Planning chief moved to push Edinburgh Christmas Market blame onto Underbelly to protect reputation of department

The Christmas Market has been subject to significant controversy

Edinburgh’s planning chief pushed to blame Underbelly for the farce surrounding the Christmas Market for fear it would damage the reputation of his own department, it can be revealed.

Emails obtained by the Evening News also show planning officials scrambling to deal with the public revelation the market did not have planning permission.

Neil Gardiner, the planning committee convener, told officers he was “concerned” the department was being brought into a scandal “not of their making”.

Edinburgh City Council planning convener Neil Gardiner

Conservative group leader councillor Iain Whyte blasted the council and said it was time the administration to serve the electorate rather than “further their own agenda”.

A council spokeswoman said: “As you would expect with any major issue or event of this kind, relevant officers are called upon to give their professional advice.

"This correspondence shows discussions between planning colleagues around Edinburgh’s Christmas 2019/20."

Underbelly has applied for retrospective planning permission for the market as requested by planners with the decision unlikely to be determined until April or May.

Communications 'need to be very careful'

In an email sent on October 28, ten days after the construction of the market had begun in East Princes Street Gardens, the SNP councillor made his first move to push the blame for the oversight away from the planners and onto Underbelly.

In an email to David Givan in the building standards department, Cllr Gardiner wrote: “I am concerned that the planning service is being drawn into something not of their making.”

A later message to the same officer went further, with Cllr Gardiner stating that the communication team needed to be “careful” not to paint his department negatively.

He wrote: “I do not want this to reflect badly on the planning service in the media if it is unmerited.

“Investor confidence is in planning his [sic] very important. The Comms [sic] need to be very careful not to create a negative perception of planning particularly if it is Underbelly who are at fault.”

However, internal correspondence also show a planning department struggling to deal with the scandal as it unfolded.

The lack of planning permission for the structure was described as a “significant issue” by planners on October 23, five days after building work had already started on the scaffold structure.

Lack of planning a 'significant issue'

Nancy Jamieson, the planning team manager, wrote to colleagues asking for advice on next steps given the lack of an application.

She said: “Can anyone advise who is responsible for this as there is public concerns about the extent of the works in the media and the fact it does not have planning permission is a significant issue.

“When the council leases the land for this purpose is there not a requirement that they get the proper consents?”

However the fact the previous permission for the gardens had expired in early 2018 was noted as early as August 28 by officers with Underbelly said to be “aware of the requirement” by officers.

Mr Givan wrote: “We are checking our records, however cannot yet see that there is a new permission in place.”

There is no evidence anyone at the council knew about the lack of planning permission until this point, two and a half months before the market opened.

Cllr Whyte criticised Cllr Gardiner’s handling of the crisis and said public confidence should have been above investor confidence.

He said: “It is time this administration took a good hard look at themselves and decide whether they are going to serve the people who they were elected to serve rather than serve their own agendas.”