted a formal complaint to the City of Edinburgh Council regarding its handling of a planning application for the development of a site on Blenheim Place. This complaint was submitted on 30 April 2025 but to date no response has been provided. The following is a summary of that complaint but the full document is attached for your reference.

 Summary of Complaint to the City of Edinburgh Council: Planning Local Review Body (Panel 1), 2 April 2025, Item 6.1

 The Planning Local Review Body (LRB Panel 1) met on 2 April to consider Item 6.1 entitled: 12 Blenheim Place (At Land 45 Metres East Of) – Erection of new 5-bedroom family home on land between Greenside Parish Church and No. 12 Blenheim Place Application no. 24/01889/FUL.

This was a section 43 appeal against refusal of planning permission on 28 October 2024. The appeal was lodged by Scott Hobbs Planning on behalf of CSG Projects Limited on 24 January 2025.

On 30 April, the New Town & Broughton Community Council made a formal complaint to the City of Edinburgh Council concerning serious procedural failures, apparent bias, and lack of adherence to statutory requirements by the Planning Local Review Body (Panel 1) during the review on 2 April 2025. The complaint was based upon a careful examination by community councillors of the webcast of the relevant part of the meeting. Continue reading →

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Agenda for May NTBCC Meeting

The next meeting of the New Town and Broughton Community Council will take place on Monday 12 May 2025, starting at 7.00pm. This meeting will be held online on Zoom. The link for this meeting is as follows:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87849508345?pwd=qWIte18bCUReZjaf8SgGMFf1Ay6RzN.1

The agenda for the meeting is:

  1. Welcome and Apologies
  2. Declarations of Interest
  3. Approval of Minutes of April 2025 Meeting and Matters Arising 2025_04_14 draft V4 copy
  4. Chair’s Report
    1. Edinburgh World Heritage Trust (to note)
    2. Community Council Election and Induction Issues (to note/discuss)
    3. Community Councillor Interests Survey (to note)
    4. Arrangements for Business Meeting (to note)
  5. Culture and Communities Matters
    1. Dunard Centre Project Update – Jo Buckley, Chief Executive, IMPACT Scotland
    2. Culture & Communities Committee Meeting – 5 June 2025 (to note)
    3. Appointment of Edinburgh Visitor Levy Forum Chairperson (to note)
    4. Calton Hill Conservation Trust AGM – 17 May 2025 (to note)
    5. Friends of George V Park AGM (to note)
  6. Planning Matters
    1. Planning Local Review Body Decision – 12 Blenheim Place (to note/discuss)
    2. Revised application & Variations for the former RBS site (to note/discuss)
    3. Request for Pre-Application Meeting by Royal London (to discuss)
    4. Recent Planning Applications & Appeals (to note/discuss)
  7. Transport and Environment Matters (convener’s report) 
    1. Communal Bin Review Phase 6 Consultation Update (to note/discuss)
    2. TRO Subcommittee Meeting – Review of ETRO Objections (to note/discuss)
    3. City Mobility Plan Capital Investment Plan (to note/discuss)
  8. Licencing Matters  (convener’s report)
    1. Regulatory – STL Licensing & Aparthotels (to note)
    2. Licensing Board – Report of Meeting of 28 April 2025 (to note)
    3. Licensing Board – Supplementary Statement of Policy on Overprovision (to note)
  1. Any Other Business
    1. Napier University Engagement Project (to note)
    2. Councillor Jule Bandel Absence (to note)
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NTBCC ordinary meeting minutes 10 March 2025

Minutes of New Town & Broughton Community Council’s ordinary meeting, held via Zoom, on Monday 10 March 2025 at 7pm

Actions and decisions are red italic. ND (‘no dissent’) means that no-one spoke or voted against a decision.

URLs have been added by the minutes secretary. Continue reading →

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Edinburgh Council’s Planning Local Review Body – 2nd April 2025 : Calton Hill Planning Travesty!

As reported in The Herald on 10th April 2025: Fury in Edinburgh New Town over ‘hideous’ home approved by Calton Hill | The Herald

We refer to the proceedings of the Planning Local Review Body (Panel 1) that took place on 2nd April 2025 – specifically as related to agenda item 6.1: 12 Blenheim Place (At Land 45 Metres East Of) – Erection of new 5-bedroom family home on land between Greenside Parish Church and No. 12 Blenheim Place – application no. 24/01889/FUL.

The New Town & Broughton Community Council is profoundly concerned about the lack of forensic rigour in the running of the proceedings, and the seemingly casual way the original decision was overturned, contradicting the Council’s own planning advice.

The relevant webcast segment can be viewed here: Planning Local Review Body (Panel 1) – Wednesday 2 April 2025, 9:30am – Start video at 0:03:14 – City of Edinburgh Council Webcasts

The detailed evidence that was supplied – beyond the neutral stance from Historic Environment Scotland (HES) – is available here, including NTBCC’s representation: 24/01889/FUL | Erection of new 5-bedroom family home on land between Greenside Parish Church and No. 12 Blenheim Place. | Land 45 Metres East Of 12 Blenheim Place Edinburgh

NTBCC will decide about their course of action at their next public meeting on Monday 14th April.
Agenda for Meeting of New Town and Broughton Community Council on 14 April 2025

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Agenda for Meeting of New Town and Broughton Community Council on 14 April 2025

The agenda for the next meeting of the New Town and Broughton Community Council on Monday 14 April 2025 at the Drummond Room, Broughton St Mary’s Church on Bellevue Crescent is shown below. Please note that this meeting will commence earlier than usual at 6.45pm to allow time for our Returning Officer, Councillor Claire Miller to announce the results of the recent community council election for our area and confirm the appointment of Office Bearers.

Agenda for New Town and Broughton Community Council Meeting – 14 April 2025

  1. Welcome, Introductions and Apologies
  2. Declarations of Interest
  3. Announcing Community Council Members as duly elected
  4. Confirmation of Community Council Name
  5. Election of Office Bearers
    1. Appointment of Chair
    2. Appointment of Secretary
    3. Appointment of Treasurer
    4. Appointment of Engagement and Inclusion Officer
  6. Community Council Representatives to attend induction event on 26 April 2025.

Note: The above items will be chaired by the appointed Returning Officer for the New Town and Broughton Community Council election, Councillor Claire Miller.

  1. Approval of Minutes of 10 March 2025 Meeting and Matters Arising
  2. Presentation with Questions & Answers by Councillor Stephen Jenkinson, Convenor of CEC Transport and Environment Committee
  3. Chair’s Report
    1. Edinburgh World Heritage Trust and Interface Group Meetings (to note)
  4. Planning Matters
    1. Planning Guidance Consultation – NTBCC Response (to note)
    2. Planning Local Review Body Decision – 12 Blenheim Place (to discuss)
    3. Recent Planning Applications
  5. Licencing Matters (convener’s report)
    1. Licensing Board
      1. Licensing Applications & Standards – Feb 2025 statistics (to note)
      2. Overprovision – additional consultation (to note/discuss)
    2. Civic Licensing + Tables & Chairs (to note)
    3. Beltane Fire Festival – Queue Management (to note/discuss)
  6. Transport and Environment Matters (convenor’s report)
    1. Communal Bin Review Phase 6 Consultation – NTBCC Response (to note)
    2. Trams to Newhaven Project Update (to note)
  7. Culture and Communities Matters
  8. Any Other Business

 

 

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NTBCC’s response to Edinburgh Council’s consultation on draft planning documents

Please see the attached PDF, or the full text after the ‘read ore’ cut.

NTBCC Response To Draft Planning Guidance Documents

NTBCC has two general points for consideration.

  • There is a need for greater consistency regarding decision-making on planning matters generally. At times decisions appear to be contradictory or are otherwise inexplicable. The Council should have in place systems that can provide internally and externally assurance that decisions have the necessary degree of consistency.
  • There should be a tighter enforcement regime. The Council should review its approach to enforcement regarding planning decisions to provide reassurance that owners and developers are not able to disregard regulations and guidance without any consequences.

Continue reading →

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The Big Wheel in Princes Gardens – A Decision!

We have recently received an email from the Council following the representations that we and others had made regarding the extended operating period that had been proposed for The Big Wheel in Princes Gardens. The following is an extract from that email.

Thank you for responding and providing feedback on the application to host a Big Wheel in East Princes Street Gardens this summer.

The engagement stage of the process has now closed and having considered feedback from all our internal and external stakeholders, we have agreed that this application should not proceed.

Please share this information with your own networks as required.

Clearly it  shows that at least on some occasions, it is worth providing timely comments. Thanks to everyone that did so.