The City of Edinburgh Council has bought the former National Grid site on Granton’s waterfront after an agreement was reached with National Grid on Tuesday. Development of the site is critical to the Council’s plans to deliver a vibrant city quarter and accelerate the delivery of new homes for people on low and middle incomes, and the deal has been welcomed by local MSPs.
Development of the 66 acre site stalled over the last decade following the banking crisis and subsequent economic downturn. However the economy has at last started to pick up and the Council has been negotiating with National Grid over the last 12 months to unlock the site’s potential.
Tuesday’s agreement now paves the way to kickstarting the regeneration on the former brownfield site, which includes Edinburgh’s the iconic last remaining gas holder in the city and the former Granton railway station.
The Waterfront is one of the Council’s seven key strategic development areas identified in the Edinburgh and South-East City Region Deal.
The city council’s Depute Leader, Cllr Cammy Day, said: “This is a hugely important site for the city’s economy and its acquisition is a key milestone in our plans to make Granton’s Waterfront a great place to live and work. It will also make a significant contribution to our ambitious plans to build 20,000 affordable and low-cost homes over the next decade.
“Despite enormous global challenges the city’s economy and population continues to grow and we want everyone in the city to benefit from this. I look forward to working with the local community, partners and colleagues from Scottish Government to shape our plans to develop the site.”
Benjamin Gaunt, from National Grid Property, said: “National Grid has been working in partnership with City of Edinburgh Council for many years to develop Granton Waterfront, successfully bringing a number of projects in the area to fruition. We are delighted the Council has acquired Granton Waterfront and will be taking the site through to the next stage of development.”
Over the last decade the Council and its partners have invested over £309m in the regeneration of North Edinburgh, delivering nearly 2,200 homes, retail, a new Craigroyston Community High School and Pennywell All Care Centre, a new health and social care hub.
Local MSP Ben Macpherson said the agreement is a “major step forward”. Welcoming the city council’s acquisition of the former National Grid site, he said: “I’m delighted that the Council has acquired this site and look forward to seeing more affordable homes built there as soon as possible. Vacant and derelict land in North Edinburgh has huge potential for affordable housing and wider development, and the announcement is a major step forward towards realising the potential of the whole area.
“By taking on this site, I have no doubt that this Council initiative, which will be supported by Scottish Government City Deal funding, will encourage development of other brownfield sites in and around North Edinburgh, which should mean even more much needed housing in the area. But this isn’t only about housing – it’s also about initiating a broader revitalisation of the north of the city, including a reimaging of the iconic old gas holder as a new community space or perhaps a cultural hub.
“North Edinburgh is moving forward and this announcement will help boost regeneration in Granton and provide much needed affordable housing. That’s good news for North Edinburgh and the city as a whole. I would like to thank everyone involved in pulling the deal together and am confident that this is the start of an exciting new chapter for North Edinburgh and our city’s Waterfront. As the local MSP, I will continue to work with key stakeholders and community groups to help share and shape ideas about how we develop the area for the benefit of all.”
Conservative Lothians MSP Miles Briggs has also welcomed the announcement. He said: “I commend Edinburgh City Council on their purchase of the former National Grid Site in Granton. The site has huge potential and will be a catalyst for regeneration in Granton and across Edinburgh’s Waterfront. “This is a key step in the plans for whole of Edinburgh’s Waterfront.”
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