Edinburgh to get new 'town by the coast' with hundreds of 'affordable' homes

Plans for a massive £1.3bn regeneration project for Edinburgh’s Granton Waterfront have been green lit by the Council's planning authority.

Edinburgh Live reported on plans to transform the Waterfront into an environmentally friendly coastal neighbourhood ahead of the Council’s decision on Wednesday, November 20.

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The Development Management Sub-Committee unanimously agreed a planning application for the first phase of the £1.3bn regeneration project to transform Granton Waterfront.

The decision gives the go-ahead for 847 ‘net zero ready’ homes to be built in partnership with Cruden Homes on the city’s largest brownfield site.

A large proportion - 45 per cent - of the green homes will be affordable as part of the Council’s strategy to address the city’s housing emergency.

The homes will be a mixture of social rent, mid-market rent and homes for sale. Buildings will range from four and five-storey flats to three-storey colonies.

In line with the Council’s commitment to evironmentally friendly 20-minute neighbourhoods, the new development will eventually include a new primary school and a low carbon heat network.

There will also be commercial units, active travel routes and other sustainable transport infrastructure.

The plans are the first phase of a long-term renewal project for the Granton Waterfront that will be in progress from 2025 to 2032.

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The Council’s regeneration plans are already underway at Granton Waterfront with some early projects taking shape.

Tenants are already moving into 75 new ‘net zero ready homes’ for social and mid-market rent at Granton Station View with over 400 ‘net zero ready’ homes for social rent, mid-market rent and homes for sale at Western Villages due to become available next year.

A further 143 ‘net zero ready’ social and mid-market rent homes at Silverlea are also due for completion in Summer 2026.

A new public park is almost complete within its frame and as the scaffolding has been removed following restoration, it is once again a spectacular focal point in the area.

Another historic building, the former Granton Station, has been refurbished and it now has its own square.

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Council Leader Cammy Day said:

“This is welcome news for Edinburgh as we can now continue our exciting plans to transform the north of the city into a thriving environmentally friendly new neighbourhood which people will want to call home, work in and visit. I’m really excited to see this milestone achieved, as we are one step closer to delivering a first phase of regeneration in Granton Waterfront.

“When putting the planning application together we consulted local people every step of the way including those living in established communities nearby as well as other interested groups. Today’s decision will allow us to bring together those we listened to in these communities with new residents. After declaring a housing emergency last year it is vital that much of the housing provided will be affordable. Using the latest advances in technology the homes will also be energy efficient keeping bills down for our tenants as well as helping the city to transition to net zero and meet our other climate goals.

“This £1.3bn project is the largest regeneration scheme of its kind in Scotland. It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to bring communities together, with affordable energy efficient housing to live well locally with access to shops, cultural, leisure and education and health facilities and job opportunities all nearby. We’ll also make sure Granton Waterfront has excellent active travel and public transport links to rest of the city and beyond as well as to the many established communities already in the area.”