Plans submitted for first phase of £1.3bn new Scottish coastal town

Plans for the first phase of a £1.3b coastal town on Edinburgh’s largest brownfield site have been submitted.

Edinburgh council and Scottish housebuolder Cruden Homes plans to build 847 net zero homes at Granton Waterfront, of which 35% will be for affordable tenures. 

The homes will be wheelchair accessible and energy efficient, connecting to a low carbon heat network supplied by the UK arm of Swedish energy specialist Vattenfall.

The Granton Waterfront project is expected to eventually deliver 3,500 homes.  

Local architects Smith Scott Mullan have helped to design the town that will follow the 20-minute neighbourhood model, comprising commercial units, sustainable transport infrastructure, open space and capacity for a new primary school. 

“The developer and design team have worked very closely and effectively to prepare sketch designs that respond to the aspirational brief for the new mixed-use regeneration area and the demands of the business case,” said Eugene Mullan, architect and director at Smith Scott Mullan.

At the core of the development is the Granton Gasholder currently being repurposed to become a public park. The historic gasholder will be restored to have space for temporary and permanent art, multi-sensory play zones and a relaxation area. 

Belfast firm McLaughlin & Harvey started work on the site last January on behalf of the council, using funding from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund. 

Council leader Cammy Day said: “We’ve been consulting with people every step of the way to deliver this project.

“To deliver our net zero targets for the Capital, sustainable regeneration is so important and every element of this development has been designed with that in mind.”

Fraser Lynes, managing irector of Cruden Homes said: “This landmark, landscape-led development of Edinburgh’s coastline takes a fresh approach to urban regeneration which will create an exciting new coastal community set to become one of Europe’s largest waterside amenities.

“Moreover, the delivery of 847 much needed, high quality and sustainable new homes across all tenures will make an important contribution to alleviating the well documented housing emergency.”