New proposals for onshore renewable energy developments
Communities across Scotland could see more money invested in their area as a result of onshore renewable energy developments – under new proposals published yesterday.
The proposed updates to existing community benefit guidance for onshore energy developments would recommend that local groups should receive yearly payments of £6,000 per Megawatt (MW) of onshore wind capacity – up from £5,000 per MW – for the lifetime of a project.
‘Community benefits’ are voluntary contributions provided by energy developers to local communities. Around £30 million in benefits was provided to groups across Scotland last year, supporting projects that matter most to local communities.
The proposals also include:
a new specific recommended range of £700-£1000 per MW per year for solar projects;
a new recommended level of at least £150 per MW per year for battery energy storage projects;
the pilot of a Community Benefit Peer Forum, run by Local Energy Scotland, so communities can work together, share learning and build expertise;
and improved guidance to support communities to maximise the long-term value of community benefit funds.
Energy Secretary Gillian Martin said: “For more than 10 years, Scotland has led the way in establishing the provision of community benefits as a common and expected practice across our renewables sector.
“This has led to communities and energy developers working together to deliver tangible and long-lasting legacy benefits for local areas – along with the wider benefits of local jobs, supply chain businesses and growing local economies.
“The updated proposals outlined today seek to strike a balanced approach to future fund levels which continue to serve communities well while reflecting the market challenges for developers over recent years.
“We will continue to engage with communities and the energy sector to help refine these proposals ahead of developing our final updated Good Practice Principles later this year.”
Stephen McCarron, Chief Operating Officer at the 9 Community Councils Group, said: “The 9CC Group warmly welcome the significant updates to the Good Practice Principles and are delighted that it adopts our key asks for communities to be at the heart of the decision making regarding the funding and delivery support for local and strategic priorities.
“It’s an excellent document; comprehensive and clear on best practice while striking fair balance on the interests of developers and communities.
“A partnership approach is critical to creating a lasting legacy for our communities and whilst we will continue to promote a collaborative and wider approach in terms of communities working together, we are pleased that there is a clear distinction between those who make local decisions on funding and those who administer the fund, that avoids the risk of self interest undermining the greater good for the wider community.”
Councillors yesterday (12 February) agreed the first full set of spending programmes for funding raised by the Edinburgh Visitor Levy, which comes into effect on 24 July 2026.
At a special meeting of the City of Edinburgh Council, councillors agreed a package of transformational funding worth over £90 million over the next three years to sustain and enhance Edinburgh’s reputation as one of the most beautiful and enjoyable destinations in the world.
In what is the first scheme of its kind in the UK, today’s decision sets out the amounts and projects within three well-defined investment programmes, as agreed by Council in January 2025: City Operations and Infrastructure; Culture, Heritage and Events; and Destination and Visitor Management.
Over the past twelve months, these programmes have been developed by Council officers, informed by feedback from public consultation and industry engagement, elected members and other stakeholders. The independent Edinburgh Visitor Levy Advisory Forum has also been consulted and provided feedback and recommendations on the programmes.
In accordance with the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act (2024), funds raised by the levy must be reinvested in local facilities and services substantially used by business and leisure visitors. All investment streams will be formally reviewed alongside the overall scheme in 2029.
Key initiatives agreed yesterday include, but are not limited to:
Ambitious projects to renew and restore principal areas of Edinburgh, including investments in our town centre high streets, £3m for public realm improvements in Hunter Square (with the potential to combine with investment in the Tron Kirk) and £2m and £2.5m respectively towards transforming the city’s key coastal visitor attractions at Cramond Foreshore and Portobello Promenade.
£5m to restore Leith Theatre and create a year round culture and live music space, expanding cultural opportunity beyond the city centre.
£3m towards transforming the iconic Old Royal High School into a world class, accessible national centre for music, shaped by community engagement and open to all.
Partnering with Police Scotland to create a City Centre Policing Unit, increasing public safety in the city centre and freeing up existing resource for frontline officers to be more present across other areas of the city – supported by an £850,000 investment in increased CCTV to allow residents and visitors to feel more safe in the city, town centres and other busy areas.
£2.75m to create a Market Street Arts Hub, reinvigorating the City Art Centre and collaborating with the Fruitmarket to create a new arts and learning destination at one of the city’s major visitor gateways.
£3.85m to speed up the Setted Streets renewal programme and £3m for new and upgraded public toilets to maintain Edinburgh’s streets, public spaces and public infrastructure to a world-class standard.
Funding to ensure the city’s streets and open spaces are cleaned and kept to a high standard, including a £100,000 per year upgrade and replacement programme for bins in high footfall areas, £500,000 per annum to expand work to tackle graffiti through extra support for private businesses and £1.3m on additional operations services for the city centre (waste, cleansing, patrols).
Investing in our Premier Parks across the city to create improved spaces where the highest footfall and impact on the environment is experienced – and increases to the parks repairs budgets, while doubling the number of Park Rangers across the city.
Programmes to green the city with additional investment in planting, such as floral gateways, to improve the look and feel of the city’s green spaces as well as the overall visitor experience
Councillors also instructed officers to bring a report to the Transport and Environment committee setting out options to deliver further public realm improvements in the city centre, including both Princes Street and George Street, and how they should be prioritised.
Council Leader Jane Meagher said: “We’re rightly proud to be the first local authority in the UK to push ahead with a city-wide visitor levy scheme, and I can’t stress enough just how big an opportunity this is for our city, our residents and our visitors.
“Let’s not forget why we’re doing this. These spend programmes will help us not only to sustain and enhance the things that make our city so special, but also to better manage the effects of tourism and major events on those who live here all year round.
“But it’s so much more than that. After all, what’s not to like about visitors to Edinburgh contributing towards projects and services that benefit us all?
“We can now invest further in our plentiful parks and greenspaces, transform our city into a cleaner, greener and more welcoming environment, put more police on our streets and bring much-loved cultural venues such as the Royal High School and Leith Theatre back into use for the first time in decades. The list goes on.
“Agreeing these investment programmes today is a significant milestone in delivering a scheme that has been many years in the making, and is the result of a huge amount of development and engagement; engagement that, I’m pleased to say, will continue with communities making spending decisions in their local areas.
“I’m grateful to the many Council officers, Forum members, businesses and residents for their valuable contributions and for helping us to make this happen. I’m sure, like me, they’re looking forward to seeing the many benefits the levy will bring to our historic and beautiful Capital city.”
Commenting on the news that Edinburgh Visitor Levy Investment Programmes have been agreed by Edinburgh Council, Cllr Kayleigh Kinross-O’Neill, Edinburgh Green Group co-convenor, said: “The Transient Visitor Levy is an innovation we can all be proud that Edinburgh is making.
“The legislation was passed in Holyrood in 2024 but the idea was raised by Green councillors in City of Edinburgh more than a decade ago. Scottish Greens in local and national chambers have welcomed the levy rolling out in our capital city – the first city in the UK to do so.”
Cllr Kinross-O’Neill continued: “Our group put forward bold proposals to redistribute visitor levy funding to free bus travel, to invest in improving the city is more accessible and sustainable. And most importantly, we have pushed hard to increase investment in genuinely affordable housing to address the spiralling rents which are partly due to overtourism.
“The Green group comes to this decision from a fundamentally different position to other political groups. Edinburgh already suffers from overtourism, especially at festival time. We do not believe that Edinburgh needs ever more visitors.
“We believe we need to better manage the tourism that we already have for the benefit of residents and visitors alike.”
Cllr Alex Staniforth, Edinburgh Green Councillors Finance spokesperson, said: “Our proposals rejected unnecessary spending on the whims of private business regarding graffiti and bunting.
“We also rejected the pie-in-the-sky notion that extra funding for police will improve the night time experience. Instead we proposed funding for local initiatives, free bus days for residents and visitors alike, more for sustainability and accessibility as well as funding for important cultural assets like Gorgie Farm and the Tron Kirk.
“I have a background in tourism, I want to share this beautiful city with our visitors and our proposals would have let us share it responsibly and happily.”
Edinburgh City Centre Green councillor Claire Miller said: “I’m delighted that one of the key Green Group proposals for Visitor Levy funding was to help and support people who tend to gather in and around Hunter Square, where there are currently significant impacts for visitors as well as the tourism and hospitality industry.
“This project would look at the human aspect and to work directly with people to help them and to tackle the issues at a much deeper root-cause level, so that harm can genuinely be reduced for them. I’m disappointed this project was not funded today, but I hope it can be considered in future years.”
Commenting on the agreement between SNP, Labour and Lib Dems to scrap the George Street project, Cllr Claire Miller said: “I’m gobsmacked that SNP councillors today have scuppered the long overdue pedestrian and cycle priority project for George Street.
“George Street is an important section of the “city centre west-east link”, the segregated route to cycle safely between Roseburn and the top of Leith Walk. The project is almost ready to start, with designs that have taken a decade to develop in collaboration with all stakeholders.
“I’ll be the first to call out the deficiencies – it’s got far too few trees and not nearly enough protection for cyclists – but it’s essential that the project goes ahead to complete the CCWEL.
“Greens stand by the many residents and businesses who have invested considerable time and energy into a vision and design which would transform George Street.”
Chair of the Visitor Levy Advisory Forum, Julie Ashworth said: “I’m very pleased that agreement has been reached for these first spend programmes, which I hope will have a transformative impact on both protecting Edinburgh’s unique heritage and supporting its future success.
“The Forum has worked closely with Council officers over the last few months to provide robust feedback on these initial investment streams and ensure the levy is delivered in a way that is fair, just and brings benefits to everyone in the years to come.
“Today’s agreement of the first round of investment is just the beginning and there will be plenty of opportunities for further proposals to come forward.
“As the programmes begin to expand and bear fruit, we will provide feedback on performance and continue to put forward the views of the city to ensure they are fairly and accurately represented and taken into account over the next three years and beyond.”
Other programmes designed to help meet the Council’s objectives in its Business Plan and Tourism Strategy include:
A Housing and Tourism Mitigation Fund which could help deliver 472 affordable homes between 2026/27 and 2028/29, with more than 75% potentially available for social rent. Making more social rent homes available could allow households currently using unsuitable temporary accommodation, such as bed and breakfasts, to access more appropriate settled accommodation. This would return B&Bs to their intended use for shorter-term guests.
Initiatives to strengthen awareness of Edinburgh’s diverse, year-round offer by inspiring visitors and residents to explore beyond the well-known attractions, leading to more balanced visitor numbers and impact around the city, throughout the year.
Programmes to provide direct support for the visitor economy to improve economic as well as environmental sustainability, fair work and innovation and help the sector to be more resilient, ethical and ready for the future.
Giving Edinburgh’s cultural organisations the investment and support to innovate and generate new world class content for the whole city, all year round by supporting local talent, spreading cultural activity and ensuring culture remains accessible, affordable and embedded in communities.
Investing in Edinburgh’s cultural and heritage locations to secure their futures as high-quality visitor destinations, green, creative and well maintained, spaces.
A Well-Kept City Fund to help to revitalise the city through a range of Clean, Green, Safe, Well-Maintained and Sustainable Infrastructure themed projects:
Clean: Ensuring the city’s streets and open spaces are cleaned and kept to a high standard.
Green: Protecting the quality of our green spaces through effective maintenance and visitor management.
Safe: Providing extra resource to allow residents and visitors to feel more safe in the city, town centres and other busy areas.
Well-Maintained: Maintaining Edinburgh’s streets, public spaces and public infrastructure to a world-class standard.
Sustainable Infrastructure: Ensuring that public transport and events spaces are responsibly protected and used to their best.
The Council has also agreed that £2m of income generated from the levy would be used to support new participatory budgeting (PB) activity over the next three years. PB involves communities making decisions on how public money is spent.
Speaking before the special council meeting to allocate ‘tourist tax’ funding, Fiona Campbell MBE, CEO of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers, said: “From a grandiose super cycle lane on George Street to bringing back the Festival Cavalcade, Edinburgh Council has compiled an extensive shopping list based on projected revenue.
“Some of the ideas are merited from a visitor economy perspective, but a dose of realism is required. Many should already be part of basic council core spending – and it shouldn’t take a tourist tax for adequately policed streets in the city centre.
“To retain confidence, the Council must be laser focused on ensuring the spending falls within the statutory purpose of the visitor levy legislation. In particular, the plan for affordable housing not only scapegoats local businesses for issues beyond their control, industry has also repeatedly warned that is legally dubious.
“Given the Council’s recent track record in the courts on short term lets, the last thing it needs is another legal challenge.”
The levy applies to paid overnight accommodation booked after 1 October 2025, if the stay takes place from 24 July 2026 onwards.
It is a 5% payment on the accommodation-only cost and applies to the first 5 nights’ stay. The scheme is projected to raise up to £50 million a year to invest in protecting, supporting and enhancing Edinburgh’s worldwide appeal as a place to visit and live.
Reconviction rate after Community Payback lower than short term sentences
The success of community-based sentences in reducing reoffending and paying back to society has been highlighted by Justice Secretary Angela Constance following the recently announced extra funding for alternatives to custody.
The Justice Secretary visited Mayfield & Easthouses Development Trust in Dalkeith where people carrying out unpaid work while serving a Community Payback Order (CPO) transformed the garden from wasteland and refurbished the café, which now uses fresh produce grown on site.
In addition to local community benefit from unpaid work, latest statistics show the reconviction rate for people sentenced to undertake CPOs is 28.4%, compared to 52.6% for those completing short prison sentences of one year or less .
Scotland’s overall reconviction rate of 27.1% is the fourth lowest on record in 25 years, with the average number of reconvictions per offender falling 14% over the past decade.
The Scottish Government is investing around £169 million in community justice services in 2026-27, including an additional £10 million to support diversion from prosecution, alternatives to remand, community sentencing and throughcare services.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “It was great to see first-hand the fantastic work at Mayfield & Easthouses Development Trust, where the garden and café are brilliant examples of how community sentences create real, lasting benefits for local communities.
“The evidence is clear: community-based sentences are more effective than short prison sentences at reducing reoffending, contributing to fewer victims and safer communities. The recently-published Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission’s report echoed this view in some of its recommendations and the need to shift the balance to community justice.
“Community Payback Orders allow us to tailor support to individual circumstances, addressing the underlying causes of offending while ensuring people make amends to their communities. The Scottish Government’s continued investment in community justice reflects our commitment to shifting the balance from custody to community, giving people the best chance to turn their lives around while keeping people safe.”
Mayfield & Easthouses Development Trust manager, Sharon Hill, said: “Our work with the Community Payback Team helps us by giving us access to folks who can help us in a really practical way – whether that be by building, painting, moving or digging.
“The Community Payback Team benefit from seeing the positive impact of what they have done. It can give a sense of pride and purpose to everyone involved.”
As of 2nd February, there were 562 prisoners with overall sentences of 12 months or less 7% of the prison population. In 2023-24, 73% of short term sentences (under 4 years) imposed were for 12 months or less and 15% under 24 months.
Hundreds of work placements, apprenticeships and local jobs have been created thanks to Council contracts – with over a quarter of a million pounds secured in community benefits.
In a report considered by the Finance and Resources Committee yesterday (Thursday 18 September), Councillors heard how the city’s procurement programme is helping to boost community wealth building in the city.
The Annual Procurement Report confirms contracts awarded by the Council last year brought in £253,954 in community benefits, supporting 316 work placements, 84 apprentices and 91 local jobs.
With a focus on supporting fair work and local business, almost half of Edinburgh’s spending power has been with SMEs (49%), with support for local suppliers also above the Scottish average (36%). That is alongside 93% of all Council suppliers committed to paying the Living Wage.
Community benefits delivered over the last year include:
Constructionskills: Working with builders on Council construction projects, opportunities have been delivered in schools, colleges and the local community, helping to promote a new generation of specialist trades needed in Edinburgh like stonemasonry. This year 195 young people are engaged in construction pathways.
Local apprenticeships: The Granton Waterfront regeneration alone is supporting 220 apprenticeships and employability services.
The Edinburgh School Uniform Bank: With support from Council suppliers, £21,700 has been raised to roll out 20 on-site uniform banks in schools, so that young people can get the basics they need straight away and without any stigma.
Food pantry donations: Charities like Fareshare and Cyrenians have worked with suppliers to gather donations for local food banks and pantries.
Buddies for ‘New Scots’: Job support, a buddy scheme and English language teaching have been delivered thanks to 115 hours of volunteering by suppliers with The Welcoming project.
The Million Trees Project: Contractors have helped to plant new trees in contribution to Edinburgh’s Million Tree target, with contractor Anderson Strathearn planting 60 trees on the side of Arthur’s Seat to save 60 tonnes of carbon.
Community clean ups: Volunteers have worked with the Water of Leith Conservation Trust to carry out community clean ups, with CMS sending 25 volunteers to tidy waste in the Water of Leith.
Councillor Mandy Watt, Finance and Resources Convener, said: “We’re using our spending power to create local job opportunities and support Edinburgh-based businesses as far as we can. This is bringing fantastic community benefits, helping us to address issues like poverty and climate change while creating good places to live.
“This latest report shows just how much progress has been made. The difference we can make when we work together with contractors and other community organisations is huge.
“I’m keen to build on this even further to keep spend local and with Living Wage suppliers, to create even more good quality jobs and local opportunities.”
John McKinney, Scottish Traditional Building Forum, said: “We have been working with the City of Edinburgh Council to coordinate community benefit activities in construction to maximise their long-term impact for the benefit of young people and businesses in the city.
“We have made significant progress in the last year with the creation and delivery of a construction pathway piloted in schools and using community benefits. We have been working on developing and delivering this programme for the last three years and are looking forward to working with the Council to roll it out across the city.”
Julia Grindley, Trustee on the Board of the Edinburgh School Uniform Bank, said: “Donations facilitated by community benefits have significantly aided Edinburgh’s most disadvantaged families by supporting the Edinburgh School Uniform Bank to provide school uniforms and essentials, helping children overcome barriers to education, inclusion and participation.“
Craigyroyston Community Youth Football Club has been gifted a brand-new pavilion by the City of Edinburgh Council.
At an official ceremony to handover the modern new facility yesterday (Friday, 15 August) Council Leader Jane Meagher presented youth team members and club representatives with the keys to the Pavilion.
Relocating the club to their new modern premises at Marine Drive is part of the Council’s wider £1.3bn generation of Granton Waterfront.
The former club base was previously on adjacent land where the Council is building 143 new environmentally friendly affordable homes known as the Silverlea development.
The half a million-pound project, funded by the Council, has delivered modern changing rooms with showers and a café for club members, their families and other visitors to enjoy.
Designed by architects Smith Scott Mullan, Cruden delivered the project on behalf of the Council and has also gifted the signage and branding in the new facility.
Council Leader Jane Meagher said: “As we continue to deliver our £1.3bn regeneration of Granton Waterfront, this is a perfect example of our commitment to creating healthy and vibrant communities in the area.
“Investing in our young people is an important part of this work. The former club base was on land that we needed to build affordable homes.
“Providing these modern facilities right next to our Silverlea site works well for the young footballers and the wider community, allowing the club to thrive and attract new members in the future. “
Colin Dudgeon Club Secretary said: “This is a historic day for us. For the first couple of years setting up Craigroyston Community Youth Football Club we didn’t have a home until we moved into Craigroyston Park in 2009.
“The club base we’ve been using wasn’t in good condition and so we’d like to thank the City of Edinburgh Council for our magnificent new club base for our players and parents to call our home. Thanks as well to Cruden for their part in this project and the signage and branding they kindly gifted for the building.
“We can offer safe, hygienic, and modern facilities to our players with changing rooms and showers suitable for all ages and parents can relax in our new Craigie Café, which will be opening on match days soon.”
Michael Palethrope, Community Benefit Manager for Cruden, said: “Community-run clubs like Craigroyston CYFC are at the heart of great neighbourhoods, and we’re proud to support them.
“Alongside building quality, energy-efficient homes and green spaces, we always look for ways to give back to the communities we work in.
“This club is a fantastic example of that, and we can’t wait to see them thrive in their new home.”
YESTERDAY (Wednesday 26 March) we launched the first North Edinburgh Community Benefits Fund. This is a flexible fund aimed at local third sector organisations working in North Edinburgh to help support their services.
There is a total of £10,000 available which has been provided by Cruden Group as part of their contract to deliver the Silverlea development, which will see 143 new homes for social and mid-market rent built on a site off Muirhouse Parkway.
Residents in Danderhall have welcomed a donation from leading housebuilder, Stewart Milne Homes, which has been used to enhance the area with the creation of allotment space, flowering gardens and wildlife habitats.
The £1,000 funding for Danderhall Primary School has been used to support community-wide initiatives, implemented in partnership with local gardening club, Danderhall & District Guerrilla Gardeners.
The group, which has already made a range of outdoor community improvements over the last year, is currently working with the school to take groups of pupils outdoors each week in a bid to encourage them to get green fingered and engage them in protecting nature and the environment.
This month primary five pupils are planting a variety of fruit trees and making bespoke planters from recyclable pallet wood in a nearby allotment space that was previously unused land before the gardening team began the transformation.
The work undertaken by the group and pupils is helping to revive the space whilst encouraging children to enjoy the outdoors and adopt healthy lifestyle choices.
The Stewart Milne Homes funding has been used to purchase starter gardening packs for pupils including gardening gloves, trowels and forks, pots, hyacinth bulbs and compost, craft materials and litter grabbers
It has also gone towards the purchase of wildlife habitats including hedgehog homes and bird boxes which have been installed across the village.
As well as the funding, Stewart Milne Homes also provided hi-vis jackets for the school children to wear when they are out and about in the village, helping to keep them safe.
As Stewart Milne Homes progresses the development of its new Shawfair community, a collection of three, four, five and six bedroom homes nestled on the edge of The Wisp and the village of Danderhall that will create 115 homes for the growing neighbourhood, the housebuilder plans to continue to support the school and work with local community groups on a range of different initiatives.
Kevin Moreland, Marketing Manager at Stewart Milne Homes, said: “The level of work undertaken across Danderhall by the Guerrilla Gardeners and youngsters is fantastic, and it is clearly creating a positive impact for the multigenerational local community.
“Stewart Milne Homes is committed to supporting the communities where we build in and we are very proud to support the school with funding to enable a range of outdoor initiatives, which are integral to creating thriving neighbourhoods.
“It was great to get out and meet some of the keen gardeners to see first-hand the change they’re making which will complement our nearby Shawfair development which has been built with a people-first approach, with active travel links connecting the site to the wider village.”
David Halliday, Principal Teacher at Danderhall Primary School, said: “Encouraging and capitalising on the opportunity to experience learning and new challenges in the outdoor environment is integral to our curriculum, and the funding from Stewart Milne Homes is a brilliant boost to the opportunities that we can offer our pupils.
“The hi-vis vests will be used year-round as we encourage our pupils to get out of the classroom and allow themselves to experience new hobbies, such as gardening, as much as possible.
“We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with the Danderhall & District Guerrilla Gardeners as it is now a weekly highlight for the pupils who have developed a love for gardening and creating new areas in the village that they can be proud of. It really is a great example of a community coming together to create a force for good.”
Helen Graham, member of Danderhall & District Guerrilla Gardeners, said: “It has been a pleasure to meet local youngsters and encourage them to get outdoors to learn more about the garden, plants and wildlife.
“The Guerrillas have been busy working across Danderhall and surrounding villages to enhance the area with bright plants and foliage, and in turn it has brought together a number of likeminded individuals and created friendships and social opportunities, which is an added bonus.
“We have big plans to continue the revival of the village and we invite anyone in the local area with a passion for gardening or the outdoors to get involved as we work together to create a vibrant and inclusive neighbourhood.”
The City of Edinburgh Council-led regeneration of Meadowbank has reached another major milestone this week as Councillors agreed to appoint a development partner for the next stage of the project.
Approved at the Finance and Resources Committee on Thursday following a competitive procurement process, the £1.045million contract will be awarded to the Edinburgh Meadowbank Group, to be referred to as EDMB, a consortium comprising of John Graham Holdings, Panacea Property Development and Miller Homes.
They will progress design and pre-construction works by early 2023 ahead of the start of construction work on site.
The ambition for the development of Meadowbank is to create one of the Capital’s greenest neighbourhoods by incorporating low-car, low-carbon infrastructure with energy efficient homes.
The regeneration will deliver around 600 new mixed tenure homes for sale and rent, at least 35% of which will be affordable with a number being fully wheelchair adapted.
Positioned on the site adjacent to the new Meadowbank Sports Centre off London Road, it will also include space for a range of commercial and community uses on the ground floor including the proposed location for a GP Surgery.
High quality public realm and landscaping, focusing on the industrial and sporting heritage will provide new active travel routes through to Restalrig, while protecting and enhancing the existing trees and environment.
During the pre-development period, work will be carried out to prepare for construction, including developing detailed designs and agreeing a net zero carbon energy solution for the site, contributing to the Council’s ambitious target to reach net-zero emissions by 2030.
The Meadowbank masterplan for the site was approved in October 2020 following an extensive programme of community consultation.
Regular engagement on proposals for the site has continued with the Meadowbank Sounding Board – a group consisting of local representatives, councillors, and council officers – which continues to review progress and ensure the site continues to best meet the community’s and council’s priorities.
A wide range of community benefits and fair work proposals will also be delivered. These will include seven new apprenticeship positions and fourteen new job opportunities; site visits for local schools over the course of the development; employability support events; community enhancement projects, including donations of up to £100,000 to community groups; and all employees and sub-contractors will be paid the Real Living Wage.
Councillor Rob Munn, Finance and Resource Convener, said: “Strong and extensive scrutiny has gone into this procurement process to get us to this point. We’ve discussed this at committee today and agree that we have a pre-development partner in place that shares our vision while also offering us best value.
“We now want to deliver more affordable housing and space for retail businesses, while we hope to provide a much-needed GP surgery provision to benefit everyone within the local community.
“It’s great that these homes are located a short distance from the city centre and will be both cost effective to heat alongside some that will be wheelchair accessible. With the Meadowbank masterplan also having been awarded a ‘Building with Nature’ accreditation we know that development will be setting standards for sustainable design, implementation and maintenance of high-quality green features so I look forward to seeing the results of this stage of the development and what EDMB can bring to that.”
Councillor Joan Griffiths, Vice Convener, said: “Seeing another stage of our masterplan getting closer to becoming a reality is very exciting, especially as it will provide so many homes for the city, contributing to our ambition to deliver 20,000 affordable homes by 2027.
“This development and wider neighbourhood, shaped by the local community, will bring a great regenerative feel to this area of the city.
“Through the community benefits programme we have agreed as part of this contract, we also hope to bring new jobs and training opportunities for local people, offering opportunities for local school leavers and children to be part of the vision for Meadowbank.”
Earlier this year, through our Community Benefits scheme and with help from our wonderful suppliers a brand new kitchen was installed in the Prentice Centre.
It’s been a real asset to the Centre and its members over the last few months and helped to make some festive gatherings easier at the end of what has been a challenging year for the community as we continue to support one another through this pandemic.
Thanks again to our suppliers who supported this projected as part of their community benefits contract with us:
Supermarket chain Tesco has announced that the environmental charities Keep Scotland Beautiful and Keep Wales Tidy will benefit from an estimated £1.8m raised from carrier bag charges.
Compulsory charging for plastic carrier bags is to be introduced in Scotland next month. It is already in force in Wales, where it has raised more than £2.3m to support wildlife charity RSPB’s conservation work since 2011.
More than 27,000 Tesco customers took part in the vote to choose the beneficiaries of the levy, which is expected to be worth about £1m in Scotland and about £800,000 in Wales. Both charities, which were chosen from a list of 120 organisations, are planning to use the money to fund a variety of projects to keep local communities clean, green and tidy. The partnerships will run from 20 October 2014 for at least a year.
Greg Sage, community director for Tesco, said: “Our customers are the ones who will pay the charge, so we really wanted them to choose the charities that will benefit from it. The response was had was absolutely incredible – 27,000 people voted which is a fantastic turnout.
“Since 2011, the carrier bag levy in Wales has raised over £2.3 million for the local RSPB, which has been used for vital conservation work. Keep Scotland Beautiful and Keep Wales Tidy now have a fantastic opportunity to use the money raised from the bag charge to make a real difference to the communities they serve.”
Derek Robertson, chief executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB), said: “This is fantastic news for KSB and a tremendous opportunity for Scotland, a country whose people, organisations and institutions have really wrapped their arms around KSB and shown that they care about their environment by voting for Scotland’s own environmental charity.
“We would like to thank everyone who voted for us. We cannot wait to get started. Lots of local community groups and organisations that work in partnership with us, from all across Scotland, will benefit from this funding.”
Nominations also opened this week for the 2014 Tesco Charity Trust Community Awards Scheme, worth £200,000. The scheme will make one-off donations of between £500 and £2,500 to registered charities and not-for-profit organisations for working on local projects that support health, opportunities for young people and environmental sustainability.
