MP for Edinburgh East Sheila Gilmore today led discussions with community representatives and senior housing leaders to discuss future regeneration and housing provision in Craigmillar.
Hosting the summit at the newly reopened White House Roadhouse, Ms Gilmore highlighted the need to build more family housing and create quality open spaces, in addition to purpose built housing for elderly households. Ms Gilmore spoke of the need to ensure that a regenerated Craigmillar provides high-quality accommodation which varies in size, format and shape ensuring residential diversity.
Ms Gilmore called the meeting as the City of Edinburgh Council revealed the number of people who have Gold Priority for rehoming due their medical or disability needs has risen to over 600. At the same time more than 700 families are living in homes which are too small for their needs. These families are at least two bedrooms short. While their priority for moving home has been recognised but the homes needed to rehome them become available at a rate of about two a month.
Regeneration in Craigmillar has slowed since the financial crash in 2008 and following cuts in government grants to build new homes, leaving vast areas of brownfield land undeveloped without housing, or a new Castlebrae Community High School. Ms Gilmore has identified that the time is now, before regeneration begins in earnest, that the vision is family and community led.
Cllr Cammy Day, Vice Chair of the City of Edinburgh Council Health, Wellbeing and Housing Committee and Cllr Gordon Munro, Vice Chair of the Economy Committee attended the round table event along with Alister Steele, Managing Director of Castle Rock Edinvar, and Ewan Fraser, Chief Executive of Dunedin Canmore housing association.
Speaking after the event, Ms Gilmore said:-‘The impetus to arrange this meeting came following a number of discussions I have had with community representatives and other elected representatives, as well as with housing developers and providers.
‘What is key is the need to build a good mix of house sizes and types to create a balanced community, where families can move on as their circumstances change. But now is the time to introduce those changes and ensure we rebuild Craigmillar to maximise the success of regeneration.
‘All too often developments are made up of two bedroom flats, because they are cheaper to build and developers can achieve the densities required to ensure they get a sufficient return on investment, but that does not necessarily meet the needs of those looking to be homed. To ensure that the future community of Craigmillar is diverse and encourages all families to live here, we need greater variance in the stock we build.
‘After the difficulties of the last few years caused by the recession it is of utmost importance that City of Edinburgh Council to recommit strongly to the rebuilding of Craigmillar with the involvement of the local community. Progressing with this ambitious reconstruction would provide opportunities not just for those living in the area but for the many people looking for affordable housing in the city’.
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