Tag: environment

Progress at Edinburgh’s flagship net zero carbon housing project

A major milestone has been reached on a flagship, net zero carbon housing development in Edinburgh as the first homes are now under construction. 

Located on Waterfront Avenue in Granton, ‘Plot D1’ will comprise over 70 one, two, and three-bedroom 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. 

The development will form a significant part of the ongoing £1.3bn regeneration of Granton’s waterfront and will set a roadmap for the future of net zero carbon housing delivery in Scotland. 

This is the first of three confirmed pilot projects being delivered by The Edinburgh Home Demonstrator (EHD) – a programme providing an innovative approach to building affordable net zero carbon homes at scale. 

The Scottish Government-backed programme has engaged a community of research and development experts to show how affordable net zero carbon homes can be created at scale across the six local authorities within the Edinburgh and Southeast City Deal Region.  

Glasgow-based contractor and manufacturer CCG (Scotland) is leading construction of the ’Plot D1’ site on behalf of The City of Edinburgh Council alongside a design team of architects, engineers, and energy consultants.

The firm is leveraging the Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) concept of offsite manufacturing on the pilot project. Standardised panels have been manufactured in CCG’s factory, transported to site, and positioned with the use of two cranes. This has resulted in a much quicker and efficient build, with one storey a week being completed on the Granton site.

This innovative combination of techniques will be evaluated by the EHD programme and will inform the development of a blueprint for procurement, quality standards, and cost that can be used across the sector to create affordable net zero communities.

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.

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.”

Calum Murray, CCG (Scotland) Director and EHD Board Member, said: “CCG are pioneers for offsite manufacturing in Scotland. We operate from one of the UK’s most advanced facilities and use technological procedures to create homes in a controlled setting that are inherently designed to deliver an enhanced quality standard and minimise heat loss.

“For Granton D1, we will then integrate our entirely renewable energy system onsite. This uses several measures developed in partnership with Carbon Futures that combine with this improved standard of build to achieve our net zero target.

“The EHD programme is key to helping us to reach that target and this milestone at Granton D1 will be one of many along the way. It will be an exciting journey and one in which we are delighted to be playing our part alongside the Council and our trusted partners.”

Ainslie McLaughlin, Chair of the Edinburgh Home Demonstrator Programme Project Board, said: “The homes are quickly taking shape thanks to the offsite manufacture of key components.

“The productivity gains and speed of construction delivered by offsite MMC make it an important solution in the delivery of net zero carbon homes, especially to meet the demand for affordable housing. Scotland has both the capability and resources to scale this up, there is real opportunity here.”

The programme is delivered by multiple stakeholders including partners from The City of Edinburgh Council, Offsite Solutions Scotland, Edinburgh Napier University, the University of Edinburgh, Scottish Futures Trust, and Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST) and is funded by the Scottish Government’s Affordable Housing Supply Programme and The City of Edinburgh Council.

For more information, visit: https://www.be-st.build/accelerate-to-zero/modern-methods-of-construction/edinburgh-home-demonstrator/

Historic former whaling building opens for first time

The original Main Store on the subantarctic island of South Georgia has opened to visitors for the very first time, after almost five years of sympathetic restoration and curation by the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) and a UK charity, the South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT).

This small but significant British Overseas Territory, which lies in the Southern Ocean over 1,500km east of the Falkland Islands, was at the centre of the whaling industry but is now famed for its remarkable environmental recovery.

The Main Store is at the heart of the island’s principal settlement of Grytviken, an abandoned yet atmospheric former whaling station which ceased operations in the 1960s after decades of whaling.

Built in c.1920, the Main Store is one of the few remaining original structures to survive at the site, and the restoration of this important historic building now adds another layer to the rich cultural heritage that is being preserved on the island.

Between 1904 – 1965 over 175,000 whales were processed across South Georgia. For the whalers the hours were long, the work unpleasant and the weather harsh. But despite the island’s dark past, GSGSSI and SGHT are working to ensure that South Georgia’s human story is told.

Alongside the South Georgia Museum, which is owned by GSGSSI and managed by SGHT, the preservation and reopening of the Main Store mean that the 10-15,000 annual international visitors to South Georgia will get a rare insight into what life was like during the height of the whaling era in the mid-20th century.

There are lots of never-before-seen objects in the Main Store that visitors will be able see for the first time, including harpoon grenades, bone saws, blubber hooks and flensing knives, all essential tools used by whalers throughout the hunting and production process. There’s also thousands of rivets, nuts, bolts, pipes and steam pumps used to maintain and repair the factory, boilers, vessels and machinery.

Visitors can also see a mysterious small ceramic figure named ‘Nisse’, whose provenance and age is unknown. A firm favourite with the team on South Georgia and visitors alike, he’s the unofficial guardian of the Main Store, keeping a watchful eye when the team leaves over winter.

During the restoration every heritage item was retained, cleaned, and photographed and any modern items removed. The catalogue is available to view in the South Georgia Museum.

Jayne Pierce, SGHT Curator of the South Georgia Museum says: “The Main Store is one of the oldest and largest buildings to survive at Grytviken.

“Given South Georgia’s remote location it played an essential role in storing the many supplies needed to keep the whaling station and its fleet of vessels running, including feeding and supporting the many men that formed the whaling crews, which was a huge undertaking.

Laura Sinclair-Willis, CEO of GSGSSI explains: “The Main Store is central to South Georgia’s intriguing history, and thanks to the support of a team of experts, it is now an accessible time capsule capable of receiving visitors, as well as an important part of the work we are doing to explain the rich cultural history of the island.

“Following a Condition Survey and Structural Report of the Main Store that was published in 2018, our Heritage Build Team, SGHT’s Museum Curator and an Advisory Panel of heritage experts worked over the summer seasons between 2018 – 2023 to remediate the building’s structure.

“This included repainting the entire exterior, removing modern equipment and materials, installing electrical wiring and period lighting fixtures, and replacing windows, giving us the fully accessible building we have today.”

Iconic wildlife from humpback whales and southern elephant seals, to vast colonies of king penguins and an array of seabirds call South Georgia and the Southern Ocean home. South Georgia is celebrated for its remarkable environmental recovery following several Habitat Restoration projects run by both GSGSSI and SGHT.

GSGSSI removed reindeer that had been deliberately introduced to the island by the whalers as a source of fresh meat and sport, and SGHT ran a successful decade-long rodent eradication project to tackle invasive mice and rats, which came over in whaling vessels and decimated local seabird populations.

Now the island is a rare example of an ecosystem in recovery. South Georgia is also famous for its links with world-famous explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton who is buried at Grytviken.

The restoration of the island’s Main Store would not have been possible without the generous support of the many organisations and friends with a close affinity to South Georgia. These include Øyas Venner (The Norwegian Friends of South Georgia), t;he Hurtigruten Foundation, the Friends of South Georgia Island, the British Antarctic Survey and the Headley Trust.

To find out more about South Georgia, the work of its government and of SGHT, visit www.gov.gs and https://sght.org.

PICTURES: South Georgia Heritage Trust

Marine Biodiversity Fund project on Firth of Forth celebrates first year

More than 4,000 locals have been involved in the first full year of a major marine restoration project – part-funded by the ScottishPower Foundation – to bring back seagrass habitats and native oyster populations to the Firth of Forth.

The ‘Restoration Forth’ project is supported by up to £600,000 over three years from the Foundation’s Marine Biodiversity Fund, which was set up to help provide a lasting legacy from the UN’s COP26 climate change conference held in Glasgow in 2021.

Restoration Forth is managed by WWF, the leading independent conservation organisation, in partnership with local communities and organisations and seeks to restore seagrass which provides an important habitat for marine life and an incredible tool in the fight against climate change. 

Oyster reefs – which once flourished in the Forth – remove pollutants and provide sanctuary for a vast array of marine life.

The ScottishPower Foundation funding helped support a packed first year of activity, with the Restoration Forth team working with thousands of people to lay the foundations for the important restoration work.

As part of the process, 40,000 seagrass seeds have been prepped for planting, with the project team visiting Orkney and working with the local community there to collect the seeds for replanting in the Forth. Care was taken to ensure that the east coast variant was collected to avoid non-native species being planted in the Firth of Forth. The seeds are expected to be planted in March 2023.

Over a period of six months, the team also engaged more than 4,000 people of all ages from the communities surrounding the Firth of Forth. School pupils, university students, researchers, fishing communities and an array of local groups have learned about the plans and how they can get involved. More than 100 events from walks and talks to seed processing days and school assemblies have taken place.

An appointed team of citizen scientists have also been working in partnership with Seawilding on the west coast of Scotland to establish processes to source native oysters for Restoration Forth. Working in line with NatureScot and Marine Scotland’s guidelines, the team has been studying and scrubbing oysters to ensure the biosecurity of any oysters that will be relocated.

A large part of this year’s work has also focused on establishing the best locations within the Firth of Forth for the restoration to take place to ensure the best opportunities for community engagement and ecological conditions. The locations for planting need to be suitable for growth and accessible for members of the local community, so they can engage with the project and eventually take it forward in the long-term.

Melanie Hill, Executive Officer and Trustee of the ScottishPower Foundation, said: “It’s so exciting to see the progress across the year of our first-ever Marine Biodiversity Fund project.

“Restoration Forth is supported by the biggest-ever grant awarded by the ScottishPower Foundation, and is a shining example of how we can take action now to tackle the climate emergency.

“Thriving marine environments are vital if we’re to have any chance of addressing the biodiversity and climate crises we all face. Restoration Forth helps to do this and more, by engaging with the local community to educate them on the importance of these habitats to the wider ecosystem and our future.

“This collaborative approach can help provide the blueprint for further marine restoration projects across the country, with ScottishPower Foundation funding supporting future generations for years to come. I can’t wait to see what comes next.”

ScottishPower Foundation’s grant was the first funding contribution towards the £2.4 million total cost of the project, which aims to restore up to four hectares of seagrass and 10,000 oysters per year by the end of 2024.

Naomi Arnold, Restoration Forth Project Manager at WWF, said: ‘The level of interest and engagement in just the first year of Restoration Forth has been inspiring.

“The enthusiasm of our partners and funders but also, crucially, from members of the many communities that line the Forth showcases how a project like this can work for both the marine environment and the people who live by it.

“Restoring the seagrass meadows and oyster beds of the Forth brings a whole host of benefits, from improved water quality and increased biodiversity, to storing carbon and reduced coastal erosion.

“After a year of hard work and preparation, we are excited that this spring will see the start of seagrass planting and oyster deployment. A start that will help breathe new life back into the Forth.”

Partners delivering Restoration Forth alongside WWF include Edinburgh Shoreline Project, Fife Coast & Countryside Trust, Heriot Watt University, Marine Conservation Society, Project Seagrass, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Scottish Seabird Centre, The Ecology Centre and The Heart of Newhaven Community.

The ScottishPower Foundation was established in 2013 to make a significant and lasting contribution to society, enhancing the lives of people living in communities throughout the UK. It provides funding to help support the advancement of education, environmental protection, arts and culture and citizenship. It also supports charities who aim to provide relief from poverty, disability, or other disadvantages.

Further information on Restoration Forth is available at:

 https://www.wwf.org.uk/scotland/restoration-forth.

Work begins on new ‘green corridor’

Work is set to get underway to transform public spaces along a route between Roseburn and the Union Canal, creating a ‘green corridor’ and cycleway and bringing disused areas back into community use.

Construction on the £12.5m Roseburn to Union Canal Active Travel Route and Greenspace Improvements project will begin on 30 January, when site preparation starts, and is expected to last until April 2024. The scheme is split into three sections – Sauchiebank Gardens, Duff Street Woodland and Dalry Community Park.

Funding for the project has been provided by Sustrans through its Places for Everyone programme, an active travel infrastructure fund backed by the Scottish Government, which helps deliver walking, wheeling and cycling improvements across the country.

Amongst improvements are two new bridges crossing over the Mid Calder railway line and Dalry Road leading to Dalry Community Park, community gardens at Sauchiebank and Duff Street and upgrades to the sports pitch and playpark at Dalry Community Park, designs for which were developed in consultation with Dalry Primary School pupils.

The project will also provide a key link in Edinburgh’s active travel network, delivering a 4m wide pedestrian and cycle path connecting the North Edinburgh Path Network to Fountainbridge alongside new pedestrian crossings and access points.

A comprehensive planting strategy will allow the active management of currently underused and largely inaccessible woodland, helping to create healthier and more diverse woodland with longer-term opportunities to enhance its ecological value. This will involve planting almost 5000 woodland and semi-mature trees. Approximately 450 trees will be felled in order to deliver the project, including trees which have been identified as ash and would be removed as part of long-term maintenance planning.

Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “This project will transform the route between Roseburn and the Union Canal, where disused and inaccessible areas will become welcoming, green community spaces encouraging biodiversity and play.

“It will also plug a gap in the city’s active travel network by providing a high-quality pedestrian and cycle path between Fountainbridge and the extremely popular North Edinburgh Path Network, as well as leading to the City Centre West to East Link, which is currently under construction.

“We’ll do everything we can to minimise disruption over the coming year and we’ll continue to keep residents up to date as we progress the scheme.”

Roseburn to Union Canal’s final design builds on several years of engagement with the public and stakeholders and aligns with the City Mobility Plan in supporting people to walk, wheel, cycle and spend time in their local community, in turn contributing to the city’s net zero carbon goals.

Michael Melton, Grant Manager for Sustrans, said: “We’re delighted to see works now starting on the Roseburn to Union Canal project in Edinburgh. After several years of design and engagement with the local community, this transformative project will not only provide a vital connection for walking, wheeling, and cycling in the heart of the city, but will also serve as an accessible greenspace for everyone to enjoy.“

“The project site will be fenced off from 6 February, and Dalry Community Park will also be closed from 6 February for the duration of construction.

Between 20 February and 23 March the two-lane section of the West Approach Road, between Westfield Road and Dalry, will close so that safe construction work can begin. A diversion will be in place to help minimise disruption.

The section between the Dundee Street ramps and Lothian Road will remain open. Further information on changes to bus services can be found on Lothian Buses’ website.

Find out more about the Roseburn to Union Canal Active Travel Route and Greenspace Improvements project.

Edinburgh Community Climate Fund open for applications

Help make Edinburgh greener

Edinburgh Community Climate Fund is open for applications from community groups for great ideas to make Edinburgh a greener place to live.

Groups will be able to apply for grants of up to £20,000 to develop green projects to help Edinburgh reach its climate change targets.

The search is on for projects that reduce carbon emissions, encourage talk about climate change and support the city’s net zero effort.

The fund will use a participatory budgeting approach, a way for citizens to have a direct say on how money is spent by taking part in a public vote.

The Council has been using this approach since 2010 and is working towards extending it in the future.

Ideas can be big or small and groups can apply as long as they are in line with at least one of the project’s aims.

Possible ideas could include:

  • energy information roadshows or services
  • advice, support or education sessions on climate change
  • free community cafes or cookery projects
  • walking, wheeling or cycling groups which encourage people to use their cars less
  • advice and support to help people adapt homes to save energy
  • improving local greenspaces including new community gardens/allotments, wildflower planting, bird nesting and bat boxes
  • encouraging people to share transport shopping buses or carpools

The fund is open for applications from community groups until 12 February 2023.

Find out more and how to apply

Email the Edinburgh Community Planning Team for more information: 

communityplanning@edinburgh.gov.uk

Holyrood’s Net Zero Committee issues missed target warning

Scotland will not meet its ambitious target of being net zero by 2045 without a more empowered local government sector, with better access to the skills and capital it needs to play its full role in the net zero energy revolution.

The Scottish Government must also set out a comprehensive roadmap that gives local government detailed guidance on how it wants the sector to make its full contribution to net zero.

These are the overarching conclusions reached in a report published today by Holyrood’s Net Zero, Energy & Transport Committee, following a year-long inquiry into the role local government should play in helping Scotland achieve its ambitious net zero goal by 2045.

The report calls for the Scottish Government to provide additional financial support to Councils in future budget cycles to help them contribute to national net zero targets.

But it also makes clear that, with estimates of £33bn needed to decarbonise heat in buildings alone*, attracting private investment at scale is essential. It calls on the Scottish Government and its agencies to work with local government on an investment strategy that will increase investor appetite and lead to deals being agreed. It also calls for an expanded role for the Scottish National Investment Bank, to help bring together local government and investors in public-private co-financing.

The Committee calls for an area-specific place-based approach to tackle climate change across Scotland; to ensure all players work together to co-ordinate and report on climate change measures. It calls for Councils to be given the powers they will need to make this place-based approach work.

In the report, the Committee recognises the leadership many local authorities are showing in responding to the climate crisis and says good practice should be more widely shared across Councils. The sector should take a more consistent approach to net zero planning, budgeting and target-setting and embed net zero decision-taking at senior levels within Councils. The report also calls for Councils to set targets covering all emissions in their area, because even in areas where they do not have direct control, they can still have influence.

The report calls for Scottish Government assistance to address a skills deficit at local government level, with the drive to reach net zero making “unprecedented and often highly technical demands” on the sector.

Launching the report, Convener of the Committee, Edward Mountain MSP, said: “Over the course of almost a year of evidence-taking, it’s clear that unless key barriers facing local government are dealt with, we will not reach net zero by 2045.

“Local Government is the layer of democracy closest to communities. They have local knowledge and capacity to lead by example and are also uniquely well-placed to form the partnerships we’re going to need at a local and regional level.

“We saw for ourselves on committee visits across Scotland the leadership and good practice many Councils and their local partners are modelling. But against a backdrop of financial pressure, where Councils feel they are being asked to do more for less, they are struggling to think and plan strategically to maximise their contribution to net zero.

“We hope that the Scottish Government, COSLA and the wider local government sector will pay close attention to the recommendations we have made to enable the scale of transformational and behavioural change required for Scotland to succeed.”

Some of the key recommendations made by the Committee to the Scottish Government include that it should:

  •  create a local government-facing “climate intelligence unit” to provide specialist help to Councils in areas where in-depth specialist knowledge is lacking;
  • allocate larger, fewer and more flexible challenge fund streams for net zero related projects at a local level that better support a holistic and place-based response to climate change;
  • address the churn, repetition and delay in the planning process that is holding up major renewables and other projects necessary to help meet net zero goals and has a chilling effect on investment. The long-term decline in numbers of Council-employed planners must be reversed in order to meet the ambitions of the new National Planning Framework, and one measure it calls for is the introduction of planning apprenticeships;
  • clarify the role Councils will play in an area-based approach to heat decarbonisation and set out the additional support they will be offered in preparation and delivery of their Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies. We want to see the new Public Energy Agency empowered and directed to work with local government on area-based delivery.

The report also says Councils should set out how they will engage with local communities to ensure that the net zero transition is not something imposed on communities, but something that people and groups can help shape, lead and deliver. 

COSLA believes that the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee Report out today (23rd January) is a watershed moment for tackling Climate Change.

Cllr Gail Macgregor, COSLA Environment and Economy Spokesperson said: “This report by the Committee on the just transition to a net zero economy is potentially a watershed moment for Scotland in tackling climate change.

“The report is clear that Scotland will not meet its ambitious climate targets without a more empowered Local Government. To empower Local Government, Councils need not just increased funding, but also larger, fewer and more flexible funding streams. This has long been COSLA’s central message, so it is hugely heartening to see it recognised so strongly in the report.

“Climate Change is a challenge we all must face. Local Government is committed, locally and nationally, to leading the net zero transition, but COSLA has been open that local authorities can’t do that effectively without the increased support of Scottish Government. The report by the Committee lays out in the clearest way yet the support that is needed and why.

“The recommendations of the report are mainly directed at Scottish Government, but we need to consider them carefully too. Climate change requires a genuine team Scotland approach and I would hope that this report coupled with last year’s publication by the Climate Change Committee could be the defining moment we have needed to get delivery of the net zero transition on track for 2030 and beyond.

“I commend the Committee for the fullness, diligence and clarity of their report.”

The full report by the Commitee can be read on the Scottish Parliament website here.

* Scottish Government estimate as at October 2021

Low Emission Zone begins to tackle Edinburgh’s air pollution problem

LOW EMISSION ZONE BEGINS TO TACKLE EDINBURGH’S AIR POLLUTION PROBLEM

It’s been revealed that Scotland did not breach air pollution limits in 2022 for the first time, excluding the impact of lockdowns in 2020. Campaigners say the improvement in air quality in Edinburgh shows the early benefits of Low Emission Zones, with reductions in pollution from diesel vehicles.

Friends of the Earth Scotland analysed official air pollution data for 2022, looking at two toxic pollutants which are primarily produced by transport. Legal air quality standards came into force in 2010, yet had previously been broken every single year since except 2020 when the lockdowns resulted in a big drop in car journeys.

The provisional data suggests that air quality across Scotland was within legal limits in 2022.

Edinburgh’s Low Emission Zone will formally begin in June this year. To support bus operators to meet the criteria, the Scottish Government has provided grants for buying new buses or retrofitting older buses. This has almost certainly led to air quality improvements on Edinburgh’s busier bus corridors, such as city centre streets.

Many areas across Edinburgh showed reductions in nitrogen dioxide, compared to 2021, with a slight increase on St John’s Road.

St John’s Road also experienced an increase in particulate pollution (PM10), the data suggest. In 2021, there was an annual average of 11.00 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) for PM10, rising to 14.31 µg/m3 in 2022.

There were year-on-year increases in PM10 across the city. These could be attributed to an increase in car traffic after all Covid-19 restrictions were removed, or a more general increase in commercial activity.

Dirtiest streets for Nitrogen Dioxide

The European Ambient Air Quality Directive set a limit for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) of 40 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3). The deadline for this limit to have been met was 2010.

Location  /              NO2 Nitrogen Dioxide Annual mean (µg/m3)

Edinburgh St John’s Road                29.26
Edinburgh Queensferry Road         26.86
Edinburgh Nicolson Street               23.40
Edinburgh Salamander St          18.34
Edinburgh Gorgie Road            17.37
Edinburgh Glasgow Road          15.14
Edinburgh St Leonards            13.09
Edinburgh Currie                        4.77

Dirtiest streets for fine particles (PM10)

The Scottish annual statutory standard for particulate matter (PM10) is 18 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3).

Location /                      PM10 annual mean (µg/m3)

Edinburgh St John’s Road                14.31
Edinburgh Salamander St          14.26
Edinburgh Queensferry Road         13.92
Edinburgh Nicolson Street               12.11
Edinburgh Glasgow Road          11.81
Edinburgh Tower Street          10.01   
Edinburgh St Leonards            9.22

Air pollution kills 2,500 people in Scotland each year and puts the population at risk of serious health conditions, like asthma, heart attacks, and strokes. It’s especially harmful to children, the elderly, and people living in poverty or made vulnerable from other health conditions.

Friends of the Earth Scotland’s Transport Campaigner Gavin Thomson said: “Air pollution from transport is responsible for thousands of premature deaths in Scotland every year, and causes serious heart and lung issues, so it’s great that some progress is being made in parts of Edinburgh.

“The provisional data show that the Low Emission Zones and the Scottish Government’s hefty subsidies for operators to buy new buses are having an immediate impact.

“The bad news is there’s persistent diesel pollution on St. John’s Road, and particulate pollution has increased across the whole city. If we want to stop breathing tiny particles that damage our vital organs, we need to change the way we move around. The evidence is clear – the more we can move away from fossil fuels, the more our health is protected”.

Joseph Carter, Head of Asthma and Lung UK Scotland said: “It is good news this year that air pollution on our streets has been kept within its legal limits, yet there is obviously more that can be done. We need the Scottish Government to make tackling air pollution a national priority.

“Air pollution is the biggest environmental threat to public health. At a cost of £1.1bn per year to the NHS, it is draining our resources, straining our health system and cutting short over 2,500 lives a year in Scotland. It is causing new lung conditions like lung cancer, and worsening existing ones.

“With 1 in 5 Scots developing lung conditions like asthma and COPD in their lifetime, for them, it can trigger life-threatening asthma attacks and exacerbations.”

England’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty recently noted that, ‘everyone is affected by air pollution, and it is everyone’s problem’.

Groundbreaking event for new Currie Community High School

A special groundbreaking event was held yesterday (Thursday 19 January) to mark the start of construction work on the new Currie Community High School.

Shirley-Anne Somerville, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills at the Scottish Government was joined on site by Councillor Joan Griffiths, Education, Children and  Families Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council and Head Teacher Jenny Hutchison.

The new Currie Community High School, which will be one of the most energy efficient high schools in Scotland, is expected to open in 2025 and is being built by partners Kier Construction.

The campus will be one of the first Passivhaus-designed high schools in the country setting the standard for energy consumption across school estates. Passivhaus is a rigorous energy standard which reduces the amount of energy needed for heating by up to 90%. It also lowers the total amount of energy used by around 70% and minimises carbon emissions. The new school will support Edinburgh’s aim of net zero emissions by 2030.  

At the heart of the new school plans are five core elements: education, inclusion, outdoor learning and sustainability, digital learning and community access. The school will have a series of learning zones for pupils with breakout areas which include:

  • Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) over three levels with dual-teaching classrooms, science labs, technician areas and a learning plaza
  • Languages and Humanities with dual-teaching classrooms, learning plaza and a debating chamber
  • Expressive Arts with music rooms, a recording studio, art studios including a kiln room, dance studios, drama studio and stage
  • Health and Wellbeing with a gym hall, games hall, fitness suite and swimming pool, food technology and hospitality
  • Integrated Support with wellbeing hub, support for learning classroom, a sensory room and a sensory garden

There is a strong emphasis on outdoor learning with the creation of a special terrace on the second floor providing all of the learning zones with immediate access to external teaching spaces. This focus will shape the curriculum on offer and ensure these outdoor spaces promote sustainability and link lifelong learning to the surrounding grounds of the school and community.  

Health and wellbeing also feature prominently in the designs with the creation of a dedicated wellbeing hub and separate wellness centre to support pupils. The hub will be based in the integrated support zone and is a dedicated room in a quiet location which can be used as part of a planned alternative/flexible timetable to help young people learn in a variety of settings.

The wellness centre will be in the community and sports side of the building and will provide a space for counselling and activities to support improved mental health.

The new building will offer the community daytime, evening and weekend access to an intergenerational community hub. Visitors can drop in to the library space in the foyer, access meeting rooms and digital services, visit the café, keep healthy at the gym and pool or enjoy a walk around the grounds. There will also be public allotments.

Councillor Joan Griffiths said: “These are exciting times for the Currie school community as there are so many innovative elements to the plans which have energy efficiency at their centre.

“This will make the new campus one of the first high schools in Scotland to meet Passivhaus standards and supports Edinburgh’s aim of net zero emissions by 2030.  

“The new school will provide a first-class learning setting and be an exciting, inspirational and creative hub for the whole community which will meet both future educational and environmental needs.

“I’m delighted to see such a strong emphasis on outdoor learning with the creation of a special terrace and how the outdoor spaces will promote sustainability for the school and local community.”

Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “This new school will provide an inspiring learning environment for around 1,000 pupils and will benefit generations to come. It has been a privilege for me to break the ground here today on this fantastic addition to the area and to hear what a difference this completed project will make to pupils and the wider community.

“The project will be completed using support from the first phase of the £2 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP), which is managed by the Scottish Futures Trust and will benefit tens of thousands of pupils across Scotland.”

Jenny Hutchison, Currie Community High School Head Teacher, said: “It was great to be at the event this morning as everyone can now see the construction taking place on the site of the new school.

“We’re so incredibly excited about what our new school has to offer as a learning and community campus with an amazing energy around curriculum development and how we ensure that young people develop the skills to be 21st century ready. 

“As one of the first Passivhaus schools in Scotland, we are committed to energy efficiency for the benefits of our young people and community.  The opportunities for intergenerational learning are endless with transformational learning spaces both inside the building and out.”

Phil McDowell, Regional Director for Kier Construction North & Scotland, said: “This really is a unique project, which not only creates an outstanding new school, but its vast range of facilities will bring important socio-economic benefits to the local area.

“Everything about the new school has been designed with the focus of minimising energy usage and creating a healthy environment for generations to come.

“We’re proud to continue our successful relationship with the City of Edinburgh Council to deliver this fantastic new facility for the community of Currie.”

The new school will deliver more proactive services closer to people across the city, which is a key part of our 20-minute neighbourhood strategy. We want everyone to live well locally and be able to meet most of their daily needs from within their own community by walking, cycling, wheeling or taking public transport.

This means working with our local partners and communities to better plan and deliver services that meet everyone’s needs.

Local community hubs will bring daily services together for everyone to help create more social, inclusive and accessible communities that are connected by safe active travel routes. These will help to support the wellbeing of all citizens and end poverty and isolation in Edinburgh.