The City of Edinburgh Council has acquired Liberton Hospital and the grounds from NHS Lothian for £14.8 million and plans to build low carbon housing there.
These plans have been under consideration since March 2021 and this will be a development of 400 homes, many of which will be accessible and affordable for social or mid-market rent.
The building will not be vacant until March 2025, and meantime the hospital services will be transferred to other sites on a gradual basis. This will also allow the council to consult with the local community and obtain planning permission for an accessible green neighbourhood. These plans will incorporate energy efficient homes.
The council has a requirement that at least 35% of homes on residential developments are affordable, and in this particular location that percentage will be exceeded, with up to 50% being affordable.
The council plans to retain existing woodland and original hospital gardens and create high quality public spaces in a green network with active travel connections to Burdiehouse Burn Valley Park, St Katharine’s Park and Liberton Park.
The council has issued a Prior Information Notice asking for potential development partners to come forward to create detailed designs for the site.
Cllr Jane Meagher, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “For close to 150 years Edinburgh residents have been cared for under the roof of Liberton and Longmore Hospitals. I’m delighted that we’ll be able to pay that care forward as we convert the site into much needed new homes.
“By demolishing the 1960s built extensions, including the disused Blood Transfusion Service, we’ll be able to design an accessible green neighbourhood of low-carbon housing from scratch. This will help lots of people with specialist needs to live comfortably and with independence. Plus, it will allow us support people who are in desperate housing need as we’re looking for a developer who can commit to our vision of at least half of these new homes being affordable.
“We’re committed to putting care-based housing at the centre of this redevelopment and I’d like to thank our partners at the NHS for working with us to secure the land. It has been many years in the making.”
Final decisions to acquire the land were made in November 2022 by members of the council’s Finance and Resources Committee. You can view the report here:
7.18 – Liberton Hospital Edinburgh Update on Proposed Acquisition.pdf
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
