PLANS have been approved for the build of 126 new energy-efficient homes on the site of a former care home in Edinburgh.
The development, by Artisan Real Estate, in Corstorphine will bring a mixture of one, two and three-bedroom apartments on the site of the former Gylemuir Care Home.
The development has been heralded as a blueprint for post-Covid living, with it bringing together smart energy-efficient design geared to achieving low to zero carbon ratings whilst also responding to the rapidly changing requirements of home buyers and the wider community following lockdown.
Apartments have been designed around an internal courtyard garden filled with fruit trees and communal planting and growing beds – as well as a children’s play park, a natural woodland areas and formal lawns. The homes have been designed for open-plan living with most having easy access to a private courtyard or large balcony overlooking the gardens – while innovations such as green roofs will look to ensure benefits of surface water retention, improved insulation and ecology.
Artisan’s regional sales team leader, Christie Turner, said, “This is part of a £90 million investment commitment to raise the standards of sustainable living at prime city centre brownfield sites across Edinburgh. Rowanbank Gardens is a significant planning application providing much-needed new homes in a popular and accessible part of the city. The site is ideally located between a large public open space and a major retail park, with superb transport links in and out of the city.
“At its heart is a sustainable design which reflects the demands of modern life, with buildings designed to minimise carbon footprint and maximise daylight. Significant emphasis is placed on the quality of internal space and light to create enjoyable home-working environments, whilst accessible gardens and landscaping promote health and well-being by making nature and well-designed outdoor space integral to the day-to-day living experience.
“The site fits in well with Artisan’s approach of regenerating brownfield sites with good public transport links and is well set to meet the Council’s stated requirement for well designed, high density living whilst providing spacious communal areas and well-established public transport links ensuring low car ownership. There are also all-electric charging points for the provided car parking, city car club membership and generous secure cycle parking.
“The planning application follows a period of consultation with local people and community groups earlier this year, and we received a lot of feedback which we incorporated into our final proposal. There has been strong interest in the development from Corstorphine residents, many of whom wanted to downsize and stay in the area and from families looking for more space. We are now looking forward to getting on site and progressing with the development, continuing with our ongoing investment to get the city living again following lockdown.”
