This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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West Edinburgh Planning Framework
17/12/2003
A review of the West Edinburgh
Planning Framework is to take place following yesterday's
publication of the UK Air Transport White Paper.
Deputy Communities Minister Mary
Mulligan announced that the West Edinburgh Planning
Framework is to be reassessed to set out a framework to
determine the various planning issues in the area for the
next three decades.
The White Paper proposed growth of
Edinburgh airport to 20 million passengers per annum by
2030.
Other issues for the framework include
surface access to Edinburgh airport, including both
increasing the capacity of the strategic road network as
well as the proposed tram and rail links.
Until the review of the framework is
complete and the local authorities concerned embody it in
the statutory development plan, interim safeguards against
potentially inappropriate development have been
established.
Ministers, using powers under the Town
and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, have issued a
direction to the City of Edinburgh Council requiring it to
refer to the Executive any planning application on land to
the south and south-west of the current airport boundary
which they wish to approve.
Ministers will then determine whether
the proposal covered by the planning application requires
further consideration in the light of the Air Transport
White Paper, or whether it can be returned to the council
to deal with.
The West Edinburgh Planning Framework
Plan was prepared by Executive together with City of
Edinburgh Council and Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh &
Lothian. It is the first area-specific Scottish Planning
Policy.
The Review of Strategic Planning which
was published in June 2001 suggested that there may be a
limited number of areas where, in the national interest, a
co-ordinated approach to planning was essential. West
Edinburgh is one such area.
The framework includes the Sighthill
and South Gyle employment areas, Edinburgh Park and the
Gyle Centre, and the A8 corridor to Newbridge, including
the Royal Highland Showground and the Airport.