RESIDENTS and business owners in Portobello and Joppa are threatening to sue Edinburgh Council over controversial parking plans which they claim are “potentially unlawful”.
A coalition between business and residents has formed over the City of Edinburgh Council’s plans for Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ), which the local authority describes as an area where parking is restricted on public roads to manage parking demand and improve traffic flow.
However, campaigners are threatening legal action if the scheme moves forward in its current form at the Traffic Regulation Order Sub-Committee’s meeting this autumn.
In a letter to councillors, the group has accused the local authority of advancing a “procedurally flawed, substantively unsound, and potentially unlawful” plan.
Residents and traders argue that the proposal lacks public support, is built on unreliable data, and would inflict lasting damage on the local economy.
They added that in the council’s 2021 informal consultation on the plans, a “clear majority” expressed opposition to CPZ and have accused the council of disregarding public opinion.
One of the campaign’s organisers, Nikki Middleton, has accused Edinburgh council of not consulting residents in Joppa over the proposed CPZ plans.
She said: “Not only did the vast majority of people consulted reject the proposals, but the Council ran the consultation during the chaos of the Covid-19 pandemic, when travel and parking patterns were completely unrepresentative. How is that a fair reflection of public opinion?
“The council also failed to consult Joppa residents at all, despite extending the CPZ boundary to include this area.
“Drawing lines on a map without considering those communities undermines people’s voices and is not a fair representation. These are not just technical errors – they represent a fundamental disregard for transparency and democracy.”
The group have also raised concerns regarding the lack of documentation of a public meeting held in May this year at Portobello Town Hall.
Campaigners said the meeting was attended by more than 500 residents and business owners, many of whom voiced strong opposition to the plan directly to the council’s transport convener, councillor Stephen Jenkinson.
However, they claim that no formal minutes were taken and say the decision further “undermines transparency and public confidence” in the council's democratic engagement with the community.
Local resident Jane Grant, who is owner of the Velvet Easel Gallery and chair of the Portobello Traders Association, said: “The surveys were conducted during major roadworks and the height of the tourist season, when Portobello’s popularity as a seaside destination creates unusual, short-term parking pressure.
“Basing permanent changes on data gathered in such distorted conditions is not only methodologically flawed, it’s legally questionable.”
The community group has also criticised the council for ignoring existing alternatives already in place.
Since January 2024, citywide enforcement of pavement parking, double parking, and obstruction at dropped kerbs has been in effect.
Double-yellow lines have also been introduced at known pinch points such as Marlborough Street and Regent Street.
Campaigners argue these measures already directly address any concerns raised during consultation without resorting to the sweeping restrictions of a CPZ.
Local businesses have voiced particularly strong opposition. Karen Mackay, the owner of Cahoots, an independent store supporting local designers and artisan makers, said: “This scheme is a direct threat to local businesses, it will kill footfall, disrupt deliveries, and drive our customers elsewhere.”
“We’ve worked hard to bring life back to the High Street with independent shops, cafés, and services, and now the council wants to sabotage that progress. If these businesses start closing down, it’s not just livelihoods that are at stake – it’s access to essential amenities for local people.
“We've seen the damage these schemes have done in places like Leith. Why is the council determined to repeat the same mistakes here?”
The letter concludes with a list of demands, including an immediate halt to the CPZ proposal, a rejection of the consultation and survey data, and a fresh consultation process that includes all affected areas.
The group has also called for full disclosure of the financial, legal, and traffic modelling used to justify the plan.
A petition opposing the CPZ has already attracted more than 1300 signatures.
Traffic regulation order (TRO) sub-committee convener councillor Margaret Graham said: “We’ve received a letter from this group and will now take the time to consider its contents.
“The proposed Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) for Portobello is intended to ease parking pressures in the area. The traffic regulation order advertising period ended in late May 2025 and all objections to the proposals will be presented to a future TRO sub-committee. Members will consider all the available evidence before coming to a decision on the scheme.”
