PLANS have been approved for the build of 3,000 new homes on the site of Edinburgh Airport’s disused runway.
Spearheaded by Crosswind Developments, the site is also set to feature 500,000 sq ft of commercial space as well as hotels – with around half of the land will be protected for high-quality green space.
The development, which Crosswind said will support 4,500 jobs, will transform the 29-hectare disused brownfield site, providing affordable and energy-efficient homes at a time of acute housing need for the city. The site will also provide crucial infrastructure, including a new primary school.
Crosswind said that the new homes will be built to the ‘highest’ environmental building standards, linked to the local heat network, and will aim for zero household CO2 emissions – helping Edinburgh meet its environmental targets. The site will also be designed as a car-lite, 20-minute neighbourhood, promoting active travel with over 9km of walking and cycling routes.
Members of the City of Edinburgh Council planning committee responded positively to Crosswind’s application for planning in principle. Councillor Amy McNeese-Mechan said the proposals demonstrated ‘well thought out principles of placemaking’ while councillor Neil Gardiner said it ‘takes traditional Edinburgh… a high-density city with good open spaces… into the 21st century’.
Councillor Tim Jones added, “We desperately need more homes and you’re providing them. A lot of thought and hard work has gone into this application.” Whilst councillor Joanna Mowat commented that the application ‘ticks all our boxes’ and noted ‘it’s nice when the developers make it easy for us’.
The decision follows the recent approval of the adjacent West Town development, which is expected to deliver 7,000 homes on a neighbouring site. The two developments combined will see 10,000 new homes built.
John Watson, chief executive of Crosswind Developments, said, “After many years working with the local government and our neighbours, this approval marks a critical moment for West Edinburgh, and the city more widely, allowing us all to take the next step towards delivering new homes the city so desperately needs.
“The Elements site is central to the wider vision for West Edinburgh. Aside from delivering 3,000 new homes, the site will also provide key transport links, green space and a primary school which will help ensure these major housing developments also become a thriving community.
“Crosswind and other developers have been working for many years to get to this stage and it is essential that we continue to work in collaboration with each other – and a wide range of other private and public stakeholders – to deliver a decade and more of exciting development in the west of Edinburgh. Today’s decision marks the beginning of a new chapter which will see plans for the Elements site become a reality, transforming Edinburgh and creating new homes for its people.”
Project Scotland visited the site of the Crosswind development earlier this year to speak to project director, David Kelman. To read the article, click here.
