Edinburgh council launching consultation to introduce new parking controls for Easter Road
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Public engagement sessions are set to be held ahead of proposed new controlled parking restrictions in Leith
The City of Edinburgh Council is holding consultations on plans to introduce a controlled parking zone (CPZ) around Easter Road to tackle escalating parking pressures.
Under the proposals, the CPZ would operate from 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, with all kerbside space regulated by parking bays or yellow lines.
The council said a CPZ “ensures that long stay parking by commuters is discouraged, leaving more space for residents and their visitors”. It adds that it could create turnover of parking that will benefit businesses and improve accessibility for customers.
The CPZ would also help “to reduce vehicular dominance and improve the quality of our streets by encouraging visitors to consider more sustainable travel options”.
Permits would be available to residents, their visitors, and certain businesses. The Council also operates essential user and trades parking permit schemes, so health, social care and trades workers can park when working within a CPZ.
In a report to councillors in November 2025, parking surveys on Easter Road show 85 per cent occupancy rates—up from 74 per cent in 2019.
The report concludes: “The results of the latest monitoring surveys show that parking pressures have increased significantly in the Easter Road area (from 74% in 2019 to 85% in 2025) and that the number of streets that are subject to high levels of pressure have also risen (from 6 streets in 2023 to 11 streets in 2025) since the implementation of Phase 1 of the Review. Migration from the N6 and N7 CPZs is a likely contributor to these changes.
“It is recommended to proceed to TRO advertisement stage to propose a Controlled Parking Zone to the Easter Road Area from Summer / Autumn 2026.”
Outlining the consultation, Sally Millar, Secretary of Leith Links Community Council, said residents in areas around Easter Road are finding it difficult to park near their homes. She encouraged residents to engage with the consultation process.
She said: “There are relatively few residents in the area which is largely occupied by Hibs stadium and Lochend Park, but those that are there are finding it very difficult to park anywhere near their homes due to – apparently – commuter parking and people from out of the area (possibly from the nearby Leith Walk area and Abbeyhill colonies area, which now have a CPZ).
“I went along to the drop-in session earlier this week and found it very helpful to talk to the Council officers there about how the whole process works (which will be useful to prepare us for later). At this early stage, the proposal is not a ‘done deal’, it is an information seeking exercise. I found the staff ready to discuss wider / future issues such as knock-on effects on nearby areas, and open to hearing views on these, sooner rather than later.”
Two drop in sessions at Norton Park Business Centre, 57 Albion Road, on 25 August and 27 August between 2pm to 7pm.
Further phase 2 areas could be recommended for CPZs—including Willowbrae North, Bonnington, Lochend and Roseburn.