Construction has begun on Edinburgh's flagship housing development at Granton's waterfront, as the £1.3billion project is showing signs of major progress.
Located on Waterfront Avenue in Granton, the plot will comprise of 70 one, two and three-bedroom net zero carbon apartments alongside several commercial units.
The apartments will be rented as social housing owned and managed by The City of Edinburgh Council or to households on low to middle incomes at a ‘mid-market’ rate that is lower than private rental rates.
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The development is set to form a significant part of the huge regeneration project at the waterfront site and is the first of three confirmed pilot projects being delivered by the Edinburgh Home Demonstrator - a programme providing an innovative approach to building affordable net zero carbon homes.
The homes are designed to reach as close to net zero carbon as possible, with the aim of lowering energy demands, eliminating carbon emissions, and improving the living environment for residents. Renewable technologies such as a communal Air Source Heat Pump System and the use of solar PV panels will combine with the home’s enhanced building fabric to achieve the net zero standard of performance.
As part of the project, work is also set to begin on transforming the Granton gas holder into a new city park, including space for outdoor events. Overgrown vegetation around the waterfront landmark will be cleared to make way for the post-industrial site's redevelopment, soon becoming a public green space with areas for play, relaxation and art displays.
Over 3,000 homes are also set to be built as a wider part of the Granton project, which will also include a new school, healthcare facilities and Europe's largest coastal park.
City of Edinburgh Council Leader, Cammy Day, said: “The future of housebuilding is happening here in Edinburgh, where we are proud to lead the biggest and most innovative net zero carbon development in the country.
“The pilot itself is helping to create and support jobs in green industries like offsite sustainable manufacturing. This is exciting to see and something our wider regeneration of Granton will build on.
“What we are doing with our partners at the Granton Waterfront is truly trailblazing and will see the community become a test bed for future innovation, skills development and much needed employment opportunities - all while pioneering 75 new net zero carbon affordable homes.”
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