THE City of Edinburgh Council and CCG (Scotland) have been recognised for their approach to collaboration in the delivery of net zero homes after winning the 2025 Unlock Net Zero ‘Collaboration of the Year – Partnership’ award.
Unlock Net Zero is an organisation designed to educate, inform and connect people and businesses who are deploying a net zero approach to operations, products, and services.
Their third annual awards were hosted in Manchester as part of the Housing 2025 Conference, and The City of Edinburgh Council and CCG (Scotland) were nominated across two categories for their Western Villages project – Scotland’s largest ‘net zero ready’ residential development.
Forming part of the £1.3 billion Granton Waterfront Regeneration, CCG (Scotland) was appointed to deliver the project on a design and build basis in 2020. A contractor-led design team, comprising Cooper Cromar and Bayne Stevenson Associates was formed thereafter and worked alongside the council and Arcadis to develop the masterplan.
Despite the impact of the pandemic, the resultant shift in working practices, and adaptation to new renewable technologies, the 11-acre brownfield site was taken from concept to construction start in a 24-month period.
The development will support efforts to address the housing emergency Edinburgh is facing, with 388 one, two, and three-bedroom social and mid-market rent homes, as well as 56 for private sale – led by CCG Homes – all of which will be fully completed by the end of the summer.
Western Villages has been constructed to CCG’s ‘Net Zero Home’ build standard, which addresses operational carbon emissions through the adoption of an enhanced building fabric – comprising CCG’s iQ Timber System and triple-glazed windows – and zero-emissions heating.
The project’s energy strategy was developed with Carbon Futures, who digitally modelled up to nine different heating solutions to help inform the most practical and cost-effective option. The technology that is now in place – a combined air source heat pump system – is said to be one of the most sophisticated and largest of its kind in the UK and provides space heating and hot water from a centralised source instead of individual water cylinders in each dwelling.
CCG director Calum Murray said, “As the flagship of the Granton Waterfront Regeneration, Western Villages is one of the most significant residential projects of our time. It is a true testament to what can be achieved by collaborative working where, despite the impact and the societal shift that was thrust on us by the pandemic, CCG – supported by our much-valued design team and sub-contractor partners – was able to realise a practical, scalable, and affordable solution that will now significantly aid the council’s efforts to addressing the housing emergency.
“Western Villages not only serves as an exemplar for large-scale housing delivery in Edinburgh, but it has also set a benchmark for the future of housebuilding in Scotland, and we wish to express our deepest thanks to the council for entrusting us with this pioneering development.”
