A public consultation will gather final views on proposed new legislation for the regulation of short-term lets.
The Scottish Government’s proposals include a mandatory licensing scheme to ensure that all short-term lets are safe and to address issues faced by neighbours.
The regulations, if passed by Parliament, would come into force by April 2021. These would also give councils powers to manage pressures created by the use of whole properties as short-term lets.
Welcoming the launch of the consultation, Housing Minister Kevin Stewart said: “Short-term lets can offer people a flexible and affordable accommodation option, and they have contributed positively to Scotland’s tourism industry and local economies across the country.
“However, we know that in certain areas, particularly tourist hot spots, high numbers of these arrangements can cause problems for neighbours and make it harder for people to find homes to live in.
“The views and evidence from our previous consultation and research showed broad consensus for some form of regulation. Our proposals will allow local authorities and communities facing the most severe pressures to take action to manage those more effectively from next year.
“I believe our proposals for a licensing scheme and short-term let control areas are evidence-based and right for Scottish circumstances.
“We will be engaging with stakeholders on our detailed proposals over the next four weeks. I am confident that our proposals will allow local authorities to ensure a safe, quality experience for visitors, whilst protecting the interests of local communities.”
The First Minister’s National Advisory Council on Women and Girls (NACWG) is calling on Edinburgh residents to join the #GenerationEqual movement and have their say in its latest discussion surrounding body image.
Increased societal pressures relating to ‘body image standards’ and the rise in use of social media has had a considerable impact on body image for many women and girls of all ages.
Discrimination, developing distorted perceptions and dealing with low self-esteem, often with associated mental health consequences, are just some of the issues stemming from body image. The Advisory Council would like to hear views on body image from people of all genders and those who don’t identify to help inform its findings and shape its recommendations to the First Minister.
The NACWG was formed to drive equality for women and girls in every community across Scotland by raising the issue of gender inequality. Focusing on a new Spotlight theme on a bi-monthly basis, the Advisory Council aims to bring people together and create discussion on many issues still faced by women and girls in Scotland today. The NACWG is putting a Spotlight on body image until the end of October to explore the daily challenges and pressures of body image.
Louise Macdonald OBE, Co-Chair of the NACWG, said: “In today’s society women and girls still face huge pressures to look a certain way as they compare their appearance to others on social media, magazines and in advertisements. Poor self-confidence can be extremely damaging, and can lead to many women and girls struggling with their self-worth and place in society.
“The Advisory Council is inviting groups, organisations and networks in Edinburgh, to share their experiences, opinions and ideas around the body image Spotlight. Every bit of feedback will help advise the First Minister and drive action in creating long-lasting change for women and girls in Scotland.”
To participate in this national conversation groups, organisations and networks are encouraged to form a virtual Wee Circle to discuss these issues and share ideas on how it can be tackled.
Feedback from these Wee Circle discussions, as well as individual feedback, can be submitted online at onescotland.org/NACWG.
Alternatively, thoughts can be shared on social media using the hashtag #GenerationEqual.
The Scottish Joint Industry Board (SJIB) and Unite the Union have welcomed the launch of a consultation exercise which it is hoped will lead to the introduction of a Member’s Bill calling for regulation of electricians.
Both organisations are supporting the proposed Bill, which MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston plans to put forward following the new consultation announced last week.
The Bill by the Conservative MSP for the Highlands and Islands is calling for the introduction of protection of title, which would ensure that only properly qualified and experienced professionals could call themselves an electrician.
Mr Halcro Johnston said: “Poor quality work has potentially dangerous consequences and presents a risk to neighbours and a financial cost to insurers, as well as placing our emergency services unnecessarily in harm’s way.
“The proposed Bill would ensure that electricians undertaking work are qualified to do so and effectively registered. This will not only benefit the end consumer, but also the electrical industry, which depends on the trust of the wider public.
“Unfortunately, due to restrictions on parliamentary time, my Bill won’t be able to get through during the current parliamentary session. However, by doing this, we have started a process which could lead to an historic and long overdue change after the 2021 election.”
The launch of the consultation was endorsed by the SJIB, which is one of the many organisations backing a rapidly-growing campaign for recognition of electrician as a profession.
Fiona Harper, The Secretary of the SJIB, said: “This consultation is the first part of a very important journey to ensure that only those who are appropriately qualified and experienced are allowed to call themselves an electrician.
“It adds further momentum to the industry’s commitment to improve consumer safety and is another important milestone in protecting people and businesses across Scotland.
“We would like to thank Mr Halcro Johnston for his hard work in getting this important matter to this stage and we look forward to seeing its development.”
Pat Rafferty, Unite Scotland Regional Secretary, added: “This announcement is another step on the road to protecting the reputation of properly qualified electricians, both now and for the next generation.
“Ensuring that skills, qualifications and competence are properly protected will underpin the future of our industry and help raise the bar across our profession as a whole.”
However, Fiona added: “Momentum is everything, so it’s vital that regulation happens as soon as possible. Every day we spend debating is another day that the public are exposed to shoddy and sub-standard electrical work, performed by so-called electricians with no qualifications at all.”
The SJIB and Unite are among the organisations supporting the #BackTheBrick campaign spearheaded by SELECT, Scotland’s largest trade association.
The association has been pressing the Scottish Government for regulation of electricians and has received significant support from MPs, MSPs and major organisations. In May, Liberal-Democrat MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton and SNP MP Alan Brown added their names to the SELECT Wall of Support, following in the footsteps of the 32 MSPs who vowed to support the campaign in November 2019.
The issue has already been debated in the Scottish Parliament, with an Electricians Working Group convened to explore the challenges of ensuring the safety of electrical installations and protecting consumers.
The consultation can be responded to here and is open until Tuesday 10 November 2020.
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on future public spending decisions to protect equalities and human rights in Scotland is to be considered by a Holyrood Committee.
The Scottish Parliament’s Equalities and Human Rights (EHRi) Committee has issued a call for views on the financial implications arising from Covid-19, including the impact on funding of third sector organisations which support people to be treated equally and to access their rights.
MSPs will focus on how inequalities highlighted by the public health emergency and the response to the crisis can be addressed in Scotland’s economic recovery.
The Committee also seeks views on what more can be done to ensure equalities and human rights are central to Scottish Government budget decisions.
Committee Convener, Ruth Maguire MSP, said: “As this committee’s on-going inquiry into the impact of Covid-19 on equalities and human rights has shown, it is some of society’s most vulnerable groups who have experienced disproportionately negative effects as a result of the virus and as a consequence of the lockdown measures imposed.
“Covid-19 has exacerbated existing inequalities in Scotland, but it has also shown that positive outcomes can be achieved with targeted funding to support individuals and particular groups.
“Now that we are moving out of the crisis and restarting the economy, we want to hear how the pandemic has affected funding to support people to access their rights and ensure they are treated equally.
“We also want to explore how the Scottish Government considers equalities and human rights when it makes budget decisions. We want to know what actions should be taken and what data collected to make this happen more effectively, to address the unequal impact of Covid-19 on specific groups and tackle long-standing health and social inequalities in Scotland.”
The closing date for responses to the call for views is Friday 18 September 2020.
The Committee is are looking for information about the following questions:
1. Last year we were successful in getting the Scottish Government to commit to increasing the Equalities and Human Rights allocation to £30.2m. What is this extra money being used for and is it enough?
2. During last year’s budget scrutiny, we found that spending decisions were sometimes being made without due consideration to equality impact assessments. With unprecedented levels of grants being provided to the private and third sectors over the past six months in response to COVID 19, how confident is the third sector and other stakeholders that money is being committed only after due consideration is given to equality impacts?
3. In the Scottish Government’s response to the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery, the Scottish Government has committed (p.69-70) to “recognise the necessity of embedding an Equalities and Human Rights approach across our policy thinking and development for economic recovery and renewal.” It has listed what it’s done so far to help meet this commitment and what it intends to do in the near future. What more should be done and how can the 2021-22 budget contribute?
A report which sets out 1,800 responses to the public consultation on ‘Choices for City Plan 2030’ has been published the Council.
This figure compares to 435 responses received for the main issues report to the current Local Development Plan. Social media statistics show that information about Choices for City Plan 2030 reached over a million people, with over 24,000 engagements on our posts.
A public consultation began on 31 January and responses were accepted until 30 April. Residents and other interested groups were given an additional four weeks due to disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic to give their views.
A revised timetable for the Development Plan Scheme for City Plan 2030 including the proposed plan, the period of representation, examination and future adoption of the Plan will also be considered.
Cllr Neil Gardiner, Convener of the Planning Committee, said: “When we set out to consult on ‘Choices’ none of us could have known how the world was about to change and as some coronavirus lockdown restrictions and physical distancing measures remain in place, none of us can predict exactly how Edinburgh and the rest of the world will emerge from this global pandemic.
“We are all adapting to a ‘new normal’ and all of our planning must take account of the changes we are seeing in the way people are living their lives. This includes how we all use and appreciate green spaces with the health and well-being benefits they bring to communities. Community resilience also includes easy access to facilities. Connectivity is therefore very important, with neighbourhoods containing a mixture of services within in easy reach.
“It is fantastic that we’ve had such a great response to our consultation and I’d like to thank everyone who gave us their views. Now more than ever we must listen closely to what our residents, businesses and other stakeholders have told us to help us develop a plan to allow our city to grow and change to meet future needs.
“City Plan 2030 is about us making the right choices now so that our residents can make reasonable and informed choices about how and where they live and how they get around in the future.
“Edinburgh is a beautiful green, cultural and historic city which has benefitted from a thriving economy but, like many cities, we have increasing levels of poverty and health inequalities in our communities, rising housing costs and in some areas, traffic congestion and poor air quality.
“We also need to adapt our city to meet the needs of an aging population, address the increasing impact of climate change and make sure growth is sustainable. This must all now be addressed in the context of the changes we are seeing as a result of the impact of Covid-19 and making sure we have resilient communities.”
Vice Convener, Cllr Maureen Child, added: “We’re embarking on one of the most significant periods of transformation in a generation which has just become a lot more intense due to the coronavirus pandemic, and we need to rethink the way we use our buildings and expand to accommodate our growing population.
“We’re already committed to building 20,000 affordable and low-cost homes by 2027 but the city needs more housing, with particular emphasis on affordable homes.
“We must make sure we meet our ambitious climate change targets and all houses and other buildings will need to be much more energy efficient in the future. We’ll also work with our partners in the industry to make sure we make the best use of the limited space we have and, going forward, we’ll be asking developers to think more carefully about location, density and design.
“Choices for City Plan 2030 set out bold options for the public to consider and comment on about how we manage future development so Edinburgh can adapt and flourish during a time of major change. This is how Edinburgh could be in a decade’s time if it responds fully to the challenges of a rising population and the coronavirus and climate emergencies and in the manner set out in a radical plan for the future.”
The wide-ranging document set out options for how to the make best use of land for future development. It also addressed how we could tackle short term lets through new planning policies, in addition to the new regulatory powers announced earlier this year by the Scottish Government following Edinburgh’s campaign to seek national legislation.
Views were also sought on planning for and building more affordable housing, managing the growth of student housing, and whether all new buildings and conversions should meet the highest zero carbon standards to help Edinburgh meet its ambitious target of becoming a carbon neutral city by 2030.
In each section, the Council gave its preferred option for development as well as other alternatives.
‘Choices for City Plan 2030’ links closely with the Council’s ambitious draft City Mobility Plan, designed to improve sustainable transport over the next decade.
The proposed City Plan 2030 will be considered by the Planning Committee in December after which it will be published for representation and then formally examined by the Scottish Government before we can consider adopting it.
Edinburgh residents are being asked to share their views on a scheme that requires people who have committed offences to carry out unpaid work in the community as part of their sentence.
Community Payback Orders can be imposed on people who have committed offences by the courts as an alternative to a short term prison sentence, and can last between six months and three years. They give those involved the chance to address their behaviour and also to repay communities by carrying out unpaid work.
The Council administers the scheme in the city and is seeking the views of the public on people who have committed offences working in communities and the effectiveness of community payback as a way to reduce re-offending.
Examples of unpaid work carried out by the scheme include:
repairing and reinstating headstones in local cemeteries
developing and maintaining children’s play areas
recycling projects including bicycles and outdoor furniture
As well as using the questionnaire to comment on the community payback scheme, participants can also recommend groups, residents, organisations or projects that may benefit from unpaid work through the online suggestion form.
Councillor Amy McNeese-Mechan, Vice Convener of Culture and Communities said: “We’re really keen to hear what people think about Community Payback Orders, and the work carried out by the people subject to them.
“One of the aims of the consultation is also to identify more opportunities in Edinburgh for unpaid community work to be carried out. This work could include repainting community centres, community clear ups or recycling projects including bicycles and outdoor furniture. They are an excellent way for organisations such as charities to get practical help, and they give people who commit offences the chance to repay communities for their offences.
“The information we collect will help us to improve how we work with communities and help to increase understanding of CPOs and their importance in helping people reintegrate into society and reduce the likelihood of them reoffending.”
Edinburgh BioQuarter has launched an online community consultation with the intention of developing a new mixed-use neighbourhood, as part of plans to create the city’s “Health Innovation District”.
BioQuarter, which sits to the south east of the city in Little France, is already home to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, the University of Edinburgh Medical School and Centre for Regenerative Medicine, alongside a number of medical research institutes and life sciences businesses.
The ambition is that BioQuarter will grow to a community of more than 20,000 people who will live, work or study at the 167-acre site. The expansion will support an estimated 9,000 longer term new jobs, plus additional construction jobs, while greatly expanding the numbers of spin out and start-up companies.
BioQuarter’s partners – the City of Edinburgh Council, NHS Lothian, Scottish Enterprise, and the University of Edinburgh – are updating their existing masterplan to include a wider mix of uses including an increase in residential and commercial properties planned at the site.
The consultation on the plan will run online – due to current restrictions caused by Covid-19 – between 18 June and 6th July 2020.
Proposals featured as part of the online consultation include the construction of shops, cafés, a gym, hotel, nursery and residential homes set alongside state-of-the-art innovation, teaching and healthcare facilities.
With the commitment of its partners, BioQuarter has already benefitted from over £500million of public capital investment and has a further £300million of investment planned over the next five years.
The site is also home to innovative research including STOPCOVID, a project aiming to test existing and experimental drugs as treatments for Covid-19, spearheaded by the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Inflammation Research.
Commenting on the launch of the consultation, Anna Stamp, Edinburgh BioQuarter, Interim Programme Director, said: “Over the past two decades BioQuarter has grown as a place for health innovation with some of the country’s top medical research and life sciences businesses working together across the site.
“We want your views to help shape BioQuarter’s development. This is an exciting time as we look to create a new community in the city; a vibrant neighbourhood that promotes health and wellbeing and compliments its surrounding areas. We have a unique opportunity here, which, if developed in the right way, can deliver huge benefits to the City, including economic growth, jobs skills and education.
“As part of the development of our Health Innovation District, we want to make sure it includes the right mix of amenities that will ensure it becomes a great new place to live, work and discover.”
Council Leader Adam McVey said: “I’m delighted to see plans progressing for this hugely exciting project for Edinburgh. I’d encourage everyone to feed into the consultation for this cutting-edge development.
“Life sciences have long been extremely valuable as a sector here in Edinburgh, and the BioQuarter will play a crucial role in its ongoing success. This can make a massive contribution to the ongoing regeneration of the south east of the city.
“This scheme will create a whole new community of people, with access to a vibrant new public square. In addition to this, it’s estimated the development will create around 9,000 new local jobs, with many more construction roles being created while it is being built.”
Those unable to access the plans online can request detail on the development by writing to Edinburgh BioQuarter Programme Team, Community Consultation, NINE, 9 Little France Road, Edinburgh BioQuarter, Edinburgh, EH16 4UX.
Edinburgh’s Filmhouse continues to consult with as many people as possible by adapting its pre-planning public consultation in light of the social distancing and other advice issued by the UK and Scottish Governments in response to Coronavirus.
Open public drop in sessions which were to be held at the Filmhouse with CEO of the Filmhouse Ken Hay, the architect Richard Murphy, and Fraser Littlejohn from planning consultants Montagu Evans will now take place online with members of the public able to sign up in advance, or join spontaneously.
Questions for the panel will be prioritised from those who email in advance to future@filmhousecinema.com but there will also be the opportunity to feed through questions live to the moderator.
The public sessions are scheduled for 24 June at 1pm and 7pm, and 25 June at 10am and 4pm.
Each registered participant will be sent a short introductory video to watch before the session and be encouraged to submit questions in advance so they can be collated into areas of discussion.
During the session the panel will each speak and share images and plans of the new building before opening up to questions. The sessions are expected to last between 45 and 60 minutes.
Ken Hay, CEO of Centre for the Moving Image (inc Filmhouse and Edinburgh International Film Festival) said: “It’s a challenging environment in which to make sure we do the best job possible of reaching as wide a public as possible.
“We already have almost 500 responses to the consultation on the new Filmhouse building through our online survey, which is terrific. It is really useful to receive this feedback while the consultation is live so we work to address areas of concern or questions through our continually updating information online.
“We’re looking forward to these web consultation sessions and some live interaction with those who are interested so we can answer their questions.”
Information on the bold new vision to create an internationally significant, fully accessible and environmentally sustainable landmark home for film and screen culture in Edinburghincluding architect drawings and visualisations, the background to the development and FAQs are available on Filmhouse’s website.
People can feedback through a simple online survey on the Filmhouse website.
The project team is currently creating a series of further digital resources which are being shared through Filmhouse and Edinburgh International Film Festival websites, social media and email.
These resources are drawing out different aspects of the building and its purpose, responding to some of the questions emerging from the consultation feedback so far. The upcoming public consultation sessions will also be recorded and made available on YouTube post event.
The planned new Filmhouse building has been designed by award-winning Edinburgh based Richard Murphy Architects and will significantly improve and increase the quality and quantity of spaces available to and needed by Filmhouse and EIFF for their audiences, customers, participants and industry partners.
It will create a hub for Edinburgh’s film and broader cultural community to base themselves in, and be a focal point for Edinburgh’s citizens to learn about film and filmmaking in all its diversity.
The Scottish Parliament’s Covid-19 Committee, which will be tasked with considering any changes to lockdown legislation, has launched a consultation to gather views about moving out of the current lockdown phase.
The call for views is intended to inform MSPs looking at the Scottish Government’s framework for decision-making, and considering any proposals to change the current rules.
The Committee understands that future decisions will need to balance competing demands, benefits and harms, and wants to ensure a wide range of voices are taken into account before final decisions reached.
The Committee is particularly keen to gather views on:
• The overall strategy set out in the Scottish Government’s Framework for Decision Making;
• The scope for differing approaches being followed in different areas – across Scotland or the UK;
• Maintaining public confidence in the public sector response to COVID-19 whilst easing current restrictions;
• How different interests could be involved in the decision-making process about lifting restrictions, and what would help the final decisions to be widely supported despite any necessary trade-offs;
• Could the current decision-making processes used by the Scottish Government to respond to COVID-19 be improved, and if so how;
• How robust is the data used to inform the response;
• How should the Scottish Government’s messaging strategy be developed as we transition out of the current lockdown (and potentially have to create other or further restrictions in the future).
Speaking as the call for views was launched, Committee Convener, Murdo Fraser MSP, said: “This is an unprecedented and complex situation which requires the Scottish Government to make difficult decisions, necessarily involving competing interests and challenging trade-offs.
“Rightly, until now, we have relied heavily on doctors and scientists. But as we move into the next phases of the Covid-19 response, as a Committee we are mindful of the need to involve a wide range of voices.
“The discussions and debates in the weeks and months ahead do not have obvious or ‘right’ answers, and understanding what different sections of society think is vital to being able to find a consensus, or at least broad agreement, on the path forward.
“To help us as we seek to find that route, we are asking people – business groups, charities, civil society, and interested members of the public – to drop us a short response outlining their thoughts on how we can and should find the right balance moving forward.”
New images have been published of New Town North – one of the largest regeneration projects to take place in Edinburgh for a generation.
The images have been revealed as part of an online public consultation event, launched in April, illustrating the latest design phase of the development to the local community.
The ambitious New Town North development is one of Scotland’s largest brownfield regeneration projects. It is set to transform the 5.9-acre former Royal Bank of Scotland site in Edinburgh’s New Town and is being delivered by property company Ediston on behalf of Orion Capital Managers, whose fund bought the site in May 2019.
Ediston is currently leading a major public consultation programme for the site, which sits between Dundas Street and King George V Park, prior to submitting a planning application to the City of Edinburgh Council later this year.
The developer launched the online interactive consultation following the cancellation of the previously planned public event following the coronavirus outbreak. The consultation can be viewed by logging on to the New Town North website: www.newtownnorth.co.uk.
Proposals include a mixed-use development replacing existing buildings with new homes, build-to-rent apartments, premium ofice space and a high-class hotel. Also planned are retail outlets, gym and health facilities together with extensive landscaping and new public realm.
Ross McNulty, Development Director at Ediston, reaffirmed the developer’s commitment to delivering a high-quality scheme. “Now, more than ever, we are 100% committed to progressing with our planning application this year,” he said.
“New Town North will provide a significant boost for the local area which will have a positive impact on local businesses -who are in desperate need of some good news right now.
“This is our third consultation event and provides an opportunity for the local community to have a clearer idea on how the development will look – even if they can’t attend an exhibition in person. Our team is working hard to be ready for significant engagement with residents to make sure they all have their say in our proposals.
“We are aware that this is a complex and large brownfield site with important links to some of Edinburgh’s finest streets and green spaces, and we are making sure we consult properly with local people to deliver a high-quality development.”
Research shows the New Town North development is poised to bring significant economic benefit to the local area and wider Edinburgh economy, following the closure of the RBS building in 2017 which employed more than 2,500 employees on the site.
The report, by UK planning and engineering consultancy The Waterman Group and commissioned by Ediston, reveals that the operational phase of the development would create more than 700 full-time jobs whilst generating an annual GVA (Gross Added Value) economic uplift of £34.4 million to the regional economy.
The construction phase alone would create a further £27.7 million GVA at a regional level, creating a further 60 full time jobs.
The site today
Mr McNulty added: “From our discussions with the local business community, we are aware of the impact that a large redundant site can have on the local area – and the huge potential of creating a new attractive destination and focal point for the area.
“Our research highlights the significant investment benefits that this high-quality development would bring to the Edinburgh economy, as well as helping to meet the pressing need for high quality new homes and ofice space.”
The New Town North development site was formerly the headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland. RBS first developed the site in 1978 to house ofices and a data centre. Before then, the site was home to St Bernard’s Football Club which disbanded in 1947.
