27 August 2008

Approval received for Leith Docks Outline Planning Application

Forth Ports PLC has today received the approval of the City of Edinburgh Council's Planning Committee for its Leith Docks Outline Planning Application, the largest planning application in Edinburgh's history. The application, submitted last September, sets out a vision to create a thriving, sustainable urban place at Edinburgh's waterfront where people will want to live, work and visit.

The Leith Docks development will accommodate up to 15,000 townhouses and flats and is expected to create almost 12,000 jobs in Edinburgh. The regeneration is a phased process, which is expected to take up to 30 years to fully complete. It will feature nine 'urban villages' including a mix of commercial, retail, industrial and leisure uses. This encompasses a new office quarter extending to 130,000 sq.m and over 90,000 sq.m of enhanced retail, cultural, community and leisure facilities.

Approval of the outline plans reflects the City of Edinburgh Council's agreement to the broad principles for redeveloping Leith Docks. These include the location for key public transport infrastructure, main roads and an indication of the type and density of development that can be achieved. The content reflects the direct input from the local community including community councils, community groups and local schools.  

Following today's decision, the application will be referred to the Scottish Government for its consideration. At the same time, Forth Ports will produce a more detailed masterplan for the first two villages at the heart of the development. This masterplan will identify the potential use, location and size of the buildings and be produced in association with international masterplanners, RTKL. Forth Ports aims to submit this masterplan later this year. 

Forth Ports has been working with the City of Edinburgh Council towards this application for a number of years and has already made a significant investment in the regeneration of Edinburgh's waterfront. Today's approval creates a platform for further discussion and momentum to explore public and private financing options including the submission to the Scottish Government of a joint initiative for infrastructure funding.  

  Group Chief Executive, Charles Hammond, said: 

"This is a huge step forward for both our regeneration plans and the City of Edinburgh. It will have a positive impact on the wider Scottish economy over the next 30 years and beyond. As well as creating a vibrant and accessible waterfront for the people of Edinburgh, the project will allow the city to meet its future housing requirements and create a strong platform for sustained economic growth." 

Ron Hewitt, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, said:

"This is a hugely important project which is integral to the continued economic development of the city. The redevelopment plans for Leith Docks will deliver an accessible, high quality public waterfront and at the same time deliver much needed housing, space for new business, retail, leisure and industrial uses." 

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Notes to Editors:

Forth Ports PLC owns and operates seven commercial ports in the UK - Tilbury on the Thames, Dundee in the Firth of Tay and five in the Firth of Forth - Leith, Grangemouth, Rosyth, Methil and Burntisland. It also operates out of Chatham in Kent under the Nordic banner.

Within and around the Firths of Forth and Tay, Forth Ports manages and operates an area of 280 square miles of navigable waters, including two specialised marine terminals for oil and gas export and provides other marine services, such as towage and conservancy.

The Group also has significant property interests which it continues to develop as part of its commitment to increase shareholder value.

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