A Local Place Plan for the Astley Ainslie Hospital site

In 2019 we carried out an extensive community visioning exercise, funded by the Scottish Government, which suggested future uses and principles for the future of the site. In 2024, the Council adopted City Plan 2030, which incorporates some elements of our 2019 vision for Astley Ainslie.

Since then, new planning legislation has been introduced which means that we are legally empowered to prepare what is called a Local Place Plan. This is a new kind of plan, prepared by the local community, that must be taken into account in the preparation of planning policy - in other words, the the Astley Ainslie 'Place Brief' that the Council has committed to preparing, and the next City Plan.

The Community Trust intends to make the most of this opportunity to prepare a Local Place Plan for the Astley Ainslie, because we believe it will help all of us achieve our aim of retaining and enhancing the site as a greenspace for the benefit of all. Preparing a Local Place Plan does not stop us from continuing to pursue community acquisition of all or part of the site.

We want to use this new Plan to build on the foundations of the 2019 vision and City Plan 2030, and shape the Place Brief that the Council has committed to preparing for Astley Ainslie.

We need your input!

To make sure that the Local Place Plan reflects community aspirations, we need your input.

Come along to a drop-in event at the Eric Liddell Centre on Saturday 27th September between 10am and 4pm to:

Find out more about the Local Place Plan and what it can achieve.

Identify special parts of the site that you think should be retained and maybe enhanced.

Flesh out and update the 2019 community vision for the site.

You will also be able to see the display boards from the event and comment on this webpage from Saturday 27th September until Sunday 12th October.

We will then publish all the comments received and prepare a first draft of the Plan for your feedback. The Plan will then be updated, finalised and submitted to Council for registration towards the end of the year.

We are grateful to the City of Edinburgh Council Community Grants Fund for their support for this consultation.