WELCOME to issue one of what will hopefully be a weekly news update, reporting the changing face of Edinburgh’s built environment.
It is free to follow, but in time some content might be put behind a monthly paywall - most likely long-form articles.
We are grateful for the daily reports being delivered by The Edinburgh Minute, The Edinburgh Inquirer, The Early Line and the long-established The Edinburgh Reporter.
So, first up…
SOME £40m has been agreed by The City of Edinburgh Council, to help improve the state of the city’s roads.
The announcement is part of a wide-ranging budgeting exercise, which also includes £12.5m this year to make the city’s streets feel safer for women.
Said the council, here, on Monday: “In the highest spending on school buildings in recent years, £296m will be invested towards five new campuses (Granton Waterfront, Newcraighall, St Catherine’s, Gilmerton Station and Builyeon), five extensions (Hillwood, Queensferry and Frogston primaries, plus Castlebrae and Craigmount high schools), plus a replacement building for Fox Covert.
“We’ll invest an additional £30m towards upgrading special needs schools, with improvements designed to allow as many pupils as possible to see their needs met locally.”
It continues: “We will invest a further £6.6m in Safer Routes to School and travelling safely.
“An additional £15m is planned to sustainably replace Blackhall Library, which has been closed due to RAAC [Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete], while £0.5m will be used to increase enforcement to keep the city cleaner and safer. Around £0.5m will also be used to create better data to support local decision making.”
Meanwhile, £50m is to be invested in what in purchasing and building what is being described as ‘suitable temporary accommodation’ (as explained here) for people experiencing homelessness.
And an additional £14.8m (allocated from a ‘national acquisition fund’ launched by the Scottish Government) will be used to acquire new homes or bring void properties back into use.
The draft Housing Revenue Account capital investment plan is expected to be £2,104m over the next ten years (2025/26 to 2034/35), of which £816m will be for developing and purchasing new-build homes for ‘affordable’ housing use and £1,288m for improving existing homes and estates (as well as the purchasing of second-hand homes).
The HRA capital budget for 2025/26 is expected to be £221m.
To help pay for it all, residents have been presented with an eight per cent increase in their Council Tax bills.
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THE Category A-listed Scottish Widows building on Dalkeith Road (pictured) is apparently not being purchased by the University of Edinburgh - according to reports.
Investigative website, The Ferret, quoted (here) an university spokesperson, as saying: “At this stage, all we can say is that any information suggesting the university has bought the building is incorrect.”
The Ferret’s report follows claims that staff were learning of a planned purchase just as £140m-worth of cuts at the institution was making the news (for instance, here, on the BBC).
Says Historic Environment Scotland, here, of the building: “[An] office building in modern Expressionist style, comprising series of interlocking hexagonal prisms varying in height from one to four storeys.”
It adds that the building was designed by architectural practice, Spence, Glover & Ferguson (John Hardie Glover and John Legge, partners-in-charge; Norman Arthur, project architect; Dame Sylvia Crowe, landscape architect; structural engineers, Ove Arup & Partners).
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SEVERAL locations in Edinburgh have been identified by supermarket chain, Lidl, as possible sites in a planned rollout of new stores across the UK.
The supermarket giants have announced a half-billion pound investment programme, to build over 40 new stores across the UK - here.
The potential Edinburgh sites being looked at are: Barnton / Davidson Mains, city centre, Colinton / Currie, Gilmerton, Jewel / Newcraighall, Liberton, Morningside, Murrayfield, Newington / Mayfield, Oxgangs and Portobello.
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THE average price of a house in Scotland during the month of February was £186,000 - up 5.6 per cent on the same month last year but down 1.7 per cent on the previous month, January.
Says the Registers of Scotland, here: “Average prices for local authorities are based on a three-month moving average to help remove some of the volatility in the series.
“Increases were recorded in 28 out of 32 local authority areas, when comparing prices with the previous year. The largest increase was in East Renfrewshire where the average price increased by 10.6 per cent to £291,000. The largest decrease was recorded in Aberdeenshire, where the average price decreased by 2.4 per cent to £196,000.”
The average price of a detached house during February was £347,000 (up 7.2 per cent on February last year); for a semi-detached house £210,000 (up 6.3 per cent); for a terraced house £171,000 (up 7.4 per cent) and for a flat / maisonette £131,000 (up 3.5 per cent).
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OVER £10m has been raised by the city council, following a decision (implemented on April 1 last year) to increase the Council Tax on second homes and limiting to three months business rates relief on empty shops.
Says the council, here: “The move has encouraged the occupation and active use of at least 206 commercial properties and 52 homes, helping to stimulate the local economy and lived-in homes during Edinburgh's Housing Emergency.”
Read more, here.
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WHAT are being described as ‘high-quality affordable homes’ look set to be built in the Edinburgh Park area, to the west of the city.
It follows an announcement by the social enterprise, Places for People, that it has “completed the acquisition of land at Beat Street East, part of the wider Edinburgh Park masterplan”.
One-hundred-and-sixty homes are envisaged for the site, with Places for People saying - in a media release (here): “This acquisition builds on [our] ongoing investment in Edinburgh, which includes the delivery of 377 new homes at The Engine Yard [here] as well as the developer’s planned 1,300 homes at Redheughs Village [here].
“This activity underlines [our] ongoing commitment to support the city’s efforts to address acute housing needs, with high-quality, affordable new homes. In addition to vital new housing, the Beat Street East project will also include landscaping, green courtyards and accessible housing, enhancing biodiversity and quality of life for future residents.”
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CONSTRUCTION on a plot of land at the bottom of Dundas Street and bordered by Fettes Row looks like it might begin during the summer.
The community newsletter, the Broughton Spurtle, quotes (here) the developer of what is being called the New Town Quarter, as saying: “It is anticipated we will be in a position to confirm the contractor in May this year with a view to starting on site in the summer. We recognise it has been a long wait, and look forward to seeing real site activity taking place soon.”
But it is not all done and dusted for the site which was previously occupied by a Royal Bank of Scotland computer and data centre; some planning issues are still to be resolved.
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OFFERS over £5.745m are being sought for a retail park adjacent to a seafront area of Edinburgh that is earmarked for a new 2,700-home neighbourhood.
The new neighbourhood has been identified for Seafield - located between Leith and Portobello (as noted here).
The park is being marketed by Galbraith property specialists - here.
An online consultation (here) about the proposed Seafield regeneration ended on Wednesday.
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AMONG the consultation exercises being run by the city council - here - one is about draft planning guidance when it comes to assessing proposals for purpose-built student accommodation.
The deadline is the 23rd of this month - here.
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THE menace posed by irresponsible use of eScooters and eBikes has reportedly prompted Edinburgh South MP, Ian Murray, to demand urgent action, including improving enforcement and providing police officers with updated guidance on pursuit.
According The Edinburgh Reporter (here) Murray - the Scottish Secretary of State - has written a letter to Angela Constance, the Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs.
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ALSO featured in The Edinburgh Reporter, here: some £162,515 - in ‘community shares’ - has been raised to support the further development of Portobello’s Bellfield Church, as a community hub.
If you have a Facebook account, you can read more here.
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THE arts complex, Summerhall, is expected to include a residential element in any redevelopment.
A contract has been agreed with local developers, AMA Developments, subject to receiving planning consent.
In a media release issued on behalf of AMA, Dr Afshar, co-founder and managing director, is quoted, as saying: “As a family-owned, Edinburgh-based company, we understand how deeply valued Summerhall is to the community here, and as its future custodian we will protect its historic legacy and forge a bright future for the estate.
“Having now formally entered a contract to acquire Summerhall [subject to receiving planning consent], we will begin to consider the next steps to shape its plans for the future. In the coming months, we will begin to undertake consultations with the local community and The City of Edinburgh Council.
“We anticipate that this consultation period will take a considerable time as we prepare to lodge a planning application, given Summerhall is a highly sensitive site.
“This lengthy period will enable us all to agree a way forward. The redevelopment will be critical to maintaining the integrity of Summerhall and the fabric of its buildings, many of which are significantly underused, protecting them for the long term.
“We foresee that the result will be a mixed-use development, including both living and commercial space, while providing a facility to sustainably continue the provision of the arts. Our aim is to build a legacy that we can all be proud of, and we want to assure all parties that our guiding principle will be a commitment to creating a high-quality redevelopment for the benefit of all.”
The media release follows an exclusive story, in The Scotsman newspaper, by Jane Bradley (here), who raises the possibility that Summerhall’s future as an Edinburgh Fringe Festival venue has still to be determined.
The contract is understood to have been facilitated by, among others, commercial property consultants, CuthbertWhite; lawyers, Anderson Strathern and Gillespie Macandrew; and property specialists, EYCO.
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COUNCIL officials have been tasked to investigate to what extent philanthropy can be found to support the delivery of Edinburgh ‘projects’.
It follows a motion, voted 9-2 in favour, presented to the council’s Finance and Resources Committee on Tuesday (watch it, here, from 2:23.13).
Proposer, Cllr Lewis Younie, talked about “parks and civic spaces”.
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THE administrative HQ of The City of Edinburgh Council - Waverley Court, by the rail station - is to be part-shared with eight tenants, following a decision by the council’s Finance and Resources Committee to lease space to Creative Scotland and the British Transport Police.
Says the council, here: “They will join SEPA, VisitScotland, Skills Development Scotland and Balfour Beatty, which are already based at the council headquarters on East Market Street. Scottish Water is also due to move into the building later this year.
“The decision by the… committee to lease the space will grow the number of organisations based in Waverley Court to eight and annually raise £1.7m in total.”
The sharing space has a name: Partnership Hub.
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FINALLY, detailed planning permission for ten apartments comes with an offers over £1,190,000 price tag, to purchase The Cluny Centre in Morningside.
Read more, here.
Image details: Scottish Widows building, Dalkeith Road; copyright Mike Wilson (editor too of TheHousingDebate.Substack.com)