Second West Town Public Consultation – Launches 3 November 2022
West Town Edinburgh Ltd is launching a second major consultation programme in November 2022 to update plans on one the most significant and sustainable urban expansions of Edinburgh in a generation.
The ambitious vision for West Town, a brand-new homes-led community to be built on a 205-acre site to the west of Edinburgh, was first launched as part of an online consultation exercise in May this year.
Now, following positive feedback from that initial event, a follow-up event will be launched on 3 November – including both a live ‘drop-in’ event at the Marriott Hotel, 111 Glasgow Road from 3 to 7 pm, and an online consultation exercise which will run until 24 November.
West Town Edinburgh was formed in April 2021 by Drum Property Group to progress development of the site, located between the Ingliston Park & Ride and the Gogar Roundabout – regarded as one of the most strategically important development areas in Scotland.
The initial consultation event attracted more than 800 visitors to the dedicated website with 13 completed feedback forms received. Of the completed responses, just under a third were either supportive or neutral about the proposals.
Welcoming the second consultation launch, Graeme Bone, Group Managing Director of Drum, said: “Our first consultation, held earlier this year, showed significant interest in our proposed vision for West Town with a high number of visits to our website, with fewer than two per-cent of visitors completing a feedback form.
“We also engaged with many people and businesses in the local area who broadly welcomed the prospect of investing in a brand-new community, to provide a strong sense of focus and destination as part of a new, western ‘gateway’ to the Capital.”
He added: “Drum has a proven track record of delivering high quality large-scale communities across Scotland and our ambition for the area matches that of the proposed Edinburgh City Plan 2030. This follow-up consultation launch marks the next step of the planning process and we look forward to continue to actively engage with the local and wider communities to progress the development of the site.”
West Town’s development proposals follow guidelines set out by the proposed Edinburgh City Plan 2030 to meet the fast-expanding housing needs of the city, recommending a ‘mixed-use development with space for some 7000 homes’. West Town’s initial proposals include creating a sustainable homes-led town centre community combined with the employment, commercial, leisure and community provision needed to create a ‘20-minute neighbourhood’.
West Town Edinburgh submitted Proposal of Application Notices (PoANs) for West Town to the City of Edinburgh Council earlier in 2022. The PoANs are issued in advance of any public consultation and subsequent planning applications and are intended to give an outline intention of plans for the site.
The public West Town consultation event takes place on Thursday 3 November at the Marriott Hotel, 111, Glasgow Road from 3 to 7 pm.
The online consultation will take place from the 3 to 24 November.