The amount of funding being demanded from a housing developer to help pay for a new school in the city is to be cut in half, it has emerged,
Edinburgh Council approved planning permission for Cammo Estates Ltd. to demolish an existing villa and convert it into eight town houses on Cammo Road in November.
That planning permission was subject to its reaching a legal agreement with the council to pay £281,792 towards construction of new schools in the area, as set out by the city’s Local Development Plan (LDP).
However, as this agreement had not been reached by the time Edinburgh’s City Plan 2030 came into effect, which replaced the LDP, the development’s contributions for education had to be recalculated.
And under the City Deal, the development is required to pay just £139,544 towards education, and £10,433 towards transport infrastructure.
Officers have said that the development is in compliance with the City Deal 2030, as it was with the prior Local Development Plan.
They have recommended that councillors approve the new planning permission application.
In the case of the development, the education funds will go towards the construction of 556 additional secondary school places in the area, according to a draft council document.
New developments across the west of Edinburgh will have funding go towards those same secondary school places.
The draft council document contains guidelines on how developers have to fund contributions towards various improvements to council services, including education and transport.
It is set to be finalised in the near future, and officially be made part of Edinburgh’s City Plan 2030.
By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
