More than 1,200 new parking spaces for Edinburgh slammed as 'breathtakingly hypocritical'

Parking chiefs at Edinburgh City Council have been labelled “ breathtakingly hypocritical” by critics of plans to increase parking provision in the Captial by more than 1,200 spaces.

Living Streets Edinburgh, who campaign for better active travel provision in the city, said nearly 5.5km of space will be taken up by new parking spaces.

At an average of 6m per space, it means there will be an increase of 1,204 parking spaces in the city by the end of 2021, the equivalent of a 12 per cent rise in provision.

The move was approved by the council’s transport and environment committee on Thursday 27 February as part of a wider traffic regulation order (TRO) which will see Sunday parking charges introduced as well as an expansion of shared-use parking spots.

Living Streets Edinburgh’s convener, Don McKee, said the move flies in the face of the council’s plans to reduce the number of cars in the city centre.

He said: “We’ve been strongly supportive of the Council’s visionary plans for a more walking-friendly city centre.

“But this revelation – adding the equivalent of 5.5 kilometres of car parking space on our streets – is either breathtakingly hypocritical or it suggests that the Council’s left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is trying to do.

‘Extra parking takes valuable public space away from walking, cycling and buses – and it means more traffic on the roads, directly conflicting with the Council’s stated vision.

“It’s time for the Council to properly recognise this in its programmes and projects for the city. ‘Business as usual’ – with the car as king – is simply not an option when we’re trying to tackle the climate emergency.”

Green councillor Claire Miller who represents the city centre ward said the council were wrong to increase the number of spaces and highlighted moves by cities such as Amsterdam who are due to remove more than 11,000 car parking spaces by 2025 to tackle the climate crisis.

Cllr Miller added: “We quizzed officers at Committee on the rise in the number of parking spaces in the city centre and it was confirmed to be the case.

“The argument put forward in the report is that the number of spaces has to rise to match the number of permits, given that council policy is to allow up to two permits per household.

“Car-sharing or car-pooling, walking and cycling could all be used to reduce need or demand for permits so that spaces could be reallocated, to improve the city centre for everyone.

“Green budgets have consistently argued that second permit prices should rise, especially in areas with very scarce space.

She added that the prevalence of Airbnbs could have led to an increase in demand for residential permits despite properties not being used by full-time residents.

Cllr Miller said: “There is a specific issue with the rapid rise in AirBnB and other holiday lets. With one in six properties in the city centre now a holiday let, that should have seen the number of residential permits go down.

“The main priority, of course, is to reverse the loss of homes into the holiday market but, for now, I am worried that owners are letting out properties as holiday homes but still clinging onto residential permits. If so, that needs to be tackled.”

Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “Residents have told us that they often find parking near their homes difficult and these measures, as part of the previously-approved Parking Action Plan, address these concerns by creating greater flexibility through shared use spaces.

"Overall, the changes being introduced do support our ambitions to drive down air pollution and carbon emissions, with a new seven-tiered permit banding system linked directly to vehicle emissions, higher prices for second permits and a diesel surcharge, as well as an increase in pay and display prices to better manage visitor demand.

“Essentially, we are moving in the right direction. Bold initiatives like City Centre Transformation, City Mobility Plan proposals and plans to implement Low Emissions Zones demonstrate our forward-thinking approach but we must balance this with the needs of the people who live here to create a city that works for everyone.”