Scottish Government responds to Edinburgh’s affordable homes plan

The City of Edinburgh Council’s proposed Local Development Plan (LDP), which has scope for the provision of thousands of new affordable homes, should not be modified to include further housing land release at a strategic level, the Scottish Government has said.

The feedback comes in a report that considered unresolved representations from individuals and organisations that were seeking changes to the Plan.

Key recommendations of the report include:

  • The Plan should not be modified to include further housing land release at a strategic level
  • All identified housing sites in the proposed plan should be retained
  • A limited number of additional housing allocations have been identified, all of which already have planning permission following appeals to the Scottish Government
  • The Plan should be reviewed to ensure a continuing five year housing supply is achievable.

Cllr Ian Perry, convener of the planning committee, said: “This report on Edinburgh’s Local Development Plan from the Scottish Government is generally supportive of our proposals.

“One of the key issues for Edinburgh is a shortage of housing and I am pleased that, while there is short term pressure on supply, the report states that overall there is sufficient land to deliver the housing the city needs.

“The council will work closely with landowners and developers to identify ways in which building programmes can be accelerated to address this short term issue.”

The council will now consider the recommendations contained in the report at the Planning Committee on 5 September 2016 with a view to fully adopting the Plan by the end of this year.

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