LHNCC has led the development of a Local Place Plan for Leith on behalf of the three community council areas (Leith Harbour and Newhaven, Leith Links, and Leith Central) .
The overall plan is split into two parts:
- The Local Place Plan – a statutory document focused on land use and spatial planning, which includes supporting maps.
- The Community Action Plan – which informs the Local Place Plan by providing community-backed evidence to support the land use and spatial planning.
The Local Place Plan sets out those changes we would like the City of Edinburgh Council to make to the current Development Plan, or to include in City Plan 2040, and to take as material considerations for Planning Applications from the point at which this Place Plan was accepted (July 2026).
The Local Place Plan and Community Action Plan provide complementary actions that achieve the wider aims the survey respondents asked for.
More information on the Local Place Plans can be found on the City of Edinburgh Council’s website.
The Place Plan consultation
The consultation carried out for the Place Plan clearly demonstrated that residents feel that Leith is a great place to live. This is shown by the high demand to live here, rising property values, and repeatedly being on lists of ‘coolest place to live’ nationally and globally. Leith residents would like the things that make it such a good place to live to be protected. This includes the libraries, the independent shops, the parks, and the public transport. And, if possible, they would like these things improved and expanded.
At the same time, Leith is undergoing rapid social change which is reflected by changes to its built environment. As a port, Leith has always had new arrivals and the continuing change in the makeup of the population is felt as pressure on many residents. The Place Plan Consultation showed concern about many aspects of this change. We have identified these in the following topics, around which the Plan is arranged:
- Leith is a varied and vibrant community with many different groups and communities. Leith is and must continue to be a social place that respects all those who make it their home, with spaces for all people to meet and enjoy themselves (Topic A).
- Leith is struggling with a growing population, rising house prices and rents, and changes that reduce good quality housing for residents. Leith must become a place with homes for the whole community – a comfortable, affordable home for every resident (Topic B).
- The varied communities travel around Leith, as well as those who travel into it, or travel through it, put pressure on each other when moving about. Though steps have been made to improve travel in Leith, the consultation showed things still not working. Leith must be fair for all to move around – it must become a place that is fair for all moving around it, into it, or through it (Topic C).
- Leith is a place where often life is lived outside, despite the weather. These outdoor areas don’t work for everyone, so Leith must be a place with streets that are alive – outdoor spaces that are fair for all to use, safe, pleasant, green and fun (Topic D).
- Leith has undergone significant changes to its economic character: first a port, then a place for industry, including shipbuilding and glass-making, and is now a centre of hospitality and the creative industries. Residents are concerned that places to work are being lost. Our vision is that Leith is a working place – a place connected to its engineering past and its creative future where all residents can find good jobs (Topic E).
- Finally, Leith has always been a place apart from Edinburgh, with its own history and identity. This is something residents feel very strongly about. Leithers have always been independent of mind and spirit, self-reliant, and not shy of giving their opinion. This is at risk of getting lost in a modern age where socialising is often detached from location and as part of a city in which Leith forms less than one tenth the population. Our vision is that Leith is a place that makes its voice heard, retains its unique character, and where residents are informed and engaged (Topic F).
These changes are all supported by feedback received from the consultations carried out, which are detailed in Appendix A of the document. The other Appendices provide additional supporting information, including an analysis of the Plan against National Planning Framework 4.
LHNCC 