A NEW website has been launched for those interested in living, working in or visiting the ‘new sustainable’coastal town’ being created at Granton Waterfront.
It includes plans for 847 ‘net zero ready’ homes (with 45% being affordable) and capacity for a new primary school and a low carbon heat network. There will also be commercial units, active travel routes and other sustainable transport infrastructure as well as attractive public and open space all being delivered from 2025 to 2032.
The website (grantonwaterfront.com) guides you around the new neighbourhood with information on the partners we are working with to deliver new homes to rent or buy, parks and green spaces, things to do, where to visit, cultural activities, learning and commercial opportunities as well as providing all the latest news about the area.
Council Leader Cammy Day said:“We’re starting to see many early projects on the ground making great progress in Granton Waterfront now. The first tenants have moved into the 75 affordable homes we’ve built at Granton Station View, with hundreds more in the pipeline at nearby Western Villages and Silverlea.
“The gasholder restoration is almost complete and we’re lighting it up after dark as a permanent feature later this month. The new park at ‘Gas Holder 1’- new name for the gasholder – will open at the same time. Across the road, the former Granton Station building, with its new public square, has been beautifully restored.
“It’s important we bring all of this activity to life for those interested in the area and I hope the new website acts as a helpful guide.
“You will see from the website we have ambitious plans to create a new neighbourhood, well connected to existing communities there, and I’m really excited about seeing all of these communities grow, thrive and welcome visitors to the area in the years to come.”
LEADING experts in dermatology and plastic surgery have joined forces to create a skin cancer facility for patients seeking rapid and expert treatment.
Waterfront Private Hospital in Edinburgh has officially launched Scotland’s most advanced and efficient skin cancer clinic, enabling rapid access consultations, one-stop biopsies and direct access to definitive surgical treatments – all under one roof.
Led by Dr Ben Aldridge, the UK’s only dual-qualified Consultant in both Dermatology and Plastic Surgery, the service is supported by Dr Kazem Nassar, an esteemed NHS Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon.
After graduating in 2002 from University of Edinburgh Medical School, Dr Aldridge has gone on to become a preeminent skin cancer expert. He completed multiple skin focused advanced training fellowships including at the UK’s National Skin Hospital.
He has a PhD in skin lesion diagnostics, publishing extensively in this subject along with co-authoring national skin cancer guidelines and is also Chairman of South East Scotland’s Melanoma Multidisciplinary team.
He said: “Our dual approach means we can combine dermatology and plastic surgery expertise in one consultation, saving patients multiple visits.
“Our focus is not just on removing patients’ skin cancer effectively but also ensuring the best cosmetic results for each individual, with a bespoke approach that draws on our extensive aesthetic surgical training.
“Many skin cancers are on the head and neck, requiring reconstruction due to limited spare tissue, which we handle expertly using advanced plastic surgery techniques and cosmetic surgical principles.
“We’re confident in saying we provide the fastest and most efficient private skin cancer service in Scotland and our goal is to be the definitive place for private skin cancer treatment, making a tangible difference to patients’ lives.”
NHS waiting lists have expanded significantly since the pandemic, with patients often waiting up to 12 months or more for non-high risk dermatological assessments.
Waterfront Private Hospital is stepping in to help address this crisis, removing many of the steps typically required in the process.
Even within an urgent skin cancer pathway both NHS and Private patients can expect multiple different and separate steps; starting with a GP referral, often followed by dermatology consultations, diagnostic biopsies, plastics surgery consultations, before final definitive treatment.
With the NHS under increasing strain, Waterfront Private Hospital provides a streamlined alternative, easing the pressure on public health services while delivering state-of-the-art care.
Patients can expect a premium healthcare experience, where the hospital’s boutique aesthetic is paired with cutting-edge medical expertise. The hospital is known for its highly personalised care, ensuring each patient receives attentive follow-up from their surgical team.
Opened in recent months, Waterfront Private Hospital in Granton, Edinburgh, is a family-owned institution founded by the renowned Dr Omar Quaba and his father, Dr Awf Quaba. The Quaba surname is among the most recognised in UK cosmetic surgery.
Council Leader Cammy Day was joined by Fraser Lynes, Managing Director of Cruden and architects Smith Scott Mullan as work got underway on the development of143 energy efficient social and mid-market rent properties.
In partnership with Cruden, the project will deliver a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes across the site, including wheelchair accessible accommodation.
Work will include upgrades to greenspace and the main footpath linking Salveson Cresent and Marine Drive to create safer, easier access to the shorelines. Plans also include a new Pavilion for Craigroyston Community Football club.
The development is part of the £1.3 billion Granton Waterfront regeneration which will create a new residential-led mixed-use community and will deliver around 3,500 net zero carbon homes, a primary school, a health centre, commercial and cultural space, and a new coastal park.
Council Leader Cammy Day said: It was great to attend the sod-cutting ceremony at the Silverlea site today as we marked the beginning of construction on this exciting development here in Edinburgh.
“We’re facing a Housing Emergency so we must continue to build more affordable housing to address our chronic shortage.
“To deliver our net zero targets for the Capital, sustainable regeneration is so important, and every element of this development has been designed with that in mind. I’m delighted that plans also include a new Pavillion for Craigroyston Community Football Club which will be a real asset to the community.
“The project forms part of the wider £1.3bn regeneration of the Granton area where we’re unlocking brownfield land to build a new sustainable 20-minute neighbourhood. We’re continuing to work hard to ensure Granton is somewhere residents will be proud to live and I look forward to seeing progress continue throughout this year.”
Fraser Lynes, MD of Cruden, added: “Silverlea is a great example of development with sustainability and community at its heart, and we are thrilled to be involved in the delivery of this transformational project.
“The City of Edinburgh Council must be commended in bringing forward these much needed social and mid-market homes amid the capital’s housing emergency, and for specifying them to net zero carbon standards, making them greener, cleaner and more efficient to heat and run.
“During this development, we’re looking forward to providing the new pavilion for Craigroyston Boys Club, carefully re-using the Griffens from the historic Muirhouse Mansion, as well as delivering an important programme of new tree planting and a wildflower meadow to enhance local greenspace.”
The progress is the latest in the Granton Waterfront regeneration with work already well underway on several other projects in the area.
Over 400 net zero homes at Western Villages as well as 75 net zero homes at ‘Granton D1’ are currently under construction.
Following extensive consultation, plans for the first phase of a £1.3bn sustainable new coastal town at Granton Waterfront in Edinburgh are available to view on the Council’s Planning Portal.
In partnership with Cruden Homes, the Council plan to transform part of the Capital’s largest brownfield site into an exciting new development comprising over 800 net zero homes, capacity for a new primary school and low carbon heat network, commercial units, active travel routes and other sustainable transport infrastructure as well as attractive public and open space.
At least 35% of the homes will be of affordable tenure.
Council Leader Cammy Day said: “We’ve been consulting with people every step of the way to deliver this project. I’m really pleased that after listening to feedback from the local community and others interested in the area, the team has submitted plans for the largest regeneration project of its kind in Scotland at Granton Waterfront as part of the £1.3 billion regeneration.
“To deliver our net zero targets for the Capital, sustainable regeneration is so important and every element of this development has been designed with that in mind.
“We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a 20-minute neighbourhood completely from scratch which includes affordable net zero homes, shops, cultural, leisure and education facilities all close by.
“Our plans show how the new neighbourhood will link to the rest of the city and beyond as well as to the many established communities nearby.”
Fraser Lynes, Managing Director of Cruden Homes said: “We have thoroughly enjoyed working closely with the Council, local community and key stakeholders to create a transformational design that reconnects the Capital to the Firth of Forth.
“This landmark, landscape-led development of Edinburgh’s coastline takes a fresh approach to urban regeneration which will create an exciting new coastal community set to become one of Europe’s largest waterside amenities.
“Moreover, the delivery of 847 much needed, high quality and sustainable new homes across all tenures will make an important contribution to alleviating the well documented housing emergency.”
More than 1,300 residents of new housing development on Granton’s waterfront expected to benefit from access to residential cycle storage
A major new mixed tenure housing development at Granton waterfront is set to benefit from dedicated, secure cycle storage, supporting more than 1,300 future residents to travel by bike more easily.
Secure cycle storage is to be provided at locations across the development, at Western Villages, Granton Gas Holder, Waterfront Avenue and Silverlea.
The City of Edinburgh Council project aims to help more people choose cycling as an affordable and sustainable way of travel for everyday journeys, and has been developed in partnership with the nation’s cycling charity, Cycling Scotland and supported by Transport Scotland grant funding.
Having nowhere safe or convenient to store a bike is a big barrier to cycling, with Cycling Scotland research showing that a third of Scottish households are likely to be living in accommodation without access to suitable cycle storage.
In total, supported projects are estimated to benefit 160,000 people by providing better access to secure cycle storage and parking where they live across Scotland: from new on-street cycle storage in Dundee, to storage for residents of high-rise properties in Aberdeen, through to bike parking at rural bus stops in Perth and Kinross.
Katharine Brough, Head of Grant Funding & Partnerships, at Cycling Scotland, said:“It’s been so positive to work in partnership with local authorities to increase access to essential, secure residential cycle storage across Scotland.
“Each of these projects will have a real impact in making cycling more accessible, helping more people to choose an affordable and sustainable way to travel for everyday journeys.
“As well as having storage at home, bike storage at key destinations where people work, shop and connect to public transport is vital in supporting more people to cycle, and helping tackle the climate emergency, health crisis and transport poverty.”
City of Edinburgh Council’s Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Scott Arthur, said: “The regeneration of Granton Waterfront will be transformative for that part of the city, opening up new sustainable homes, commercial opportunities and leisure and cultural offerings.
“It’s essential that we fully integrate sustainable, accessible travel into this. First class public transport links will be at the heart of this community, and this will be complemented with high quality active travel infrastructure.
“Providing secure cycle storage is essential for supporting people to consider cycling, and thanks to Cycling Scotland we’re going to be able to deliver hundreds of spaces throughout the area. This will connect residents and visitors to newly-upgraded cycle infrastructure connecting with the city centre and beyond.”
Case study: The impact of new on-street cycle storage in Dundee
Newly installed on-street cycle storage units in Dundee are helping make it easier for more people to travel by bike for everyday journeys across the city.
Blackness resident Nick Toner, making use of one of the 40 new on-street cycle storage units which have been installed across Dundee.
Nick Toner, a community development worker and resident of Blackness, Dundee, has found his new on-street bike storage space has made a big difference to how he travels around the city:
“Having the bike storage space has removed a mental and physical barrier for me. Just facing the idea of looking for somewhere safe to store my bike and lock it up, it was such a hassle. But now I come to work, and I have a parking spot nearby. It’s so much more convenient and it’s given me the freedom to use my bike to get around the city more often.”
Martim Mas, a resident of Stobswell, Dundee, cites his storage space as enabling him to combine cycling with public transport to travel to work:“I actually got my bike after I got my storage, because I had no space in my flat. I would’ve had to keep it inside and there was just no space.
“I use my bike now to cycle to the bus station, then to work at St Andrews. My bike is my main mode of transport across the city. Having this storage space is super convenient for me, and it’s good to know I can leave my bike there and it will be safe.
The Scottish Government has published their consultation paper on planned Heat in Buildings legislation which sets out a path for how best to deliver greener, warmer homes for Scotland.
The Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenant’s Rights, Patrick Harvie, recently visited Granton to see heat networks being set up for the new developments on the Waterfront.
The systems and homes being built in Granton are examples of what could be rolled out across Scotland – greener energy, lower bills and no fossil fuels.
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Green Councillor for Forth Ward, Kayleigh O’Neill said: “This is another major milestone in the Granton Waterfront project. Over £1 billion has gone into helping a community become well connected and no longer reliant on fossil fuels. This is a massive step towards tacking climate change and transitioning the city, and country, to net-zero.”
Cllr. O’Neill added: “Over the next ten years we will also see more affordable housing being built and care taken towards our urban coastal green spaces. We have to be ambitious and put people and planet first in all future developments.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transition towards a greener economy. Granton Waterfront will set the standard for sustainable growth and show how we can live without fossil fuels.”
The consultation will run until 8 March 2024, then responses will be scrutinised and a final decision made on when to publish a Bill in the Scottish Parliament to pass in 2025.
The creation of a £1.3bn well-connected, sustainable new coastal town at Granton Waterfront in Edinburgh has reached yet another major milestone.
A contract for pre-development work to refine and finalise the design of a sewer source low carbon heat network solution to serve thousands of homes, local facilities and the many other commercial and social enterprise businesses planned for Granton Waterfront is set to be awarded by the City of Edinburgh Council in the coming weeks.
Following a competitive procurement process Vattenfall Heat UK Ltd is being proposed as the preferred bidder and the Finance and Resources Committee will consider a report on the award of this contract at its meeting on Tuesday next week. It is anticipated the contract will be signed by both parties in the coming weeks.
The energy company, known for its work supporting many areas throughout the UK find net zero solutions, will work with the Council to finalise the plans for this heat network.
The aim, subject to future further approval from the Finance and Resources Committee, is for an agreement for the company to build, operate, finance, manage and maintain the network over the following 40 years.
This is a significant milestone for the Council and the Granton Waterfront area to help Edinburgh reach net zero by 2030.
As well as supporting the Council’s commitment to build new affordable homes over the next 10 years, the Granton Waterfront £1.3bn regeneration project has exemplar urban design which will also champion low carbon transport and active travel.
Council Leader Cammy Day said: “It is fantastic to see work continuing at pace at Granton Waterfront, the largest sustainable regeneration project of its kind in Scotland.
“As well as helping the Capital reach net zero by 2030, awarding this contract is the next step towards finalising the right heat network solution for our tenants and others moving into the area to provide them with a cost competitive low carbon heating source.
“The homes being delivered in the area are being designed to be well insulated and energy efficient which will also be a huge benefit to everyone living there, particularly those facing fuel poverty.
“Work is also continuing to transform the iconic gasholder in the area into a place for the wider community and visitors to play and relax. Arts and social enterprise charity WASPS has moved into the eye catching former Granton Station building now refurbished and taking pride of place at the heart of the community, with a spacious attractive public square. And we’re currently building hundreds of energy efficient affordable homes which will be ready for tenants to move into next year.”
Eoghan Maguire, Director of Heat Networks – Scotland at Vattenfall Heat UK said: “Granton Waterfront is an ambitious long-term project that will act as a blueprint in urban development and regeneration in Scotland. District heating will enable the Granton Waterfront development to deliver on its pioneering and climate conscious ambitions for its residents.
“Vattenfall has responded to the low carbon district heating proposals for Granton Waterfront and is proud that these have been recommended for approval by the City of Edinburgh Council. We are excited to work with the City of Edinburgh and its partners to help deliver on the city’s net zero by 2030 targets.
“The Granton Waterfront heat network aims to capture heat that would otherwise be wasted from the sewer system and could serve the community of 3,000 new homes, as well as existing buildings. The network will adopt a future proofed design, meaning expansion to the northwest of Edinburgh would be possible.”
