Mouthpiece: We should let city flourish

Published on Saturday 29 May 2010 11:21

The Capital needs to evolve as a living settlement, says Robert Carr

EDINBURGH-born Robert Louis Stevenson said: "Judge each day not by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant."

For a capital city with a built environment the envy of Europe, it is good to be reminded of the need to have a future, which only comes thanks to those willing to invest.

James Craig's design for the New Town, the "Athens of the North", was completed in 1810. Two hundred years later a new impetus has been called for with the contraction of the construction industry a major victim of the recession – how can we encourage fresh investment in our city?

Earlier this month Jim Lowrie, Edinburgh City Council planning convenor, and I signed the first city planning concordat. This joint recognition that the city's interests are best served by laying down guidelines for a more efficient and effective process for planning applications sets a gold standard for public private sector cooperation.

Richard Slipper, of GVA Grimley, the author of the document, had significant input from industry colleagues in rendering a great service to the city. Edinburgh is in competition with many other cities around the world seeking to attract investment, and this landmark publication announces to the world at large that our Capital will welcome willing investors.

The time is ripe as the city council's economy watch shows rates of both planning applications and completion certificates rising steadily.

Public debates about heritage, architecture, planning and development in the city are healthy. We believe it's important that Edinburgh continues to evolve as a living, working city.

We have to move beyond a culture of adversarial entrenchment to one where all stakeholders can trust that the planning process serves needs.

Robert Carr, chairman of Anderson Strathern, is President of Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce