Conservation body issues manifesto call to political parties

A CALL for all new housing in Edinburgh to built to a ‘higher standard of design’ and for 35 per cent of it to be ‘truly affordable’ is among a series of demands being made of political parties as they prepare to contest the upcoming local government elections on May 5.

The call is part of a manifesto issued by the city’s conservation campaigners, the Cockburn Association, which, among things, claims “there is a fundamental need to improve our management of the city’s streetscape”.

The Association is seeking various commitments, in addition to its housing demand.

These include a commitment to “a conservation-led approach to planning and development in the city, with adequately-resourced planning functions” and a commitment to “reducing the scale and impact of short-term lets, by increasing enforcement action against unauthorised development”.

The Association is also seeking a commitment to “conserving Edinburgh’s Green Belt and [enhancing] the landscape setting of the city and its neighbourhoods”, plus a commitment to “real transparency and responsiveness to residents and resident groups, ensuring that public money supports local benefit”.

The Association was founded in 1875 and considers itself to be Scotland’s ‘oldest conservation body’.

Read the manifesto, here.

Picture credit: Place Design Scotland