We’re here to listen, represent and take action on the things that matter most to the people who live and work in Leith — from planning applications and housing to street cleaning, public transport, green spaces & more.
Our meetings are on Every Third Monday, 7pm – 9pm, at the Nelson Hall in McDonald Rd Library. All welcome! There is no meeting in July and December.
The monthly meeting agenda includes updates on policing, planning, local parks, clean streets, and more, with an open forum for residents and businesses to raise questions or concerns.
Leith Central Community Council has agreed an updated policy on Short-Term Let (STL) planning applications at its meeting on 20 April 2026.
The policy sets out the circumstances in which LCCC will normally object to STL applications, based on issues regularly raised by residents in the area — including impacts on housing availability, safety, and residential amenity.
Key update: aparthotels
The policy has been updated to explicitly include aparthotels.
While often presented as a distinct type of accommodation, aparthotels can in practice function as short-stay visitor accommodation. As such, they can raise similar concerns to hotels and STLs, particularly in predominantly residential areas.
Under the updated policy, LCCC will object to aparthotel developments where they would:
contribute to the loss of residential accommodation
intensify visitor accommodation in residential areas
have a cumulative impact on housing availability or neighbourhood character
Purpose of the policy
The policy provides a consistent framework for how LCCC responds to planning applications. It is grounded in:
We’ve started developing a set of data to help us better understand Leith Central and the wider area around us.
This is very much a work in progress, but the aim is simple: to build a clearer picture of who lives here, how the area is changing, and how that should inform the work of the Community Council.
The charts bring together publicly available data on things like:
housing tenure (owner-occupied, private rented, social rented)
income levels and indicators such as Universal Credit
the balance between flats and houses
comparisons with neighbouring community council areas
Taken together, they begin to show how Leith Central sits within a wider and very diverse part of the city.
Why this matters
As a Community Council, we are regularly asked to comment on planning applications, licensing matters and wider policy issues.
Having a better understanding of the make-up of our community helps us to:
reflect a broader range of local experiences
identify where there may be gaps in representation
think more clearly about priorities
This is particularly relevant in areas like housing, where questions around tenure, affordability and use (including short-term lets and student accommodation) are ongoing.
A work in progress
This is an early draft and will continue to evolve. We expect to refine the data, improve how it is presented, and explore additional sources over time.
We’re sharing it now because it’s already proving useful in shaping our discussions — and we’re keen to be open about how we approach this.
Have your say
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts:
Does this reflect your experience of living in the area?
Is there anything here that surprises you?
Are there other aspects of the community you think we should be looking at?
You can get in touch via our website or come along to one of our meetings.
Present TTN – Robert Armstrong and Chris Wilson CCTT – Harald Tobermann (LCCC), Elaine Dick (LHNCC), Angus Hardie and Andrew Mackenzie (LLCC), Mike Birch (NTBCC) Apologies Douglas Tharby (LHNCC), Charlotte Enscombe Meeting Notes
Matters Arising There were a number of outstanding actions from the previous meeting, which are recorded here for reference. The dates of future TTN/CCTT meetings were discussed and it was agreed that they would normally be scheduled now for the last Wednesday of each month. Actions: Mike to circulate updated Quick Win list following review by Robert Mike to issue action log from meetings showing action status Mike to provide suggested narrative for Master List columns and RAG Mike to forward discrepancies between LHNCC list and master list to Robert Mike to confirm dates for meetings for remainder of 2025. Robert to provide scope of work for work planned to start on 5 May
Review Action Plan Harald stated that he wanted to reformat the action plan to make it is easier to follow. It was agreed that he would do so and include some of the missing actions such as dates of planned TTN Project Board meetings as well as Stage 4 RSA inspection/report issue. It was stated that the Stage 4 RSA report should be available by early August to ensure any observations could be addressed before the next major update for the TEC. Chris reported that Leith Community Growers were no longer able to take over the maintenance of the planters so alternative options were being considered. There was a discussion about the timing of the outstanding lessons learned with CCTT. It was agreed that this should be undertaken prior to the end of August to allow any significant issues to be included in the expected TEC report on the further extension of the trams system. Date and format for lessons learned to be discussed further at next meeting. Actions: Harald to review Action Plan format/content and reissue Robert to provide dates for Stage 4 RSA inspection and report issue Robert to issue link to lessons learned conducted with other Council departments Mike to issue outline of lessons learned previously agreed with TTN team.
Master List and Work in Progress Robert confirmed that he had further updated the master list to ensure that all the columns had been populated and duplicates identified. In total around 870 individual issues had been identified of which 40 had either been completed or were work in progress. This overall number includes issues identified by stakeholders, changes from original design, recommendations from the RSA as well as defects identified by the TTN project team. Many of the items in progress are associated with the work to modify Elm Row public realm. It was agreed that the number of completed jobs should be included in the dashboard. It was noted that based on the RAG prioritisation, about 20% of the items would be closed out in the current financial year. It was agreed that we should be publicising the work that has been completed to demonstrate progress. It was noted that the Festival embargo period would start around 27 July and that this may impact on some of the work fronts especially from Leith Walk to Picardy Place. There was a further discussion about the RAG terms. Actions: Robert to review/revise draft narrative on RAG methodology and issue for comment Robert to update master list as work is completed
Dashboard Robert provided an overview of the dashboard that he had developed but due to limitations in the functionality of this tool, he had started developing a new dashboard using different software. This was not currently available through the Council so he was exploring how this might be used. It was agreed that the word ‘Duplicate’ was better than ‘Repeated’. Other suggestions included having the date of issue and some notional/qualitative cost for each of the items. It was agreed that the dashboard would be issued for review to CCTT members 5 days in advance of any update being published but that it would only be further distributed once posted on TTN website. Actions: Robert to provide updated dashboard using new software All CCTT to review and provide comments to Robert before next meeting Robert to confirm schedule for issue and posting dashboard on TTN website
Any Other Business It was reported that consultation on the North-South Trams project would begin in August. Various questions were asked about the project including whether a new Trams Act would be required and if a new Code of Construction Practice would be developed. It was reported that there had been an accident involving a lorry and a tram at the Dalmeny Street junction on Leith Walk. An investigation was in progress. Harald confirmed that he would be sending a letter to ward and TEC Councillors expressing confidence in the process that was being followed to agree a list of outstanding work. Actions: Harald to issue letter to Councillors regarding process/progress
This document outlines our concerns about the impact of Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) developments in Leith, focusing on how these projects threaten local housing availability, disregard community needs, and conflict with local development goals.
Leith Central Community Council 