PLANS have been launched for the creation of a new community in west Edinburgh featuring 3,000 new homes, shops, a school, and office space to support more than 4,000 jobs.
Crosswind Developments is behind the plans for the Elements Edinburgh development, which is proposed to be built on a brownfield site situated between the residential areas of Cammo, East Craigs, and South Gyle, and the commercial centres of Edinburgh Park and NatWest’s Gogarburn campus.
The site is also adjacent to the proposed West Town development, for which an unrelated planning application was submitted last month. In total, the two proposals promise to deliver some 10,000 new homes in Scotland’s capital over the coming years, with over one-third of those properties allocated as affordable homes, more than 1,000 of them at Elements Edinburgh.
Crosswind’s plans include a mixture of one, two, and three-bedroom homes designed to support affordability and intergenerational living. A new primary school will also feature at the site, and the development’s buildings will be constructed to the ‘highest’ energy-efficiency standards to lower heat demands.
The neighbourhood will be car-lite with a lower level of car parking to reflect the increased opportunities for those who live and work there to walk, cycle, and make use of public transport connections.
After consultation with local stakeholders and the City of Edinburgh council’s planning officials last year, Crosswind has now formally applied for planning permission in principle for Elements Edinburgh.
John Watson, chief executive of Crosswind Developments, said, “We’ve been working closely with the council’s planning officials for some time now to unlock this strategically important site in the west of the city and have invested £8 million in this project since 2017. Elements Edinburgh will offer homes and commercial space, designed to provide the perfect blend of life, work, learning, and nature for all.
“We believe our proposals are not only notable in Edinburgh and regional terms, but are of national significance in terms of placemaking, sustainability, and economic impact. We want to partner with the best innovators in Scotland and embrace the latest in energy provision; focus on different forms of mobility rather than simply cars; and work in partnership with neighbouring landowners to achieve a joined-up approach to transport and other matters.
“We are keenly aware of the need for affordable housing across the city region and have taken great care to ensure the plans we submitted align with recent changes to the planning landscape, including the 2030 City Plan and NPF4.
“The new blueprint outlines our vision for the creation of a new community, featuring inclusive housing for a range of needs and incomes, a primary school, flexible places to work, facilities and services to meet daily needs, and generous green spaces that are well connected to the city and beyond by active travel and public transport.
“If realised, Elements Edinburgh promises to form a key part of west Edinburgh’s wider prosperity and economic growth and will provide hundreds of people with high-quality, sustainable homes. The feedback we received through the consultation process shows that local stakeholders are receptive to and supportive of our vision.”
