Council Leader Cammy Day writes in today's Evening News about three projects we're working on in the west of city where we are looking to get your views.
Edinburgh continues to be a globally renowned city with a growing population which has surpassed 525,000 and is predicted to reach 560,000 by 2030.
We need to make sure this growth is clean, green and fair for all of our residents going forward and everyone needs to be able to get around more easily for work and leisure.
We know the west of the city is an area of strategic importance locally, regionally and within Scotland and beyond. It’s an increasingly popular place to live, work and study and we need to take action to respond to the opportunities and challenges this presents. As in the rest of the Capital, growth needs to be coordinated, with quality facilities such as healthcare, education, leisure and good transport links being provided close to quality new homes and quality new workspaces.
There are three waterways in the west of the city, major rail lines and the successful tram route running through it. It is also home to the city’s international airport which has more than 11m passengers passing through it every year. Leisure plays a big part in the community too. Every year Ingliston hosts many major international and national concerts, conferences and other events. There are also several major educational establishments serving students locally and from all over the world. The area is attracting major development too such as Parabola, and restaurant and event space Patina in Edinburgh Park.
So we started a conversation last month with residents and anyone else with an interest in the area on how this area in Edinburgh can grow and develop supporting existing communities that live there and this will continue over the coming months.
Check out our website to have your say and find out more about the in person and drop events we’ve organised. You will also find the three proposals we have for you to look at. They all cover different parts of west Edinburgh but are all linked and you can comment on them individually.
The first, Towards West Edinburgh 2050, is an overarching strategic vision which we’re using as a starting point for discussion and this project covers quite a large area from the current western edge of Edinburgh to the boundary with West Lothian Council and from the Firth of Forth in the north to the boundary with Scottish Borders Council to the south.
We’re also looking to create a new neighbourhood to the north of the A8 (Glasgow Road). We’ve produced a proposed masterplan for this which you can give your views on with a range of new opportunities for housing. We’re using 20 minute neighbourhood principles as in the rest of the city to make sure future residents live well locally with schools, healthcare and leisure facilities nearby.
Like other neighbourhoods in west Edinburgh this new community needs to be well connected to the rest of the city, the wider region and beyond through improved public transport links and the third document we’ve published gives you an opportunity to comment on transport improvements we’re proposing between Maybury and Broxburn.
These projects all reflect City Plan 2030 which when agreed by government will guide future planning applications as well as our agreed City Mobility Plan and other improvements. It’s an exciting time for this part of Edinburgh and I’d encourage you all to give us your views whether that is online or at one of the drop in events.