A consultation has taken place over how to manage a World Heritage Site in Edinburgh.

Almost 600 people took part in the exhibition, which considered 14 key themes on how the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site should be looked after.

Key features included:

• Natural space, identity and belonging, facilities and amenities, feeling safe and liveability scored the highest.

• Housing, moving around and city centre economy received an average score.

• Care and maintenance of buildings and streets, control and guidance, the contribution of new developments to the city centre, influence and sense of control, visitor management and awareness of the World Heritage Site scored the lowest.

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The consultation was led by the City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh World Heritage and Historic Environment Scotland. An oversight group made up of community council and business representatives, councillors, advisors from ICOMOS UK, and the management partners will now meet to discuss the outcomes of the consultation and agree the outline of the new Management Plan for the World Heritage Site.

A draft of the plan will be published in March before being fully launched next year.

Cllr Ian Perry said: "Our World Heritage Site is of crucial importance to the future vision and development of the city. I would like to thank everyone who gave us their feedback during the consultation period as residents' views will now help us to ensure that the site continues to be well managed and is of universal importance."

Barbara Cummins, Director of Heritage, Historic Environment Scotland, said: "Now begins the process of making sense of that feedback and how it should be incorporated into the new document. The end result will be that we have a management plan which reflects the needs of the built heritage, and the people who live, work, visit and look after it."

To view the consultation results, visit here.

(LM)