Edinburgh Council received notification of plans to build almost 100 new apartments on the site of the old social work offices.
The architects EMA prepared the application on behalf of Robertson Partnership Homes and the City of Edinburgh Council and it is believed the homes will be affordable options.
Situated on vacant brownfield land close to Wester Hailes train station and Westside Plaza Shopping Centre, the development will deliver much needed new-build affordable housing in the capital and is part of the wider regeneration of the Wester Hailes area.
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The council has committed to deliver 10,000 homes by 2027 and are working with Robertson Partnerships to achieve this aim.
Robertson Partnership Homes will be working with the Council to use the site as an opportunity for local job creation and apprenticeship and training opportunities whilst supporting the local economy.
The site at Murrayburn Gate was formerly occupied as an Edinburgh Council Social Work office and as Wester Hailes Health Centre but the building has since been demolished and the site now lies empty.
The new development will compromise 87 apartments in total over a number of buildings, that will be mid-rise flatted blocks, five and six storeys high.
A similar deal was agreed last year to build 53 new homes nearby.
City of Edinburgh Council’s Convener for Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work, Councillor Kate Campbell said at the time: “These 53 new affordable homes at Murrayburn Gate, alongside the new affordable homes at Dumbryden Gardens, will bring the total number of new social and mid-market homes in the wider Wester Hailes area up to 220.
“We’re working with the local community, supporting their ambitious regeneration plans for this area of the city. Building these new homes is an important step and shows our commitment to invest in Wester Hailes, so I’m really pleased that a contractor has been appointed and the community will see work starting.
“We’ve agreed new design guidance which means that all new build homes being designed from now on will be built to net zero carbon standards. And working with our contractor, Robertson Partnership Homes, we’ll make sure that community benefits will be delivered as part of the project.
“ Edinburgh has one of the most ambitious house-building plans of any local authority in the country and so, even with the challenges of the pandemic, it’s really positive to see new council housing getting built, that will become much needed affordable homes.”
The planning application was asking Edinburgh Council to wave the need to have an Environmental Impact Assessment for their incoming planning application.
A decision is expected in the coming weeks and months ahead.
