Planning Helpdesk and Weekly Lists – Christmas and New Year Arrangements

Our Planning Helpdesk (which operates as an email and call-back service) will be closed from 22 December 2025 and will reopen on 5 January 2026. Queries received over this time will be responded to when we re-open.

Our online resources and self-service options will still be available 24/7 during this time, ensuring that you can find information and resources whenever you need them.

We have a wide range of planning quick guides aimed at householders – these answer a lot of commonly asked questions, including for

Planning guidance gives advice on topics to guide new development. This guidance answers a lot of commonly asked questions for

The quickest & easiest way to comment on planning applications is on the Planning Portal. When a comment is submitted over the Planning Portal, we receive it within minutes.

Planning enforcement issues can also be reported online.

Weekly lists & planning advertisements

Please note there will be NO planning weekly lists issued Monday 29 December 2025.

There will also be NO planning advertisement in the Edinburgh Evening News on the following dates:

  • Friday 26 December 2025
  • Friday 2 January 2026

The week commencing Monday 5 January 2026 will see things go back to normal – the helpdesk will re-open, with the weekly list issued & an advertisement on Friday 9 January 2026.

Full details of Council services at Christmas and New Year, including emergency contacts, can be found on our website.

Season’s Greeting to all our customers and wishing you a happy 2026.

City Plan 2040 Engagement: What Makes Good Place?

Graphic of typical things you might see in a neighbourhood (coffee cup, house, tree, bike, bus) fitting together like a jigsaw. Test reads: What makes a good place? Tell us about where you live in.

We know that Edinburgh is not just one place, but it is made up of many different areas. Each with its own good points and challenges.

We need to get an understanding of each area, what it’s like to live there and what we need to plan for in City Plan 2040.

To gather people’s views, we have launched a public engagement asking people ‘what they think about where they live’.

The questionnaire covers the important things that make a good place such as homes, local shops and services, healthcare, public transport, open space, play facilities, community space and jobs .

If you live in Edinburgh, you can find out more and fill in the questionnaire on our Consultation Hub here

There are also a series of drop-in events:

  • Monday 3 November at the Waverley Court (Hawthorn Learning Space) from 14:30-19:30
  • Saturday 8 November at the Gyle Shopping Centre (Main Concourse) from 12:00-15:00
  • Tuesday 11 November, Kirkliston Parish Church Hall from 15:30-18:30
  • Wednesday 12 November, Sighthill Library/ Gate 55 from 16:00-19:00
  • Monday 17 November at Oxgangs Library (Community Room) from 16:00-19:00
  • Tuesday 18 November at Drumbrae Library Hub (Parkgrove Room) from 15:30-19:00
  • Wednesday 19 November at Magdalene Community Centre from 15:30-19:00
  • Friday 21 November at North Edinburgh Arts Centre (Theatre Suite) from 16:00-19:00

Saturday 17 January 2026 at Cameron Toll Shopping Centre from 11:30-14:30

City Plan 2040 Update

City Plan 2040 will be our next local development plan after City Plan 2030.

There are several formal stages that we need to go through as we prepare City Plan 2040. We have produced a Development Plan Scheme which explains these stages and sets out the timetable for the plan preparation.

Currently, we are working on our Evidence Report which is the first stage of preparing a local development plan. This will contain topic papers on a wide range of issues.

The Evidence Report will provide a baseline of information and what we might need to address in City Plan 2040.

New Code of Conduct for Responsible Construction

View from Calton Hil over central Edinburgh, with multiple cranes towering above the city.

The impact of construction is a key issue for local communities, leading to negative impacts on quality of life, complaints to the Council and potential disruption to worksites.

In response, the Council has drawn up a new Code of Conduct for constructors.

Whilst the Code of Conduct is not mandatory and will not be enforced, it does set out expectations and best practice for constructors as well as highlighting legal responsibilities governed by legislation and regulation. It is also intended to assist the construction industry in carrying out works safely, efficiently, responsibly and on time.

As a general rule noisy work from construction sites should usually only disturb you Monday to Saturday 7am to 7pm. There are some exemptions to this and other restrictions which may apply.

Good relations with neighbours and a clear communication strategy will greatly assist in reducing the impact of construction.

Disruption may be unavoidable, but the impact will be reduced if neighbouring occupiers are consulted and kept informed throughout the works. This may be through a residents’ association, community council, ward councillors or, preferably, directly with neighbours.

Please read our Code of Conduct for constructors for more information.

New Planning Guidance

A series of new and revised non-statutory planning guidance to provide additional information on the policies of City Plan 2030 and National Planning Framework 4 is now live.

They were approved by Planning Committee on 10 September 2025 and replace any previous versions of the guidance.

The guidance is provided to assist those considering proposals for development and will be used as a material consideration in the determination of planning applications.

The new guidance is listed below:

Edinburgh Design Guidance – this should be used for the planning and design of new development proposals and for street design.

Guidance for Householders  – this is for people considering altering or extending their home, and for professionals involved in the application process.

Guidance for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas – this is for anyone considering repairing, altering or extending a listed building or an unlisted building in a conservation area.

Student Accommodation Guidance – this is for professionals and developers involved in the provision of purpose-built student accommodation including new build, change of use and conversion.

Developer Contributions and Infrastructure Delivery Guidance – this will be used to assist in assessing planning applications including the provisions to include legal agreements requiring contributions towards delivering infrastructure associated with development.

You can see all our Planning Guidance and Planning Quick Guides here

Planning and Buildings Standards Systems Upgrade – 24-26 September 2025

An upgrade of the Planning and Buildings Standards portal is planned between 1pm Wednesday 24 and Friday 26 September.

The public will not be able to view or comment on planning applications during this time. Planning applications that are open for comment during the upgrade will have three additional days added.

The upgrade will allow for improvements to the mapping function and a number of improvements to help process applications as quickly and efficiently as we can.

Planning and Building Warrant applications can continue to be made online through eDevelopment.

The weekly list of planning applications will be issued as normal and the weekly planning advert in the Edinburgh Evening News will appear as normal on the Friday.

You can keep up to date with planning by following us on BlueSky, Instagram or subscribing to this blog.