Most of you will have heard the bad news that the Craighouse development was granted by Councillors 9 votes to 6.
This was in the face of overwhelming evidence from the Community Councils, the local politicians, the Friends of Craighouse, The Cockburn Association and the Architectural Heritage Society Scotland – not to mention the contents of the planning report itself – as someone said the most damning report they’d seen with a recommendation to grant on the bottom of it – with 51 uses of the word “detrimental”.
The video of the meeting will be online soon.
Here is an article in the news:
http://edinburgh.stv.tv/articles/290873-craighouse-partnership-decision-stuns-campaigners/
Local MSP Jim Eadie has said he will investigate opportunities for calling the application in by the Scottish Government for greater scrutiny where the decision can be overturned. We would very much support him in doing this. We will let you know next steps and the best way to support this.
If an Enabling development of this size that clearly damages the settings of every historic building in the site, causes “significant detrimental impact” to the Area of Great Landscape Value and that diminishes Edinburgh’s seventh hill (all according to the planning report) can be granted when it does not accord with either LDP or Enabling Development policy, then no protected site is safe.
It was a very sad day for Edinburgh.
However, the news, the clear incompetence of the planners in answering questions, the leading interpretations given by Convenor Ian Perry and some of the pathetic closing speeches by some of the committee Councillors who showed no understanding of their own policies or procedures – or the community either – has led to a huge further upswell of support since this terrible decision was announced. People are really upset about this and Facebook and Twitter have been awash with comments. People have been stopping us in the street to pledge their support – with kind offers to stand in front of the bulldozers if it comes to it.
Thanks so much everyone for all you have done and all the support for this beautiful place. This isn’t over. And your continued pledges of support mean a lot.
We’ll post more as soon as we are ready to launch the Call-In Campaign so people know what they can do to help next.
VOTED FOR MOUNTGRANGE’S DEVELOPMENT
- Joanna Mowat (CON)
- Cameron Rose (CON)
- Dominic Heslop (CON)
- Ian Perry Convenor (LAB)
- Eric Milligan (LAB)
- Angela Blacklock (LAB)
- Keith Robson (LAB)
- Denis Dixon (SNP)
- Frank Ross (SNP)
VOTED AGAINST
- Sandy Howat, Vice Convenor (SNP)
- Deirdre Brock (SNP)
- Adam McVey (SNP)
- Ronnie Cairns (SNP)
- Maureen Child (LAB)
- Nigel Bagshaw (GREEN)
Friends of Craighouse Grounds and Wood 
it is a case of the system being broken. We have good policies both national and local to protect the environment etc and these have been completely ignored by both the Planning Officers in their report and the Councillors who sit on Planning Committee.
I for one think that is a system that is broken, very broken, and which needs serious remedial attention, including a third party right of appeal for community groups/individuals, PARTICULARLY for instances like this where a decision to grant permission is given which is counter to the local plan and various levels of planning policy.