Speaking at a conference in Leeds, the Council Leader, Cllr Cammy Day has announced a new deal with a group of property developers.
The council has agreed a joint approach with West Town Edinburgh Ltd, a development consortium which will use the 200 acres it owns on the west of the city, to create a 20 minute neighbourhood.
A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed setting out how they will achieve this by working closely together.
The agreement was announced by Cammy Day, Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council and Graeme Bone, Group Managing Director of Drum Property Group, developers of West Town.
The West Town site lies between Ingliston Park and Ride and the Gogar roundabout. This will be the location for a £2 billion project which includes housing in a significant expansion of the capital, next to the Edinburgh Tram route where a new station is planned.
In the draft City Plan 2030 currently with Ministers for approval, the area is identified as a site for 7,000 homes with all other facilities to create a 20 minute neighbourhood. West Town say that their proposals also align with the ambitions of the Scottish Government’s National Planning Framework 4, which was approved in February 2023. If planning permission is approved then work could start on this site next year with the first homes available in 2026.
Cllr Day said: “Edinburgh is quickly becoming a trailblazer for the type of affordable, sustainable homes our residents need and this overlooked land at West Town could pave the way for thousands more. We are leading the way as a city to harness new technologies to make developments greener and fairer – building low and zero carbon homes which are energy and cost efficient – so I’m looking forward to working with West Town Edinburgh to build on our net zero ambitions. Wherever you are in Edinburgh and wherever you choose to go, everyone should feel connected to all of the amenities they need to live well locally, so I’m pleased to see their vision for a 20-minute neighbourhood approach.
“As a Council we’ve been modernising planning and procurement policies so that we can maximise the amount of affordable and social housing and community benefits each new development brings. Currently, over 150 households bid for every council and housing association home that becomes available, so we must set our sights on this development unlocking a huge amount social housing. With demand for affordable homes higher than ever before, this is what our city desperately needs.”
Graeme Bone, Group Managing Director of Drum, added: “This agreement is a major step forward in realising the ambition we share with the Council for the area and for the city, further strengthening the long-term collaborative process that is set to deliver a positive and high-quality transformation of the west of Edinburgh. The amount of space on the site combined with its superb location allows for a natural extension for the city providing 7000 mixed-tenure homes and new jobs in a new 20-minute neighbourhood. West Town has direct access to some of the best public transport in Scotland – the tram line travels through the site and there are integrated rail, cycle and road connections, creating a strategic gateway to Edinburgh. We look forward to continuing to work with the Council to advance our shared vision to create a new, sustainable urban quarter for the city.”
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