Tag: Western Villages

Waterfront housing developments among Scottish projects to benefit from new cycle storage

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.

Green light for 142 homes at Silverlea

Proposals for another ‘net zero’ housing development, as part of the City of Edinburgh Council’s £1.3bn Granton Waterfront regeneration project, have been granted approval by city planners.

This major milestone follows the start of construction work at the £72m, 444-home ‘Western Villages’ project, which is also part of the local authority’s wider regeneration of the area. Over the next ten years 3,500 mixed-tenure homes and associated infrastructure will create a new, sustainable coastal community.

Hart Builders will start work on site in 2023 at Silverlea to deliver 142 high quality sustainable homes, including wheelchair-accessible ground-floor dwellings in a mix of social rent (91) and mid-market rent (51) each benefitting from coastal views and access to parkland. 

Cllr Jane Meagher, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “I’m delighted with today’s decision. We’ve reached another major milestone on our Granton Waterfront project to deliver much needed sustainable affordable housing in the area. I recently visited our Western Villages development nearby and was very pleased to see we’re already starting work there to deliver 444 net zero homes on the site. 

The homes that we build here will make such a difference for wheelchair users and others who find it so difficult to get a home that meets their needs. Our proposals for the site have been carefully designed to improve the quality of the surrounding green space and to make it easier for people to walk or cycle around the area.

Cllr Jane Meagher: Facing up to Edinburgh’s housing challenge by building smart new homes

Councillor Jane Meagher, the city council’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, writes:

After a slowdown during the pandemic, it’s great to see so much work underway to build the new affordable and sustainable homes our growing city needs. 
 
Last week I had the pleasure of marking the site start for our newest housing development – Western Villages at the new Granton Waterfront. Spanning a site the same size as the New Town, this regeneration of the waterfront really is going to create a brand new coastal community. 
 
This is growth which will benefit those who already live in the area and the city as a whole and I have to say, it’s incredible to watch the start of construction. There is a team of people working extremely hard so that, over the next decade, we’ll see drastic change and thousands of people move into beautiful new homes.

They will join a 20-minute neighbourhood where they can shop, socialise, and access support. With our partners we’re investing millions in the area, including the fantastic gas works holder, which will become an amazing spectacle; a home for events and a glowing beacon for North Edinburgh below everyone who flies into the city. 
 
I am strongly committed to doing what I can to secure more affordable homes for Edinburgh. Over 150 households bid for every Council and housing association home that becomes available so that’s why we’re driving forward with building new affordable homes on sites across the city.

Close to Granton, in nearby Pennywell and Muirhouse, new homes and a new civic centre are taking shape. We’re also investing in improving existing homes with major works underway in both multi storey blocks and low-rise housing.   
 
As the city grows, the demand we are seeing for affordable and social homes is only going to increase. That is a reality we must face, not least with the country in the grip of a cost-of-living crisis and fears of recession on the horizon.

It’s why it’s critical the Council and its partners press ahead with a truly ambitious and forward-thinking housebuilding strategy and it’s why we must continue to make the case for increased investment in this programme to the Scottish Government. Our capital city, after all, is per head the lowest funded local authority in Scotland.
  
The way we’re building homes is also changing, with innovative measures being used to reduce energy. Western Villages is a great example of that, as Scotland’s largest net zero development. We want the whole city to become net zero carbon by 2030 so we are committing to ‘build smarter’ and create new homes which are greener and use eco-friendly technology.

This construction work is also helping to boost and create new jobs and apprenticeships which will further help us to support people into employment and keep our economy resilient, which is particularly significant after the impacts of Covid. 

The future is challenging, but together with developers and others we are doing everything within our powers to make it fairer on residents and on our environment. We’ll keep working to tackle our housing pressures and deliver these affordable and sustainable new homes.

This article first appeared in the Edinburgh Evening News

Scotland’s largest ‘net zero’ housing development set for Waterfront

Proposals to create Scotland’s largest ‘net zero’ housing development in Edinburgh have been granted approval by city planners this June.

The 444-home Western Villages is being led by the City of Edinburgh Council in partnership with Glasgow-based contractor CCG (Scotland) and architect Cooper Cromar.

The development will form part of the Granton Waterfront Regeneration, where over 3,500 homes are set to be created over the next ten years, delivering one, two and three-bedroom apartments, including wheelchair-accessible ground-floor dwellings, available in a mix of social (195), mid-market rent (62), market rent (63) and private sale tenures (124).

Designed within a masterplan that will take advantage of stunning parkland and sea views, there will also be greater emphasis placed on pedestrian and cycle movement with electrical car charging, car club accessibility and public transport in favour of traditional car parking which is reduced across the development.

The homes designed to the principles of CCG’s newly launched ‘Net Zero Home’ housebuilding standard. Developed in collaboration with energy and sustainability consultancy, Carbon Futures, the Net Zero Home focuses on enhanced fabric performance, low carbon heating and renewable technology as part of a gas-free energy strategy to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions (arising from regulated operational energy use) to a rate less than or equal to zero per year.

With an ambitious target to become a ‘net zero’ city by 2030, this first phase of Granton Waterfront will act as a blueprint for future sustainable development and help Scotland to transition towards a greener economy.

City of Edinburgh Council’s Vice Convener for the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work committee, Councillor Mandy Watt, said: “All of the steps we’re taking to make homes more sustainable will reduce the energy they use once occupied, thereby helping us to tackle climate change and become net zero carbon by 2030. That’s why we’re pleased to have CCG working with us as they adopt a new ground-breaking housebuilding standard. 

“It’s great to see this development with a large proportion of social rent homes get planning approval. We have incredibly ambitious plans which form the bedrock of our housing strategy over the next ten years. There is a critical need for more affordable homes in Edinburgh and we are responding to that through the commitment to build 20,000 social and affordable homes by 2027.

“Western Villages forms part of the wider Granton Waterfront regeneration project which will create one of Europe’ s largest coastal city parks, providing opportunities for residents and visitors to reconnect with the city’s waterfront by offering more areas for leisure and outdoor experiences, civic spaces and sustainable housing.”

CCG Managing Director, David Wylie, said: “Housebuilding is going to play a major part in achieving our ambitious target of becoming a ‘net zero’ economy by 2045.

“With gas being removed from new build homes as early as 2024, it places greater emphasis on collaborative working as the partners on this project have demonstrated; utilising the CCG Net Zero Home building standard to create an affordable, scalable and practical solution that can ultimately be delivered now for any residential development.

“We commend the City of Edinburgh Council for their bold commitment and share their aspirations for a more sustainable future for Scotland.”

Cooper Cromar Project Director, Graham Connor, said: “Cooper Cromar are delighted to have been appointed as the Architect to design and deliver this important residential project delivering one of the initial phases of the Granton Waterfront Development Framework which sets out the Urban Design Framework and Design Guidelines for future developments within the wider Granton area.

“We have sought to create a masterplan that not only stands alone for its significance as Scotland’s largest net zero development but also respectful to the wider regeneration of Granton. It will complement and integrate with future phases of housing delivery and we look forward to working with the project partners over the coming years.”

Carbon Futures Director, Andrew Money, said: “We are delighted to have supported City of Edinburgh Council and CCG with their bold and ambitious plans for Western Villages.

“From the outset, the key areas of focus for the design team were to maximise fabric performance and avoid the use of fossil fuels. This approach, together with the use of on-site renewable energy, will greatly reduce energy demand and deliver a significant reduction in utility costs for homeowners.

“The energy strategy for Western Villages delivers a low-carbon development, future-proofed against upcoming government legislation and presents a fantastic example of how the construction industry can support the nationwide effort to reduce carbon emissions and create a more sustainable future.”

Construction of Western Villages is expected to begin in mid-2022.