The Famous Spiegeltent at St Andrew Square

Cockburn Response

The Cockburn Association objects strongly to this retrospective application for the installation of the Famous Spiegeltent and associated structures in St Andrew Square Gardens. At the time of writing, construction is visibly underway, with the event infrastructure already in place—despite the fact that the application has not yet been determined. This pre-empts the planning process, disregards due democratic oversight, and undermines public confidence in the integrity of the regulatory system.

The proposals involve the occupation of a significant portion of one of the city centre’s few accessible green garden squares across July and August, introducing a high-intensity commercial and cultural event space into a sensitive setting. The cumulative impact on public amenity, landscape character, and access to green space within the New Town Conservation Area and Edinburgh World Heritage Site has not been adequately assessed.
We therefore call for a full impact assessment of the event’s scale, design, and duration—considering its physical footprint, acoustic and visual impacts, and implications for landscape and heritage value. It is vital that any use of such a sensitive site be subject to rigorous scrutiny, particularly when that use displaces everyday access to civic green space.

In addition, we advocate for a strategic policy review of summer festival occupation of public parks and gardens in Edinburgh. A consistent framework is urgently needed to establish clear thresholds for permitted uses, limits on duration and intensity, and transparent criteria for assessing public benefit—balancing cultural vibrancy with the protection of shared green assets.

While we recognise the cultural significance of Edinburgh’s festivals, this cannot come at the cost of planning integrity, public process, or the equitable use of valued civic spaces. We urge the planning authority to take enforcement action to address the unauthorised commencement of works and to ensure that future proposals of this nature are subject to proper, transparent consideration.