Festival seeks go-ahead

Organisers of the Winter Festival in Princes Street Gardens have applied for planning consent that will last for five years.

She’s Gott It, the firm that produces the event, which features an ice rink and a German market, has lodged the application with city planners.

Usually, organisers apply for consent every year – but this move would mean another application would not have to be made until 2016.

Last year, a planning application for the 2010/11 event was not lodged until November 26, which meant that the application did not come before the city’s development management sub-committee until December 22 – 20 days after the annual celebration began.