Nearly 1,000 residents sign petition opposing extension of Broomhills development in south east Edinburgh

Concerns over the impact to wildlife and a lack of infrastructure has been raised by petitioners.
A satellite view of the proposed site (Photo: Google)A satellite view of the proposed site (Photo: Google)
A satellite view of the proposed site (Photo: Google)

More than 900 people have signed a petition opposing an extension to the Broomhills housing development in the south-east of Edinburgh.

A proposal of application notice for an extension to the 671 home development south of Frogston Road East was submitted by developers earlier this year but has been met with fierce opposition with the plans currently in the consultation stage.

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Campaigners have highlighted concerns over infrastructure and additional construction on green belt land.

Councillor Scott Arthur who backed the campaigners (Photo: TSPL)Councillor Scott Arthur who backed the campaigners (Photo: TSPL)
Councillor Scott Arthur who backed the campaigners (Photo: TSPL)

Kim Denholm, a campaigner who set up the petition, said there was significant local opposition to the plans.

She added: "A resident and I are in the process of knocking on as many doors in the area as possible to gather opinions.

"So far, from speaking to over 150 people, there is a lot of very strong opposition to this proposal across a range of concerns, mostly around lack of infrastructure and in particular traffic impact given the vast amount of new housing that has been constructed in and around the locality.

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"Wildlife concerns and anger about decreasing green space has also been frequently mentioned."

Ian Murray MP has also backed the campaigners (Photo: TSPL)Ian Murray MP has also backed the campaigners (Photo: TSPL)
Ian Murray MP has also backed the campaigners (Photo: TSPL)

The petitioners have also been backed by Councillor Scott Arthur and the Labour MP Ian Murray.

Cllr Arthur said the site is a key section of a biodiversity corridor linking the Pentlands and Blackford Hill and added he was "shocked" to hear it could be built on and "gobsmacked" that infrastructure concerns had not been taken into account.

He said: "The Broomhills site is important as it is a key part of a biodiversity corridor that links the Pentland Hills to Blackford Hill. I was shocked to hear it could be lost, and gobsmacked to learn the developer has not even considered the impact on transport infrastructure, GP surgeries, schools or flood risk.

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"Having only recently defeated a planning application at Winton, we now have separate applications in the pipeline for Swanston Conservation Area and this more recent one at Broomhills - if the greenbelt is lost at these locations, the multiple benefits it provides will be gone forever.

"The community came together to defeat the Winton planning application and I hope the same will happen at Broomhills. The tram extension should make massive brownfield sites in north Edinburgh ripe for the development, and those should be the focus of this developer."

Mr Murray added that infrastructure would not be able to cope with any more housing on the green belt.

He said: “Local people have been very let down by the planning process.

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"We have fought all the local developments together as local people know that the road, school, GP and other infrastructure just cant cope with thousands of new homes being thrown up.

"The level of response to the petition shows their concerns. We can’t just keep concreting over the greenbelt, ignoring local people, and building more homes without the proper infrastructure.”

Nicholas Wright, development director of Barratt David Wilson Homes East Scotland, said: "Ahead of the release of Edinburgh City Council’s Local Development Plan for 2020–2030, Barratt David Wilson Homes has submitted a Pre-Application for the area of land to south of Frogston Road East. The purpose of Pre-Application is to consult with the local community on the feasibility of delivering homes in this area and to evaluate its suitability.

"We invite members of the local community who have any concerns or questions about the site’s proposed development to share their comments with us by 15 November 2019. Barratt David Wilson Homes will consider all feedback before taking a decision on whether to progress with a planning application at Broomhills."