The New Town & Broughton Community Council has consulted widely on the proposal for redevelopment of the RBS site fronting Fettes Row, Royal Crescent, Dundas Street and Eyre Place.

We have also had extensive engagement with the architects / agents who have been involved with bringing forward a planning application.

NTBCC have further refined the draft of the representations that we published on our website recently and have now submitted the final versions covering the Planning Permission in Principle application (16/05454/PPP) as well as the Conservation Area Consent application (16/05455/CON) for the demolition of the existing buildings on the site.

NTBCC’s final representation for 16/05454/PPP can be viewed here and the parallel representation covering 16/05455/CON here. They are also now available on the Edinburgh Planning portal along with other statutory consultees.

We have been encouraged by the high level of community engagement regarding this development and we appreciate the significant effort made by many local residents associations and other groups as well as the robust discussions at many community council meetings.

We have also encouraged many heritage bodies to register their comments on these applications and are pleased that our neighbouring community council (Stockbridge & Inverleith) have submitted their objections as well as Edinburgh World Heritage, the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland (AHSS) and the Cockburn Association.

We are also encouraged by the detailed objection submitted by Historic Environment Scotland - who has taken a strong position regarding the negative impact that the proposed development would have on the World Heritage Site due to the proposed height and massing (which can be viewed here with key statements highlighted). We would hope that their formal objection will ensure that current proposal is withdrawn and significantly amended followed by a further period of public consultation.

We remain of the view that a more appropriate level of development of this prime New Town site has the potential to create a complex of buildings that would truly enhance this area of the city.