Planning Guidance - Edinburgh Design Guidance
Results updated 3 Oct 2025
We have updated the Edinburgh Design Guidance in response to the consultation. We have listened to what you said and amended the guidance to be clearer and more accessible. We have updated wording and illustrations on considerations related to:
- Heritage
- Accessibility
- Sustainability
- Biodiversity
- Mobility
- Road safety
- Sites for gypsy/travellers and travelling showpeople
- Self-build
- Affordable housing
- Public art
- Amenity
- Waste management
We have also included more links to health and wellbeing and community wealth building.
Overview
This guidance sets out the Council’s expectations for design quality in development. It is structured around two themes:
- Sustainable Places
- Liveable Places
It aims to promote good place-making by:
- Providing guidance on how to comply with planning policies.
- Guiding the approach to the design of streets, spaces and buildings.
- Explaining key ideas that need to be considered.
- Giving examples of good quality design.
Why your views matter
We want the guidance to help people understand what we require for the various types of developments. We want the outcome of development to be good for all users. To do this, we want to make sure the content is clear, helpful, and balanced.
Read the draft guidance
Draft Edinburgh Design Guidance
Need a different language or format?
Please email the Interpretation and Translation Service at its@edinburgh.gov.uk quoting reference 24-1284.
Areas
- All Edinburgh
Audiences
- Amenity groups
- Architects/designers
- Built heritage groups
- Businesses
- Community councils
- Developers/investors
- Development management statutory consultees
- Housing associations
- Landowners
- Natural heritage/open space
- Neighbourhood partnerships
- Planning consultants
- Professional bodies
- Residents
- Road users
- Scottish Government departments
- Services/utilities
- Transport groups
Interests
- Adaptation
- Archives and local history
- Area regeneration
- Arts and culture
- Biodiversity
- Building warrants
- Carbon emissions
- Climate Change
- Community safety
- Conservation
- Council and housing association homes
- Council homes
- Crime & Antisocial behaviour
- Cycling and walking
- Enforcement
- Flooding
- Land and property
- Landscape designations
- Libraries
- Local plans and guidelines
- Museums and galleries
- Nature
- Net Zero
- Noise
- Parking spaces
- Parks and green spaces
- Permissions for development
- Pest control
- Planning applications
- Policies, plans and strategies
- Pollution
- Private housing
- Public space
- Public Transport
- Road safety
- Roads and pavements
- Severe weather
- Sport, activities and dance
- Sustainability
- Trams
- Travel in Edinburgh
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