COUNCILLOR Jane Meagher has officially broken ground at Scotland’s largest net zero housing development in Granton, just three miles north of Edinburgh city centre.
The start of construction on the £72 million Western Villages project represents a significant milestone for the City of Edinburgh Council in the delivery of the £1.3 billion Granton Waterfront regeneration project.
Over the next ten years, 3500 mixed-tenure homes and associated infrastructure will create a new, sustainable coastal community.
Meagher said: “We are so proud to lead the country’s biggest net zero housing development and break ground today.
“With an ambitious target to become a net zero city by 2030, this first phase of Granton Waterfront will act as a blueprint for future sustainable development and help Scotland transition towards a greener economy.
“This housing is going to provide hundreds of affordable homes, right at the centre of what will be Edinburgh’s newest neighbourhood – offering a fantastically lively, active and sustainable waterfront lifestyle for everyone who moves in.”
At the heart of the vision is the ambition to tackle climate change and making sure there is a smooth transition to a net-zero carbon economy.
To achieve this, all homes will be constructed using advanced methods to improve thermal performance.
This will be delivered by an on-site energy centre containing air-source heat pumps and renewable technologies such as solar PV panels.
The strategy is supported by £4.1m of funding from the Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme.
Meagher added: “People moving in will benefit from a real 20-minute neighbourhood, with great progress being made in our £1.3 billion wider regeneration project including a growing cultural and arts cluster in the area, after we announced works to refurbish the former Granton Station building into a creative workspace, as well as a new creative and community hub at 20 West Shore Road by Edinburgh Palette.”
The councillor was joined by representatives for the project – including the Council’s own development and regeneration team, contractor CCG (Scotland) and architect Cooper Cromar.
The 444-home masterplan will consist of one, two and three-bedroom apartments, including wheel-chair accessible ground-floor dwellings.
They will be available in a mix of social rent, mid-market rent and private sale tenures.
CCG managing director David Wylie said: “CCG’s contribution to the regeneration of Granton is significant with over 500 homes set to be under construction by the middle of this year.
“Western Villages, alongside a further 75 homes with the Council at Waterfront Avenue, will play a major role in the creation of this new coastal community and also help shape our understanding and capabilities of net zero housing delivery in Edinburgh and across Scotland.
“We are very proud to be pioneering applied research and development into net zero housebuilding to support our economy’s green ambitions whilst also ensuring that high-quality, high energy efficient homes remains accessible to our communities.”
Set for completion in 2024, the homes available for rent will be managed by the Council whilst private homes will be led by CCG Homes.
