Yesterday, councillors on the Planning Committee voted to take forward draft non-statutory guidance on purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) for public consultation.
An important aim is to protect the health and wellbeing of students by ensuring that Edinburgh’s PBSA is of good quality and built in the right places. However, this is balanced by a second aim which is to provide new residential dwellings for non-students. All new housing should not negatively affect the existing character and community of the surrounding area.
Spurtle will provide a link to the guidance once Council officers have finalised its editing and layout and the consultation has gone live. For the time being, we summarise below some of the document’s most important principles and measures:
preservation or creation of genuinely mixed communities
integration of PBSA with local communities, for example by creating shared shops, services, open spaces and facilities
in larger PBSA developments, the inclusion of non-student mainstream housing
proximity of green spaces, sport and recreational facilities, health centres, shops, public transport
adherence to relevant development plan policies and the Draft Edinburgh Design Guidance 2024
design which deters and prevents crime and anti-social behaviour
design which provides for the needs of people with a range of disabilities and impairments (not just wheelchair users)
design which would allow PBSA to be adapted later for mainstream housing use
accessibility to universities and colleges
carefully proportioned mixes of accommodation types (e.g. cluster flats, studios, family homes) which foster a sense of community
delivery of or contribution to transport, primary healthcare infrastructure capacity, and ‘green/blue network actions’.
When the consultation process begins, all members of the public will be able to comment. However, Council officers will proactively engage with accommodation providers, educational institutions, community councils and representative student bodies.
