Edinburgh council homes: the capital needs more social housing - not ‘luxury expensive student flats’

Living Rent members protested near a development site pegged for luxury flats today to campaign for more social homes

Campaigners in Edinburgh protested against plans to build hundreds of luxury flats and student beds in Leith today - stating that Edinburgh is in desperate need of more social homes.

This afternoon, members from Edinburgh’s Living Rent branch staged a demonstration banner drop near Dalton scrapyard on Salamander Street in Leith, where there are plans for mixed-use development on the site, consisting of 216 build-to-rent flats and 279 student beds are proposed.

Living Rent says that the flats are not accessible to the vast majority of Leith residents and campaigners hope their action taken today will encourage councillors to consider this aspect when making a final decision on the planning application. The move comes after the City of Edinburgh Council declared a housing emergency last month.

Living Rent members from Edinburgh’s staged a demonstration near Dalton scrapyard on Salamander Street in Leith - a development site pegged for hundreds of luxury flats and student beds. Photo: Living Rent

Living Rent Leith spokesperson, Amy Rumney, said: “Leith is in desperate need of social housing, not student flats. There is a glut of private student flats in the area and residents have had enough.

“Rents have increased by over 80 per cent in the last decade, far more than anyone can afford. And yet despite declaring a housing emergency, the council is simply not doing enough to ensure that there is social housing available for the 23,000 on waiting lists in Edinburgh.”

In recent months Living Rent members met with council officials after it was found that nearly 1,500 social homes lay empty due to outstanding repairs. In addition, the tenant’s union found that many people faced lengthy waiting times to find a social home in Edinburgh. Living Rent is now calling for the development site to partially or wholly consist of social housing, and for planned green space to be publicly accessible in order to better meet the needs of the local community.

Ms Rumney added: “Luxury expensive student flats are no good for students or residents and they are being prioritised over the needs of the community. Leith needs more social housing. The council needs to reject this planning application in favour of a proposal which includes adequate provision of decent homes for the working-class people of Leith.”

The first planning application to convert the Dalton site was lodged in August this year, proposing to demolish the existing structures, and erect a mixed-use Build To Rent and Purpose Built Student Housing (PBSA )development with commercial units at street level.

Following two public consultation events, the application was then open to public comments through November and early December where it received 100 objections against 32 comments that were in favour of the development.

Living Rent say that as of May 2023 there were 23,247 applicants hoping to find permanent social housing in the city and the average waiting time for a property is now over three years. The tenant’s union said the council advised that there are approximately 200 applications for every social rented home that becomes available in Edinburgh.

During a full council meeting on November 2, The City of Edinburgh Council declared a housing emergency, with councillor Jane Meagher saying that Edinburgh has ‘the lowest proportion of homes for social rent in all of Scotland.’

Cllr Meagher, the convener for housing, homelessness and fair work committee, said: “Edinburgh may be a wealthy city on the surface, but we are seeing demand for homes far outstrip supply. Close to 5,000 households including many children will need to live in temporary accommodation this Christmas, because of this housing shortage.”