CALA goes to town with Leith waterfront homes

A MODERN reimagining of the city townhouse has been launched to the market at a sought-after Leith development.

Comprising plenty of flexible space set across three levels, The Brae townhouse by CALA Homes (East) is the latest housetype to be launched by the developer at its popular Waterfront Plaza development.

Designed with city professionals, growing families and downsizers in mind, its carefully created layout can be adapted to cater for different and evolving needs, while also providing all the extra room needed for visiting family and friends.

With the first two of these three bedroom townhouses now available for reservation, priced at £495,000 and £500,000 respectively, CALA also plan to launch a townhouse showhome in late summer/early autumn; this will initially be able to be viewed virtually from the comfort of your own home, until it is deemed safe to host private appointments.

At the start of the lockdown it also launched its Remote Reservations service, which has proven popular in enabling buyers to confidently secure their new dream home from the comfort of their current home, with the fee fully refundable. Buyers can also opt to use the developer’s other helpful services such as its Part Exchange or Guaranteed Buyer services.

Philip Hogg, Sales and Marketing Director with CALA Homes (East), said: “There is a real community building at Waterfront Plaza – and that is owing in part to the brilliant range of apartments and homes, attracting a diverse range of buyers.

“We’ve already seen the sell-out success of the colony apartments and duplexes – a style of home intrinsic to Edinburgh.

“These townhouses are again so familiar to the city. Yet our design teams have been able to build on everything we love with traditional townhouses; that sense of height, large windows and grand hallways – with modern twists throughout including a first floor private terrace to reflect how we live now.”

On the ground floor, a family room the breadth of the property offers a range of potential uses, while a third bedroom could easily be repurposed into the ultimate home office, boosted with fibre connectivity direct into the home available. A utility room, WC and storage space add further real world practicality.

Upstairs a formal lounge with two Juliet balconies is just a few steps from a contemporary open-plan kitchen and dining area. This space is made even more impressive with sliding glass doors to a copious, first floor terrace, which also provides a cover for the private parking space below, with many offering south facing aspects to maximise sunlight.

The top floor is reserved for two impressive, near mirror-image en suite bedrooms, both exceeding five by three metres and including built in storage and their own private Juliet balconies. The en suites suit every preference, with one offering a bath and the other a shower.

Further to the balconies and the spacious terrace, a low-maintenance garden means the home offers easy living that blends inside and outside space across all its levels.

Ewan McIntyre, Managing Director with EMA Architecture and Design, who designed the homes in partnership with CALA’s in-house teams, said: “It’s a real privilege to be able to work with CALA on a site as special as this. CALA’s particular approach has enabled us to design a broad range of high quality and innovative family homes for the site, including these townhouses.

The opportunity to design homes for families to live in a waterside setting in Edinburgh is very rare and we’re proud of what we’ve been able to achieve here.”

Set in the heart of the thriving Leith shoreline, recently crowned the Best Place to Live in Scotland by The Sunday Times, Waterfront Plaza benefits from a range of vibrant bars, cafes and restaurants, as well as all the amenities of Ocean Terminal which is situated directly opposite.

The development follows on from nearby successful projects by CALA at Albert Dock, Trinity Park and Ten Brunswick Road.

Accessing the capital city centre is made easy with regular bus services and cycle paths. By car, the M8, M9 and the A90 are all within easy reach via the city bypass.

Waterfront development: green light for ‘Western villages’

450 affordable homes set for waterfront as construction restarts

The first phase of housing for the latest development of Granton Waterfront was given the go ahead by councillors this week.

Granton Waterfront regeneration is expected to lead the way in sustainable development as part of Edinburgh’s commitment to be net zero carbon by 2030.

A £1.5m contract will now be awarded to CCG (Scotland) Ltd to take forward designs for planning approval for an affordable housing development to include around 450 high quality homes, following agreement by the City of Edinburgh Council’s Policy and Sustainability Committee yesterday.

Over the coming months the Council will be engaging with the community to develop the designs for the detailed planning application.

As part of this early programme of works for Granton Waterfront,  the Council is planning to refurbish the Granton Station building, an Edwardian former railway station, into a modern business space and is exploring the potential to light the area’s former gasholder in a joint project with Edinburgh College, turning the latter into a focal point for the city.

The wider proposals will create one of Europe’ s largest coastal city parks linking Granton Harbour to Cramond and Lauriston Castle, reconnecting the city with its waterfront and providing the opportunity for residents and visitors to enjoy spectacular views across the Forth while experiencing enhanced leisure and outdoor activity.

The plan is also set to deliver on exemplar urban design centred around climate resilience, leading the way in future sustainable development and growing the economy in an inclusive way.

The proposals will bring around 3,500 new homes of which at least 35% will be affordable, a school, medical centre, creative and commercial space, new cycling and walking routes and enhanced sustainable transport connections with the city, making a significant contribution to Edinburgh’s target to become a net zero carbon city by 2030.

With an overall gross development value of around £1.3bn, the Council is committed to investing around £196m to accelerate the regeneration, attracting significant public and private sector funding to deliver the vision.

Council Leader Adam McVey, said: “As we start the recovery from this pandemic this development is a fantastic start to building the homes our residents need.

“Our waterfront development significantly contributes towards our shared goal of a better and more sustainable Edinburgh together so it’s great news that the first phase of this vibrant new neighbourhood for Edinburgh is now going ahead.

“We’re absolutely committed to reaching our target to build 20,000 affordable homes in the city as well as investing £2bn in new Council homes over the next decade. We’re also committed to becoming a net zero carbon city by 2030 and Granton Waterfront will contribute greatly to all of these goals.

Depute Council Leader Cammy Day, said: “The award of these contracts is a welcome message for the north Edinburgh community and the construction industry.

“The first phase of housing will provide hundreds of affordable homes and going forward the regeneration of this area will create hundreds of new jobs linked to growth of new services, business, leisure and creative industries and will strengthen the retail and small businesses that already exist.

“This is only just the start of this exciting development for the city and I look forward to seeing the plans brought forward by CCG for what will become one of Scotland’s leading sustainable communities.

Calum Murray, Director, CCG (Scotland) Ltd, said: “The City of Edinburgh Council is to be congratulated for the support it has afforded the construction sector during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“By progressing with the Western Villages project they are helping to build essential economic resilience and mitigate the worst effects of the pandemic for key stakeholders and the supply chain.

“In so doing the City is also sustaining the delivery of necessary affordable housing which will deliver on its low-carbon objectives. CCG(Scotland)Ltd is delighted to be in the vanguard of this significant regeneration initiative.”

Council announces latest plans for Waterfront regeneration

The latest proposals to transform Edinburgh’s largest brownfield site at Granton Waterfront – this time into a new ‘coastal town’ – have been published.

With a rich history and heritage, this former industrial land is set to become one of Scotland’s leading sustainable developments, bringing new homes, business, culture, leisure, learning and employment opportunities.

The plans will be presented to the Council’s Policy and Sustainabiltiy Committee, which meets on Tuesday next week.

A new coastal city park linking Granton Harbour to Gypsy Brae will re-connect the city with its waterfront providing the opportunity for residents and visitors to enjoy spectacular views across the Forth while experiencing enhanced leisure and outdoor activity. The plan is also set to deliver on exemplar urban design centred around climate resilience, leading the way in future sustainable development and growing the economy in an inclusive way.

The proposals will bring around 3,500 new homes of which at least 35% will be affordable, a school, medical centre, new cycling and walking routes and enhanced sustainable transport connections with the city, making a significant contribution to Edinburgh’s target to become a net zero carbon city by 2030. With an overall gross development value of around £1.3bn, the Council is committed to investing around £196m to accelerate the regeneration, attracting significant public and private sector funding to deliver the vision.

The Council’s housing association partners are currently delivering around 700 new homes for sale and rent within the Granton Waterfront area with commitment by key public sector partners National Museums Scotland, National Galleries of Scotland and Edinburgh College to work in collaboration to make this one of Edinburgh’s best places to live, work, learn and visit.

Following extensive consultation with the local community and other key stakeholders, a Development Framework for Granton Waterfront will be published by the Council today.can b

This sets out the vision, key principles and design guidance and will be considered by the Council’s Planning Committee on Wednesday, 26 February. When agreed it will be used as a guide for developers when making future planning applications to ensure placemaking stays at the heart of any future proposals.

The Framework supports the Council’s  draft City Mobility Plan as it proposes a vast network of new routes which promote walking and cycling over car use. Car parking has been reduced to a maximum of 25% or less for the area and there is a commitment to improve bus services and other forms of sustainable public transport which will include looking at the business case for a future phase of the tram. Cultural hubs and business start-up space are also part of the framework to create a diverse place for people to live, visit and work in.

An exhibition of the Framework opens today at Edinburgh College Granton Campus and runs until Friday 6 March. Staff will be on hand to answer any questions at the exhibition today from 4 -7pm.

Cllr Adam McVey, Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “We’ve made a commitment to become a net zero carbon city by 2030 and the regeneration of Granton offers the perfect opportunity to showcase how this can be delivered.

“We are committed to working with the local community and partners to create vibrant new neighbourhoods where people live and travel and grow the economy in an eco- friendly way.”

Cllr Cammy Day, Depute Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council and a Forth ward councillor, said: “The regeneration of Granton will create hundreds of new jobs linked to growth of new services, business, leisure and creative industries and will strengthen the retail and small businesses that already exist.

“Our public sector partners Edinburgh College, National Museums Scotland and National Galleries Scotland, who all have land or buildings within Granton Waterfront, are committed to working collaboratively to maximise the impact of combining our resources.

“I’d encourage everyone interested in this exciting new plan for the area to go along to Edinburgh College and have a look at the plans which will be on display for two weeks from the 20 February.”

Following committee approval, the Council will work with the Scottish Government and other key partners to develop the funding strategy. A programme of temporary uses for the site and early action projects in vacant buildings or land awaiting development will also be taken forward to encourage community empowerment and activity aimed at enhanced social and economic growth and health and wellbeing.

The Council will shortly be bringing forward plans for an initial phase of development at Western Villages ahead of the wider transformation. Proposals for the development of around 400 new homes for sale and rent in the area will be out for consultation in Spring 2020.

Progress on site so far

• Over 700 affordable homes recently completed or under development within Granton  Waterfront by our RSL partners, Polha, Link and Places for People
• Council support for Friends of Granton Castle and Walled Garden and Granton Hub in Madelvic House – projects aimed at supporting community enterprise and health and wellbeing
• Lease granted to Edinburg Wake Ltd on the quarry pond for leisure use as a wake boarding park – site due to be operational spring/summer 2020
• Council appointed contractor to restore Granton Station – work due to commence in Summer 2020 to create a new enterprise hub, with completion due in early 2021
• Council contributed £100,000 towards the lighting of the Granton gas holder and a launch event. Work is continuing to seek additional funding to complete the project
• Promotion of temporary uses for empty buildings as a valuable resource for the local community while the site is being permanently developed – possible uses include
Urban Wind Turbine Pilot
Beach Box Granton – shipping containers on the shoreline to provide affordable space for cafes and leisure
The Platform – market and events at the station building and surrounding open space
Lighting of the gas holder
Adventure playground – outdoor learning space for children in collaboration with Edinburgh College
Hoarding exhibitions – animate the hoardings while showcasing work of partners and local people or organisations
Forthside festival – use the open space at Gypsy Brae for a range of outdoor activities set against the backdrop of coastal views

Strong colony sales followed with launch of new Waterfront apartments

A MODERN take on a style of home intrinsic to Edinburgh has proven its enduring appeal, helping sales surge at a new destination development.

After selling out all 21 colonies less than six months after launching Waterfront Plaza, CALA Homes (East) is now bringing to market a selection of modern two and three-bedroom apartments at its flourishing Leith development. Continue reading Strong colony sales followed with launch of new Waterfront apartments

Tomorrow: Carols on the Waterfront

 CAROLS AT DESTINY

7 Waterfront Broadway EH5 1SA (Morrison’s complex)

Sunday 8th December – 4-5pm and 7-8pm



4pm event features a fun-packed party for kids aged 1-12.

7pm event features live Polish translation. To wydarzenie będzie tłumaczone na język polski.

Come & join us for upbeat Christmas carols, real stories & a hope-filled message. Festive refreshments will be served.

Zapraszamy Cię na Wieczór Kolęd w Destiny abyś mógł doświadczyć przeobrażającej mocy Świąt Bożego Narodzenia. Radosne kolędy, prawdziwe historie oraz przekaz pełen nadziei razem stworzą niezapomniany wieczór. Serwowane będą świąteczne przekąski.

Community councillors invited to Waterfront event tomorrow

Local community councillors have been invited to attend a Waterfront consultation meeting at Edinburgh College’s Granton Campus tomorrow. Continue reading Community councillors invited to Waterfront event tomorrow

Granton Should Be … : Stage three of waterfront regeneration consultation this Saturday

Share your thoughts, consider the opportunities, shape your waterfront. All are welcome!

Edinburgh College, 350 West Granton Road, Edinburgh, EH5 1QE 

Saturday 11th May, 10am – 2pm

Building on what you told us previously, Collective Architecture and the City of Edinburgh Council would like to invite you to come along and comment on the ideas for the future of Granton Waterfront developed through the first two stages of consultation.

Granton walking tour this Sunday

The Madelvic History Group is pleased to announce the launch of the escorted Curious Edinburgh walk, with participants leaving from Madelvic House and accompanied by local historians, sharing their fascinating local insights.
The forthcoming dates are Sunday 14th of April and Sunday 12th May.
Participation is free of charge. Meet at Madelvic House, for 12.00, start at 12.30 with the tour lasting approximately 2 hours, depending on weather and total number of participants.
Highlights of the tour will be Granton Harbour and Granton Castle Walled Garden. Alternative plans will be in place in case of adverse weather conditions.
If you are interested in taking part then please e-mail
w.black@blueyonder.co.uk
Address: Madelvic House, Granton Park Avenue, Edinburgh EH5 1HS