At the planning committee meeting earlier 10 votes to 2 ensured that the proposed development at the Accies ground in Raeburn Place will now go ahead.
Councillor Ian Perry, Planning Convener, said:- “First of all, I want to pay tribute to the huge amount of time and effort put in by campaigners on both sides of the debate. It was clearly a divisive issue and a difficult decision for committee to reach today.
“Despite being a very ambitious scheme, we decided that the concerns raised were insufficient for us not to grant the application and that they were outweighed by the development’s potential economic and other community benefits.
“I recognise that campaigners against the development will be disappointed by the decision. It is, however, important to concentrate on the facts and guidelines we are obliged to follow when considering such an application.”
Local Green councillor for Inverleith and Planning Committee member, Nigel Bagshaw, voiced his dismay at the approval of the plans to build a large-scale rugby stadium and retail complex in a residential area.
“I’m in no way surprised, unfortunately, but I am very disappointed by the Committee’s cavalier attitude to both overwhelming local opposition to the proposal and their own local plan. The application did not contain a coherent retail impact assessment, a full road traffic assessment or an environmental impact assessment, all of which would have worked against it. What we are dealing with here basically a set of shops with seats on top designed to serve the financial interests of Edinburgh Academicals rather than the broader community.
I am genuinely concerned about the effect this development will have on the local shopping area and also on Edinburgh residents’ faith in the entire planning process. The Council appears to have gone against its own policy just to accommodate one group’s corporate interests and I don’t think that is acceptable.”
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