Evening News readers are critical of council failure to question Edinburgh’s Christmas Market planning permission

And as leader of the council, the responsibility lies at Cllr McVey’s door too.

Barry Dickson

Right, I’m off to put an absolutely gigantic extension on my flat without all the hassle of bothering to get planning permission!

Kirsty Mullan

For goodness sake. Why not just cancel Christmas, ya bunch of bah humbugs. Sort it between yourselves, the public don’t really care.

Kirsty Maitland Shaw

So two years running Underbelly have failed to get planning permission. They should be stripped of their licence.

Ken Johnston

This really is horrible. This place should have more planting and be a haven for wildlife. There is a clue in the name, Gardens. I don’t have my garden covered in scaffolding. Really, if this has to continue at this scale, it’s about time to move it. People who love it will still go, people who hate it will be happy - surely a win, win scenario. All the poor wee animals, trees cut down, fireworks, ground boarded over, pollution, noise... Dear, dear, come on folks, get a grip on this.

Valerie Thornton Hunter

This is turning into a real farce. It’s getting too big for the space in the Gardens now. Why not move it to the West Princes Street Gardens along the promenade, where the stalls can have secure footing, be in the city centre and run a single length along the promenade?

Damien Lindsay

If what we hear and read is true, then this is an extremely dangerous situation for Edinburgh City Council to be responsible for the safety of its inhabitants attending this market over Xmas this year. Surely there should be an emergency meeting called and arrange for the Christmas Market to be closed to the public for H&S reasons.

Alan Lawrie

Any inquiry must be independent of the council and look at the entire situation including the council themselves, as the buck stops with them.

William Crawford

Seems to be a bit of a witch hunt for Underbelly and the council over this Xmas market - how many of you actually go to it? Personally my kids love it, so that’s good enough for me to take them. If you are not happy about it, just don’t go - it’s really that easy.

Alan Buchan

Edinburgh Christmas market did not have planning permission in 2018, as urgent i...

Corporate greed and commercialism at its finest, with no regard given to residents or the area in which it operates.

Daniel Wright

Will Underbelly’s public liability insurance be valid without planning permission? Or maybe they’ve forgotten to get this too?

Anne Gray

It’s the council who’s at fault, they should tell any company what the rules are for all - what can and can’t be done. They’re just trying to cover their own faults!

Eileen May

Everything this council is involved in ends up with an inquiry required. Notice the theme here?

Ian Robertson

So the penalty is? I know someone who was denied planning permission for a kids playhouse and were told to rip it down when they put it up anyway! Council double standards, what a surprise.

Helen Green

Why do we need an inquiry? Building without the proper planning permission usually means having to take it down for every other person. The only inquiry required is to find out why they are being allowed to keep it up.

John McKenzie

Safety always first, please. We don’t want unnecessary accidents.

Carol Halliday

The markets are crap. You have five stalls just duplicated about 10 times- hardly a choice of shopping. I bought some of the stuff; it looked well made but broke within a week. I went back for refund, ‘Sorry, we don’t do refunds, it’s against policy’. What policy? Not consumer policy, that’s for sure.

Martin John McIntosh Tait

Get a grip, Edinburgh Council. Start giving to the people who live in the city true respect, and stop chasing money.

Tully Tulley

Too busy with the skullduggery of forcing a stupid tram on us to be bothered with a silly thing like planning permission, or pretending that they give a toss about bad air in the city, strangling the traffic and selling PHC licences at a cheap price, thereby flooding more cars on the streets.

James Whitelaw

I remember the council did not allow the artist to hang around in Rose Street, but are happy see the scaffolding going ahead without proper planning - what a joke!

Vasya Vd

What a snowflake you are McVey, If they did not have permission, why is it allowed to go ahead?

Robert Dall