Edinburgh Council have rejected a bid from a local family to create a new parking space in their garden.
Gordon Bain and Sophie Lowry, from Viewforth in Bruntsfield, reached out to the council last year and said they could not get their compact Skoda Fabia parked in their street, or even anywhere near to their home.
They say they have a young family and this was making their lives a misery so they wanted to create a space in their own garden.
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However 20 of their neighbours objected to the plan and Edinburgh Council this week rejected the bid because of road safety fears and fears it would not preserve the Marchmont, Meadows and Brunstfield Conservation Area.
The couple also cited a nearby Cala Homes development and said it is having an impact on parking in the area, and said the council’s Spaces for People initiative in Viewforth has hampered the possibility of getting a permit for a parking space.
But their plans to relocate their bin area, alter the boundary wall and create a new cycle shed were too much for some neighbours in the upmarket neighbourhood.
Over 20 locals in the area objected to the City of Edinburgh Council and for a variety of reasons.
One said: “This is a really bad idea.
“It will secure a parking space for the owner while removing one of ours. Worse, the bins will have to move to less convenient location - probably next to the existing ones in the corner, making our street look like one big bin shed.
“A car exiting the proposed drive onto the mouth of the square in the morning will likely be a hazard to school children and to other drivers. There simply isn’t enough space or visibility to add this.”
Another added: “Viewforth is probably the densest car to apartment rate in the UK. This application takes away two parking spaces, at weekends, to the enrichment of one flat owner.
“One parking space would certainly be lost permanently, every day and night of the week.
“If this is granted similar applications will further erode parking spaces, as a precedent will be set.”
Edinburgh Council rejected the plan on Wednesday March 23.
Council planning officers were concerned about road safety and the loss of the boundary wall.
The chief planning officer said: “The proposal is contrary to the Local Development Plan as loss of the stone boundary wall will adversely impact on the setting of the tenement properties which will fail to preserve the character or appearance of the conservation area.
“The proposal is contrary to the City Council’s Guidance for Householders in regard to access and parking as it would be the detriment of road safety due to its location near to a road junction and orientation of car parking spaces.”
