152.....ah sorry misread your original post, didn't see the IMC bit I am sure it said VFR, must be a senior moment!!
Anyway no problems with looking for a crossing of class D, you don't need to be IFR to do that, VFR is OK if met conditions permit. See chart below.
I quite often set my customers up for crossing Edinburgh's class D by passing Edinburgh ATC the details however after transferring the aircraft to Edinburgh they still need to recieve that crossing clearance from Edinburgh so on initial contact if told to standby they should ensure they remain clear of CAS until receiving that clearance. If your ever north of the border give me a shout and I'll gladly organise a visit to out ATC centre.
https://www.caa.co.uk/docs/64/200890...ficationV3.pdf