West Town Edinburgh homes planning application, Lothian 20-minute neighbourhood, Gogar homes news, Ingliston properties
West Town Edinburgh homes planning news
post updated 5 December 2024
New £2 Billion Edinburgh ‘West Town’ Neighbourhood Set to Proceed
City of Edinburgh Council unanimously grants planning consent ‘in principle’ for 205-acre west Edinburgh site
Plans include space for 7,000 new homes – plus two schools, a hotel and commercial, retail & community facilities.
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.
Developed by West Town Edinburgh Ltd, the site is located between Ingliston Park and Ride and the Gogar Roundabout at the capital’s western gateway and is regarded as one of the most strategically important development areas anywhere in the UK. The £2-billion project will become the biggest, single homes-led development in Edinburgh in modern times, whilst providing an outstanding quality of life in a brand-new, sustainable ‘20-minute’ neighbourhood.
Development plans follow guidelines set out by CEC’s City Plan 2030 which identifies the area as having the potential to become a vibrant, high-density city extension with a capacity for 7,000 new homes. This includes the largest investment in social housing for Edinburgh in recent years, delivering some 2,500 new affordable homes.
Proposals for West Town also span the necessary employment, commercial, leisure and community facilities required for a modern mixed-use community. This includes space for a primary school for up to 630 pupils and a high school for up to 1200 pupils, a 300-bed hotel and 300-apartment student accommodation. There will also be 450,000 sq. ft. of mixed-use amenity space including medical provision, civic and community areas – plus bars, restaurants, cafes, retail, commercial and office space.
Transport provision will focus on a new tram stop in the centre of the development linked to the Edinburgh Tram route running directly through the site, together with an integrated bus service. There will also be 27-acres of open green space – including a 5.5-acre central park, several pocket parks and a wildlife corridor criss-crossed by cycle, running and walking tracks.
West Town Edinburgh Ltd was formed in April 2021 by Drum Property Group to progress development of the site. Welcoming the planning approval, Graeme Bone, Drum’s Group Managing Director said: “This planning consent is the next significant milestone in our journey to realise the ambition we share with the Council, as agreed in the City Plan 2030, to deliver a major transformation of the west of Edinburgh. We now have the once-in-a-generation opportunity to make West Town an exemplar, sustainable 20-minute neighbourhood on a par with the best new developments taking place anywhere across the UK and Europe.
“The amount of space on the site, combined with its superb location, allows for a natural extension of the city, providing 7,000 mixed-tenure homes and new jobs in a well-designed 20-minute neighbourhood. West Town also has direct access to some of the best public transport in Scotland – the tram line travels through the site and there are integrated rail, cycle and road connections, creating a strategic gateway for the west of Edinburgh.”
He added: “Drum has a proven track record of delivering high quality large-scale communities across Scotland and our ambition for the area matches that of the City of Edinburgh Council. We look forward to continuing to work with the Council to advance our shared vision to create a new, sustainable urban quarter for the city.”
The phasing of development will be determined through the submission of a ‘phasing framework’, as required in CEC’s proposed conditions. Once this framework is agreed, West Town Edinburgh will submit detailed planning applications for each construction phase, subject to appropriate consultation and eventual CEC determination. Initial phases will be focused on the new tram stop, creating a town centre early in the development together with homes, a new school and commercial, community and amenity spaces.
The West Town planning approval followed a successful 12-month consultation programme which included online and public consultation events and a programme of local stakeholder meetings.
For more information on West Town, visit www.west-town-edinburgh.com
Previously on Edinburgh Architecture:
post updated 24 August 2024
Major Planning Application Submitted for New £2 Billion Edinburgh Neighbourhood
Homes-led ‘20 Minute’ Neighbourhood Proposed for 205-acre West Edinburgh Site. Plans Includes Space for 7,000 New Homes Plus Commercial and Community Facilities
Location: between the Gogar Roundabout & Ingliston Park and Ride
image courtesy of Drum Property Group
12 January 2024
West Town Edinburgh homes planning application news
One the most significant and sustainable urban expansions of Edinburgh in a generation is a step closer to reality following the submission of a major planning application to the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC). West Town Edinburgh Limited, the development consortium headed by Drum Property Group which owns more than 200-acres of prime development land to the west of Edinburgh, has unveiled ambitious proposals for West Town, a new homes-led ‘twenty-minute’ neighbourhood set to transform Scotland’s capital.
The 205-acre West Town site – located between Ingliston Park and Ride and the Gogar Roundabout at the western gateway of Edinburgh – is regarded as one of the most strategically important large development areas in the UK. The £2-billion project is set to become the biggest, single homes-led development in Edinburgh in modern times, significantly addressing the city’s well publicised ‘housing emergency’ whilst providing an outstanding quality of life in a brand-new, sustainable mixed-use community. Development proposals follow guidelines set out by CEC’s City Plan 2030 which identifies the area as having the potential to become a vibrant, high-density city extension with a capacity for 7,000 homes – along with the necessary employment, commercial, leisure and community facilities required for a 20-minute neighbourhood.
Proposed facilities include schools, medical provision, civic and community space as well as bars, restaurants, cafes, retail and other commercial spaces. There are plans for 27 acres of accessible green space – including a large 5.5-acre central park, several ‘pocket’ parks and a ‘wildlife’ corridor, criss-crossed by a network of cycle, running and walking tracks. The Edinburgh Tram route runs directly through the site and a new tram stop will be created to ensure the whole development has access to quick and efficient public transport. The proposals for West Town are consistent with the West Edinburgh Placemaking Framework, approved by CEC in December 2023 and align with the ambitions of the Scottish Government’s National Planning Framework 4, which was approved in February 2023.
West Town Edinburgh was formed in April 2021 by Drum Property Group to progress development of the site. Drum is currently delivering a variety of transformative mixed-use projects across Scotland, including the award-winning Buchanan Wharf and Candleriggs Square developments in Glasgow.
Welcoming the planning application submission, Graeme Bone, Drum’s Group Managing Director said: “We now have the opportunity to make West Town an exemplar, sustainable 20-minute neighbourhood on a par with the best new developments taking place across the UK and Europe. “This planning application is a significant milestone in realising the ambition we share with the council both for the local area and for the city, further strengthening the long-term collaborative process that is set to deliver a major transformation of the west of Edinburgh. The amount of space on the site combined with its superb location allows for a natural extension for the city providing 7000 mixed-tenure homes and new jobs in a new 20-minute neighbourhood. West Town has direct access to some of the best public transport in Scotland – the tram line travels through the site and there are integrated rail, cycle and road connections, creating a strategic gateway to Edinburgh.
He added: “Drum has a proven track record of delivering high quality large-scale communities across Scotland and our ambition for the area matches that of the proposed Edinburgh City Plan 2030. We look forward to continuing to work with the Council to advance our shared vision to create a new, sustainable urban quarter for the city.”
Subject to the ongoing development of the delivery strategy – as set out by the joint Memorandum of Understanding between West Town Edinburgh Ltd and CEC, the approval of City Plan 2030, and in accordance with all relevant council policies and appropriate planning consents – it is hoped that work will start on site before the end of 2024, with the first phase of homes and community amenity being ready for occupation from early 2026. The West Town planning application has been submitted following a successful 12-month local consultation programme which included two online and one public consultation events, resulting in more than 2000 visits to the West Town website.
For more information on West Town, visit www.west-town-edinburgh.com
Comments on this West Town Edinburgh homes planning application – Scottish 20-minute neighbourhood article are welcome.
Previously on Edinburgh Architecture:
18 May 2023
Location: between the Gogar Roundabout and Ingliston Park and Ride
West Town Edinburgh Gogar Homes
City of Edinburgh Council and West Town Edinburgh Ltd Agree Joint Approach for the Sustainable Expansion of Edinburgh
image courtesy of West Town Edinburgh Ltd
West Town Edinburgh 20-minute neighbourhood
West Town Edinburgh Vision
West Town Vision
image courtesy of architects practice
West Town Edinburgh Property Vision
Edinburgh Homes
Edinburgh Property Developments – recent selection below:
Red Sandstone Building on Leith Walk
image courtesy of the Drum Property Group
Red Sandstone Building, Leith Walk
Rowanbank Gardens, Corstorphine
Rowanbank Gardens Edinburgh Housing
Lothian Architecture Designs
Virgin Hotels Edinburgh Opens
photo : Virgin Hotels Edinburgh
Virgin Hotels Edinburgh Victoria Street
St James Quarter’s W Edinburgh
image courtesy of architects practice
W Edinburgh Hotel at St James Quarter
Comments / photos for the West Town Edinburgh homes planning application page welcome