Edinburgh building news 2025, Lothian architecture images, Scottish architects, Modern Scotland property design

Edinburgh Building News 2025: Architecture

post updated 20 January 2025

19 December 2024

Huge new Edinburgh venue opens

Edinburgh’s Hidden Door Festival is taking over a vast industrial site for its 2025 festival. Celebrating the new venue with a special launch event. Hidden Door hosted a two-night programme of live music, visual art and performances:

Paper Factory Edinburgh

9 December 2024

Gold medal for Allander Leisure Centre
Allander Leisure Centre

5 December 2024

New £2 Billion Edinburgh ‘West Town’ Neighbourhood News

image courtesy of Drum Property Group

One of the most significant and sustainable urban expansions of Edinburgh in a generation is set to proceed following planning approval by the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC).

Councillors at CEC’s Development Sub Committee on Wednesday (4 December) voted unanimously to grant planning consent ‘in principle’ for the entire 205-acre ‘West Town’ site in a move which is set to significantly tackle Edinburgh’s well publicised housing emergency:

West Town Edinburgh homes planning application

5 December 2024

Calton Square Edinburgh Building News

Retaining 88% of the existing structural frame, the major refurbishment seeks to create a new identity for the office building through reconfiguration and enhancements that exemplify sustainable and wellness-centred design.

Calton Square Edinburgh office building renewal

Edinburgh Futures Institute Building Award News

An iconic building in heart of Scotland’s capital city has been named one of the most beautiful campuses in the world by an international architectural and design prize, backed by the United Nations. Edinburgh Futures Institute has been honoured with the ‘Special Prize for an Interior’ in the Prix Versailles’ 2024 World Titles:

Edinburgh Futures Institute Building

3 December 2024

Demolition Starts of Former Deutsche Bank House in Edinburgh – 525 Park View, off Ferry Road

properties image courtesy of Artisan Real Estate
Regeneration specialist Artisan Real Estate is progressing with the demolition of the former Deutsche Bank House at 525 Ferry Road, Edinburgh, making way for a spectacular homes-led redevelopment of the site:
525 Park View

13 November 2024

Project Manager in Edinburgh
Salary: £60000.0 – £75000.0 per annum + Exceptional Package and Benefits
Closing date: 18 Nov 2024

The client is a leading refurbishment company with a very impressive track record in the delivery of high-profile refurbishment projects in Edinburgh and beyond.

Edinburgh Architect Jobs

12 November 2024

Scottish Government announcement positive opportunity for planning reset on housing, say home builders

“Overdue” measures to ensure “tangible results in next 12 months”

Home building body Homes for Scotland (HFS) has welcomed this afternoon’s announcement on planning by the Minister for Public Finance Ivan McKee MSP. This follows yesterday’s statistics showing that the average processing time for major residential applications had increased to 60 weeks despite a 29 per cent fall in the volume of applications. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) also identified the planning system as limiting levels of home building due to lack of predictability; length, cost and complexity of the process; and insufficient clarity and consistency in its market study final report earlier this year.

HFS Chief Executive Jane Wood said:
“In the context of the housing emergency, this announcement is six months overdue but nonetheless very welcome, recognising as it does the key role that the planning system has to play in facilitating the delivery of more homes of all tenures across Scotland and the need for it to be properly equipped to do so. It is clear that the Minister has clearly listened to sector concerns and taken steps to address them. We applaud him for doing so, and to committing to ensuring tangible results in the next 12 months.

“Given the scale of the challenge that faces us, this will be no easy task and there is clearly much detail to be unpicked – for example, we do not recognise the figures referenced regarding the number of homes having been granted planning permission but not yet built and would suggest that they do not reflect either the complexity of the myriad of issues facing home builders or the very real nature of the housing emergency.

“But this is the opportunity for a positive reset and we are fully dedicated to working with stakeholders, including government at all levels and our colleagues in local planning authorities, to provide the homes that meet the needs of all those living in Scotland and that they can afford. The ‘Team Scotland’ approach and ambition to use the planning system to make our country the most attractive part of the UK for investment is both refreshing and reinvigorating. We will play our full part in helping to achieve this.”

Specific measures announced by the Minister for Public Finance include the establishment of a further Planning Hub to support housing delivery and the stopping of work on the introduction of an infrastructure levy, with the focus instead to be on improving guidance on Section 75 planning agreements.

With regards to SME home builders and the sites referenced by the Minister which have been permissioned but not taken forward, Wood said:
“We have already published a comprehensive package of recommendations to support SME home builders in June on which an official response from the Scottish Government is awaited and followed this up with a roundtable discussion between members and the Ministers for Housing and Public Finance in August so we trust work in this area will be able to move at pace.

“On the stalling of sites, we are already working with members to understand the reasons behind any such examples and look forward to interrogating the Scottish Government’s datasets when published to assist with this.

11 November 2024

Under-resourced and ill-equipped planning system failing to tackle Scotland’s escalating housing emergency

Average processing times increasing whilst volume of major and local applications continue to fall

New planning application statistics published today illustrate a planning service which is under-resourced and ill-equipped to deal with Scotland’s escalating housing emergency according to sector body Homes for Scotland (HFS). The figures covering the period for the financial year 2023 / 2024 show that, despite a 29% decrease in the volume of major housing applications decided, the average processing timeframe has increased from 39 to 60 weeks compared to the previous year. As a benchmark, the statutory timeframe for these decisions is 16 weeks.

See more on the Glasgow Building News 2024 page.

Edinburgh Building News 2024

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