Green belt issues

I believe that it is time for the Scottish Government to be more clear about its policy of green belt development.

My own concern is the area of Edinburgh South where the Scottish Government has recently overruled a refusal by the City of Edinburgh Council of planning permission for 600-650 new homes at Gilmerton Station Road, currently an area of fields on the edge of Gilmerton.

Already houses have been built in the neighbouring Burdiehouse Road area and there is a danger that with the loss of green belt land near Gilmerton there will soon be little left between Gilmerton/Burdiehouse and the city by-pass.

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The area around Drum Street in Gilmerton village suffers from regular congestion and any more development will only exacerbate this.

The Scottish Government’s policy for 32,000 new homes to be built in Edinburgh by 2024 does not seem to take into account if there is room for them which has in turn led to an local development plan (LDP) that threatens valuable green belt areas around Edinburgh.

The SNP MSP and MP for 
Edinburgh West have made their views known about the 
Edinburgh Council LDP and been successful in the rejection of the Cammo development. However, as far as I can see in South Edinburgh, only Labour’s Ian Murray has been active, with the MSP remaining silent on the issue.

A conspiracy theorist could have hours of fun with a Scottish Government’s rejection of a development in an affluent SNP-held area and the go-ahead of a development in the more working-class Labour held area.

Paul Lewis

Guardwell Crescent

Edinburgh