CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
So if I get this right, that's adjacent to the pedestrian/cycling underpass that goes under the bypass? You know, where a road curves down going nowhere in particular? (See picture below). Currently very quiet as undeveloped. I can imagine that route will become very busy and hostile to cyclists as development gets underway.
Good that the WEATN will connect to this, but this may mean the death knell for cycling under the bypass this way in future, unless infrastructure is put in place.
Why wouldn't they build proper links through their site to the underpass? (especially if the Garden District gets built)
They will be going out of their way to say they won't be adding to the traffic congestion getting into and out of the Gyle, so I expect them to incorporate walking & cycling link if they have any hope of getting permission. But maybe I'm an optimist...
Doesn't mean the plans shouldn't have scrutiny though...
If they design to meet requirements in the Local Development Plan they should include pedestrian and cycle links. From developer principles for Area EP1 of Edinburgh Park/South Gyle:
the continuation of the existing north to south green space corridor and creation of new pedestrian and cycle links through the site are essential requirements. The potential exists to create a strategic pedestrian/cycle route linking Wester Hailes, Broomhouse and Sighthill to Edinburgh Gateway Station.
Page 62 shows a green space link under bypass but pedestrian/cycle route isn't overlaid on that, in contrast to other parts...
If the Garden District goes ahead then they will open up the Southern Underpass (where the arrow is) and make it more pedestrian & cycle friendly. (The burn is being diverted North so won't need to use it).
They'll also open up the Northern Underpass for single story buses and Peds/cycles.
Will provide lots of places for stay for workers for these offices
One factor demonstrating need for more houses somewhere -
Edinburgh's population has been growing by around 3% per annum since the mid-1990s. This year it was estimated the city breached the 500,000 mark. So demand for housing is very strong, but supply has not kept up.
New developments are not going to provide enough housing to meet all the demand. Rent controls, and regulation of short term lets such as AirBnB would help alleviate some of the pressure.
Don't see how rent control would help with supply/demand - good for other reasons.
Suspect AirBnB more 'don't annoy the neighbours'/'changing face of the city' issues.
As has been discussed on CCE many times, lot of new development is student housing.
This may/not help/hinder suppression of private rental increases/reduce amount of normal housing.
All related to public policies and planning - and the extent to which they can control various interlocking/competing 'markets'.
The population of Edinburgh grew by 12.2% between 2006 and 2016. That's where the main pressure is coming from.
There were more than 80,000 students enrolled in Edinburgh in 2016, up from 78,000 in 2014. In 2012 it was only 58,000. While not all students in the city, the majority do. So the new student accommodation may only be catering for new growth in student numbers, rather than alleviating pressure in the private rented sector.
AirBnB listings for entire homes rose from 2170 to 3472 in just 12 months from January 2015. Presumably there's been a further increase in the past 18 months. Perhaps most of these listings are just student flats let out over the summer months, it remains to be seen. Anecdata suggests otherwise.
So there is definite pressure on housing, which new developments are not alleviating fully.
“So there is definite pressure on housing, which new developments are not alleviating fully.“
That’s clearly true.
There is also an assumption that Edinburgh (and surrounding areas) will have an increase in population.
There are all sorts of plans (inc http://sesplan-consult.objective.co.uk/portal/proposedplan16 ) but are they actually able to guide/control actions of individuals, landbankers and developers??
Cala/David Wilson Homes are having a consultation for their proposed 500-700 hoise Development at Maybury (the northern field on the East side of Maybury Road near Cammo). Planning portal ref 17/04395/PAN
Friday 10th November 2-8pm
Saturday 11th November 9am-2pm
Cramond Kirk, Glebe Road
And if you go into the Planning portal their planning location plan includes the narrow strip of woodland on the East of Maybury Road and an access point onto Cammo Walk.
The green strip includes a very pleasant path that @AC & I use regularly to avoid Maybury Road.
The access point onto Cammo Walk is a worry too.
Will be scanning the detailed plans when it becomes available.
EDIT: Chap on Facebook reckons the woodland & Cammo Walk bits that have been added to the location plan is so they can build in ped/cycle connections to them. Which is better news.
A lot of new houses behind curriehill station they have built them in the style of a council house, conserving Curries character
"they have built them in the style of a council house"
Yeah saw a big new estate in Springfield (Fife) like that from the train. Curious really that they're aping the 1940s/1950s semi-detached council house aesthetic.
“Curious really that they're aping the 1940s/1950s semi-detached council house aesthetic.”
But how are they for layout and room size?
Looked up Parker Morris Standards, slightly surprised that was the 1960s and not earlier.
"But how are they for layout and room size?"
No idea! Also it's possible that these are not semi-detached, but detached properties, in which case they'll be quite large. Just the external appearance, angle of roof, layout of windows is almost identical to suburban post-war council houses (most of which are, of course now privately owned post-Thatcher).
Like this but smaller windows and no chimney:
“Cue politicians looking unhappy”
“
At the Portobello Community Council’s public meeting on the Pitz’s future, residents were resolute in their desire that the Westbank Street site not be overrun with development. While there is a need for new homes across the whole of Edinburgh, Portobello is already strained with development: 700 new homes have or will be built directly across from the Westbank site alone. Schools and health services will not be able to cope. Traffic will become even more congested and air quality will suffer.
“
“
Lee Picken: “This is an insane idea, the council have allowed every square inch of Currie, Balerno and Juniper Green to be developed, which has caused the overcrowding in schools.
“
The first comment from Lee Picken is wide of the mark. Neither high school Lee mentions is full. The new school somewhere to the west is for the new houses to be built on the David Murray owned land. The other new school which is proposed as a merger of Two Exisiting schools is due to the condition of the older buildings? Possibly some attempt to create a try comprehensive school in there somewhere too.
We were discussing whether we would move if they replace Currie high with one in town.
I just can't imagine grinding through that traffic (or putting the girls on at least one bus each way - think at least one of the proposed sites would require two buses each way).
Presumably the existing Currie site would fetch more for housing and/or there would be less resistance to using the land in town for a school (as opposed to housing). It seems odd that they are building intensively outside the bypass but have three proposed sites that all require a journey across the bypass to reach...
The tough thing is, I suppose if we're going to jump, we'd better do it before the consultation ends in case it crashes the house prices here. But then it might go the other way...
@Dave, never saw the proposed sites for the Currie High WHEC merger. I agree house prices should eb higher on the Currie HIgh site in this scenatrio as those houses would have children feeding to Currie Primary/Balerno. If site was WHEC pitches they are accessible from nether currie down Donkey Lane. Bit of a trek but Currie High has pupils going the opposite way at the moment.
Tricky
“
CONTROVERSIAL plans for new housing on greenbelt land between the City Bypass and Fairmilehead are set to be thrown out by councillors.
The proposals by Miller Homes for 86 homes on agricultural land known as Winton East prompted over 100 letters of objection.
And now officials have recommended the application be refused next week.
“
“
North Lanarkshire has more space to build, more brownfield sites than anywhere else in Scotland.
“
Wasn't sure where best to ask this, so if anyone knows of a more appropriate thread, please let me know.
I've been looking at various big planning applications around Edinburgh, and they *all* fail to include adequate pedestrian/cyclist access to nearby amenities.
Does anyone know:
If this is grounds for objecting (and how best to word such an objection)?
Where I can find the council's policy on provision of pedestrian/cyclist links in new developments?
@Frenchy
If you're within the city limits ask your councilor?
Was hoping someone could give me a quicker answer.
The councillors most likely to know the answer are those on the planning committee, but they are also least likely to be able to answer as they aren't able to comment on current planning applications.
Local Development Plan policy may help.
Have a look at Policy Tra1: Location of Major Travel Generating Development and Policy Tra9: Cycle and Footpath Network. There is also related policy on developer contributions for infrastructure (Policy Del1) and on layout which includes ensuring routes link with wider networks (Policy Des7).
Edinburgh Local Development Plan
Decisions on applications should be made in accordance with the Local Development Plan unless a material consideration indicates otherwise. Have these proposals demonstrated why they should not adhere to plan policy? That should be a useful starting point for considering your objection.
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