Plans for the build of over 200 affordable homes in Edinburgh have been given the green light.
It comes as the City of Edinburgh Council looks to provide more 'much needed' affordable housing in the capital.
At least 130 of the approved homes will be for social rent at 'key' sites in Greendykes, Wester Hailes, and Dreghorn.
Of the 140 new homes agreed for Greendykes, 74 will be council homes. They form the final phase of the Council's 15-year Greendykes masterplan, which is delivering 2,200 new homes in total alongside four new schools, a new public park, a brand new town centre, and 300,000 sq ft of retail space.
It will act as the second pilot for the Edinburgh Home Demonstrator (EHD) programme, meaning innovative offsite construction methods will be used on the build of the homes, before delivering them to Greendykes where they will offer residents net zero carbon homes.
The local authority said it is a 'significant' milestone for the EHD programme and the Greendykes area, as it looks to accelerate the delivery of affordable housing that is aligned with its current net zero carbon approach.
In Wester Hailes, 41 of the 73 new homes approved will be council homes. They will be built at a derelict site in Murrayburn Gate where the Wester Hailes Health Centre once stood. The site is next to the Westside Plaza shopping centre and close to rail links, with the community to also benefit from a new public footway to the nearby Canal View Primary School.
All 23 empty homes agreed to be bought in Dreghorn are currently owned by the Ministry of Defence and are based along Dreghorn Place and Dreghorn Drive. The homes will be made available for social rent from the council.
Councillor Jane Meagher, the City of Edinburgh Council's housing, homelessness, and fair work convener, said,"Never has our need for affordable housing been greater as we face a cost-of-living crisis and a climate emergency. The decisions made this week demonstrate our council's commitment to urgently creating the homes Edinburgh needs.
"I'm particularly pleased that we'll be able to deliver so many homes for social rent. We want to provide everybody with a safe and warm place to live but we're facing growing homelessness in Edinburgh. This remains a challenge, but these new properties that we're buying and building are going to help many people in desperate housing need.
"And, as we build these new homes, we'll create well designed places. Innovative offsite manufacturing of net zero homes such as those planned for Greendykes will help tenants and residents to keep their fuel bills down. This work will be taken forward alongside retrofitting many of our existing homes, so that older council properties are also brought up to a better standard."
Source: https://projectscot.com/
