Business news
City signs up for a new approach to planning
Posted Wednesday 26 May 2010 15:14 GMT
A new planning concordat, the first of its kind in Scotland, has been agreed by Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and the City of Edinburgh Council.
The document opens the door to a new approach to sustainable development and has been hailed as central to Edinburgh's recovery from recession. Drawn up by city planners working alongside the Chamber's Property Policy Group, the document contains a set of guiding principles that developers on the one hand and planners on the other agree to adhere to in order to make the system more efficient and effective.
Signed on behalf of Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce by its President, Robert Carr, and the Chairman of its Property Policy Group, Ali Afshar of AMA New Town; and on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council by Councillor Jim Lowrie, Chair of the Planning Committee, and John Bury, Head of Planning, the document will now become part of established 'best practice' for developers and planners in the capital.
The Concordat was drawn up by Richard Slipper of GVS Grimley, with vital input from Jones Lang Lasalle, Montagu Evans, Turleys and the Scottish Property Federation. It has already been hailed by the Scottish Minister for Business and Enterprise, Jim Mather, as 'best in class' and should help to send a message to the rest of the UK and wider world that Edinburgh is a place that encourages development.
Robert Carr said: "What's important now is that the Concordat is applied successfully, so anyone who is involved in development and planning in and around the city should read it."
