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LOCALS are up in arms after a £2billion ‘new town’ was given the green light – complete with 7,000 homes, schools, hotel and shops.
The plans for West Town, just outside Edinburgh, received 50 objections from seething locals calling on council bosses to pull the plug on the housing developments.
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Edinburgh Council gave the go-ahead for the city’s largest housing on December 4.
The decision has sparked fury from locals, with many branding the 205-acre town as a “concrete jungle” which will “tower” over those who live nearby.
“Before they saw the plans, some residents envisioned a well-designed, spacious housing estate with gardens – a harmonious addition to the area,” businessman Stuart Duncan told EdinburghLive.
“Instead, what we’ve been presented with is a concrete jungle, with unsightly gable ends towering over us right on our border.
“Castle Gogar Rigg residents were largely ignored in the original planning application.
“The aerial Google images used were outdated, leaving out half of the properties, and the drawings depicted our homes in such a faint grey they were almost invisible.
“Despite the emphasis on creating a ’20-Minute Neighbourhood,’ there was no provision made to connect Castle Gogar Rigg via a path to this vision of accessibility and integration.
“The developers also talk about prioritising green space, even branding West Town as a ‘Green Place,’ but their plans stripped us of the green areas we currently enjoy and totally ignored the impact on our outlook and privacy.”
Members of the Development Management Sub Committee voted unanimously to grant permission for the developments which they hope will support the city’s housing crisis.
The town will come complete with 2,500 fresh and affordable homes, two schools, pubs, bars, restaurants, cafes and office space.
Edinburgh trams will link the area with Edinburgh airport and city centre.
It will also boast 27-acres of open green space – including a 5.5-acre central park, several pocket parks and a wildlife corridor criss-crossed by cycle, running and walking tracks.
The new town’s developers hit back at concerns from locals, arguing that the plans will help deliver a “major transformation” of the city.
Graeme Bone, Drum’s managing director, said: “This planning consent is the next significant milestone in our journey to realise the ambition we share with the Council, as agreed in the City Plan 2030, to deliver a major transformation of the west of Edinburgh.
How to complain against planning permission
Initially one has to complain to the authority that made the relevant decision using its formal complaints procedure (details of which should be on their website).
Each authority’s procedures are slightly different, but normally they have two or three stages and, if you are not satisfied at one stage you can go on to the next.
Generally local authorities try and resolve complaints as soon as possible and you have a good chance of getting resolution, but if you do not consider your complaint has been dealt with satisfactorily you can then take your complaint on to the Local Government Ombudsman.
The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) examines complaints from people who feel that they have been disadvantaged because a local authority has not made a decision in the proper way. This is known as ‘maladministration’.
Source: Planning Aid England
“We now have the once-in-a-generation opportunity to make West Town an exemplar, sustainable 20-minute neighbourhood on a par with the best new developments taking place anywhere across the UK and Europe.
“The amount of space on the site, combined with its superb location, allows for a natural extension of the city.
“West Town also has direct access to some of the best public transport in Scotland – creating a strategic gateway for the west of Edinburgh.”
The Sun Online has reached out to Edinburgh City Council for comment.
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