19 May 2023: Queensferry & District CC Chair, Keith Giblett, highlights the pressure points. 

North West Edinburgh was a late addition to LDP 1 (2016) and following rejection by the Scottish Government on the grounds that the number of new homes in Edinburgh had to be increased, a land bank for additional homes had to be found. Predominantly North West Edinburgh fulfilled a good part of the land bank needed.

Additional homes were to be built in Cammo, Cramond, Kirkliston, Ratho and Queensferry and so were added to LDP 1. A considerable number of objections were lodged from the locality, ward councillor’s, community councils and constituents to no avail. The main objections were a lack of improved facilities, schools provision, health provision, road improvements, and public transport improvements.

As we see these homes coming out of the ground and population increasing, what we don’t see, contrary to what the communities were told by Planning Officers, is the funding and commitment to improving the services.

Little thought was or has been given during these extensive consultations and subsequent planning applications as to how the actual plans are to be delivered. The development sites are solely housing with no surrounding land for building local businesses, facilities for local employment or for delivering council, health or essential services.

The City of Edinburgh Council’s objectives within 2030 City Plan (LDP 2), 20-Minute Neighbourhood and Low Emission Zoness are going to be extremely difficult to deliver for 2030 unless there is radical re-think with the strategy.

More recently, we have seen business with suitable sites for housing development moving into the city centre with loss of local jobs and making it necessary for employees to travel. An example is Ove-Arup, a business that has worked out of Queensferry for some years, with 80 employees. The buildings they occupied are to be developed into 23 luxury homes.

Presently CEC are holding consultations about school provision; a new West Edinburgh High School was to be built but there are no plans as yet. The preference from the consultation is that Kirkliston has its own High School built. In the interim pupils from Kirkliston will go the Queensferry High School, but CEC don’t know how they will be accommodated once the school reaches 1200 pupil’s capacity. Primary school education is another problem with a new school to be built, but plans are not even being discussed so temporary buildings are being added to existing schools.

We are seeing businesses ‘future-proofing’ commercial and retail property sites by seeking change-of-use from office accommodation to housing. CEC Planning advise that there is nothing that prohibits this kind action. I’m aware that this is a city-wide problem.

Public transport in North West Edinburgh is a serious problem. Few services have changed over the years and the statement made that an increased population would increase and improve public transport hasn’t been reflected in delivery. Through Covid it has been necessary to consolidate public transport; the recent changes being made to the bus service for Cramond is an example. Bus services are built around profitable routes unless they are supported from S.75 monies or are council-supported; so, unless the service providers see profit in a route then little will change. North-West Edinburgh patients will be directed to St John’s hospital for medical treatment and there are very few bus services to take you there. The other factor is that generally bus services take you into the City Centre and not across the city so to travel by bus from West Edinburgh to Sighthill or further south is difficult.

End/KG