Please note that although the applications were all approved by the City of Edinburgh Council on the 6th February 2008.  You can still write to UNESCO and others mentioned below though to register your opposition to the Caltongate Plans.  To Stop Caltongate individuals and organisations need to  write and let the people mentioned below that it is vital a public inquiry is held into the Caltongate Applications. You do not have to live in Edinburgh to do this.  You can be any age, nationality and live anywhere.  A World Heritage Site is for everyones enjoyment and benefit.1. Everyone in the world  can write to the Scottish Cabinet Ministers including First Minister Alex Salmond.  Use the following email address and mark top of email for attention of all Scottish Ministers. Remember to include your name and postal address in the body of this email otherwise it may get ignored or lost. scottish.ministers@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or Write to  Ministers at St Andrew`s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG  and copy c.c. this email  to the Director of Planning in Scottish Government jim.mackinnon@scotland.gsi.gov.ukThen send a copy of it to the following MSPs who have already expressed the need for a public inquiry.shirley-anne.somerville.msp@scottish.parliament.ukmargo.macdonald.msp@scottish.parliament.ukrobin.harper.msp@scottish.parliament.ukIf you live in the UK you should also send a copy to your own  Msps,  MP and MEPS see this link where it will find all of them for you when you enter your postcode. http://www.writetothem.com/ Scottish ones are listed even although it doesn't say on home page.Everyone should also inform UNESCO - do this now as UNESCO met in Quebec in July to decide whether Edinburgh goes on their danger list and risk losing their Wolrd Heritage Status.To inform the World Heritage Committee about the threat , you contact the Committee's Secretariat at: E-mail: wh-info@unesco.org do copy this email to Jenny Dawe, Council Planning committee, your councillors, msps, MP, infact everyone you can think of, see below line for details on who to alert once again!World Heritage Centre UNESCO7, place de Fontenoy75352 Paris 07 SPFranceTel.: 33 (01) 45 68 18 71 Fax: 33 (01) 45 68 55 70More here on UNESCO UNESCO decided in Quebec in July 2008 that because of Caltongate they are considering putting Edinburgh on the danger list and will be visiting in November.SO DO LET THEM KNOW CALTONGATE SHOULD BE STOPPEDThe List of World Heritage in Danger is designed to inform the international community of conditions which threaten the very characteristics for which a property was inscribed on the World Heritage List, and to encourage corrective action. Edinburgh`s Inscription Edinburgh World Heritage Trust Private individuals, non-governmental organizations, or other groups can draw the World Heritage Committee's attention to existing threats. If the alert is justified and the problem serious enough, the Committee may consider including the site on the List of World Heritage in Danger. 4. If you live in Edinburgh, You could also write to your local councillor(s) (although yours may be one of the planning committee that voted the plans through on the 6th Feb! (check here) asking them to write to The Scottish Government to press for for call in and determination through the Public Inquiry System. All councillors emails or write to them C/O The City of Edinburgh Council, City Chambers, High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1YJ Find your councillors  Among points you could make are the following, do add your own and include any material (press cuttings, deputations, research) you feel is important, especially if you think it hasn`t been considered, and do let others know they can do this too. It is understood that all the Caltongate Planning Applications must be sent to ministers under the Notification of Applications procedures for a number of reasons -1. The council has a significant financial interest in the proposed applications and stands to receive financial payment on the delivery of planning consent.2. The proposals (in particular the demolition of structurally sound, in use buildings, both listed and unlisted in an Outstanding Conservation Area and World Heritage Site) conflict with key policies contained in the approved Structure and Local Plans and as such is a significant departure from the Development Plan.3. There have been a significant level of objections received from community organisations and heritage groups in addition to the numerous individuals.4. New legislation, policies, planning guidance is at a crucial stage and the proposals could set a dangerous precedent which would prejudice the effectiveness of these new policies.5. The Caltongate Masterplan has been imbedded in the Finalised Local Plan for the area which has provoked many objections which have been requested to be heard at a LPI. The protection of listed and unlisted buildings, reference to the World Heritage Site, protection of housing and has yet to be tested through the Development Plan process.  6. The consultation process has been heavily criticised as not being inclusive, balanced or transparent and conflicts with new government guidance on growing community assets, partnership working, and community engagement. 7. The site lies in an area with international importance, a World Heritage Site. And here are some of the questions that need to be raised and which could be answered at an Inquiry 1. Complaints have been made to both the Competition DG and the Internal market DG of the EU Commission, because of the extent that Mountgrange Caltongate Ltd may have been provided with privileged access and offered exclusive consideration in pursuance of its commercial objectives, it follows that competing bidders, both actual and potential, have been unlawfully discriminated against, and public resources unlawfully exposed to risk in this case. Caltongate Given A Black Mark2. A clear breach of Article 7 of the applicable code of conduct as set by the Standards Commission (Scotland) in the case of Planning Committee convenor Jim Lowrie.The code states that a breach has been committed where a planning committee member expresses a prior public view ahead of a decision being taken, or where a member has lobbied, either overtly or covertly, for a particular interest group or to the commercial benefit of a particular applicant. In Article 11th Oct 07 it says “City planning leader Cllr Jim Lowrie said: "I really don't feel that we are that far behind Glasgow in terms of the speed of the planning process, but the problem in Edinburgh is the number of historic buildings and the need to address heritage concerns. "However, we don't want to fall behind and it's very important we listen to organisations like the chamber. "We have to get big developments like Caltongate up and running as soon as we can."Given the views expressed by Councillor Lowrie in the Edinburgh Evening News of 11th October 2007 there was clear evidence of such a breach in the public domain, and in the circumstances the convenor should have been removed from his office with immediate effect. The Council’s failure to apply article 7 of the code in this instance would appear to call into question the validity of the vote and subsequent award of the planning consent to Mountgrange Caltongate Ltd, and should be reviewed as a matter of urgency. The economic relationship between the council and the developer in this case has the characteristics of an institutionalised public-private partnership.3. The recent report in The Times about Mountgrange`s donation to the Labour Party,Mountgrange donate to Labour Party  which questions the fact that the Department of Trade and Industry, when it was being headed by the present Chancellor, Alistair Darling, assisted with the funding for an investigation into the project’s proposed heating system.4. The statements of Historic Scotland chief inspector, Malcolm Cooper given his relationship with Mountgrange’s Mr Manish Chande Historic Scotland and Caltongate5. The actions of Donald Anderson during his period as council leader should also be scrutinised, given his individual relationship with Mountgrange’s Mr Manish Chande.Champagne Donation Under Fire6. The very real prospect of the loss of World Heritage status for the city7. And a question that so many people are asking - why is it that one architect, Allan Murray, seems to be involved with virtually every key project within the World Heritage Site, as well as Caltongate?Caltongate or Edinburgh Must Die8. The pro-active role of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce in promoting the developmentMountgrange`s Manish Chande is head of their property portfolio group see page 4 of their magazineChambers Magazine and in Evening News Today Ron Hewitt of Chambers Roots For Caltongate    ******************************************************************************** PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS jim.lowrie@edinburgh.gov.uk (Sld) Planning Committee Leader joanna.mowat@edinburgh.gov.uk (Con) City Central (Caltongate in her ward) charles.dundas@edinburgh.gov.uk (Sld) (Caltongate is in his ward) elaine.morris@edinburgh.gov.uk (SLD) gary.peacock@edinburgh.gov.uk (SLD) marjorie.thomas@edinburgh.gov.uk (SLD) colin.keir@edinburgh.gov.uk (SNP) stuart.mcivor@edinburgh.gov.uk (SNP) rob.munn@edinburgh.gov.uk (SNP) lesley.hinds@edinburgh.gov.uk  (Labour) norma.hart@edinburgh.gov.uk (Labour) eric.milligan@edinburgh.gov.uk (Labour) cameron.rose@edinburgh.gov.uk (Con) alastair.paisley@edinburgh.gov.uk (Con) steve.burgess@edinburgh.gov.uk (Green)