Edinburgh planning: 39 new homes approved at vacant Leith Docks site as part of wider 105-home development

The initial planning application for 29 homes on the eastern part of the site at the Tower Street/ Bath Road site was increased to 39 homes, and approved by the council’s planning department on November 5.

This ‘phase 2’ application takes the number of new homes to be built on the site to 105, as part of a previous application approved in 2021. While, the number of affordable units has been increased from 20 to 23.

A four-storey L-shaped block containing 39 flats (16 market and 23 affordable) has now been approved, replacing the originally approved proposals for the eastern section of the site.

A 300 sq.m rain garden is maintained within the proposals, located to the north of the new L-shaped block. The rain garden provides SUDS attenuation and, owing to it being shallow, is also a useable amenity space.

The Leith site will be transformed under the approved plans. | Google Maps

The rain garden would be planted with shrubs and formal hedgerows, specimen shrubs and trees. In addition, on the eastern part of the site there is a formal planted area and an adjoining linear landscape strip planted as a community orchard with a combined area of 478 square metres.

The colonies block includes small private front gardens and small private rear gardens backing onto the rain garden.

In the planning documents, the applicant said: “This development aims to achieve a suitable mix of uses, including new housing and commercial spaces, while enhancing the public realm on Salamander Street and Bath Road.

“The proposals sustainability utilise the site, improving on that already consented with a scheme that is more reflective of the surrounding context, taking cognisance of the surrounding industrial heritage with a variety of materials whilst using contemporary detailing to create a strong sense of place.

“The proposal is not detrimental to the amenity of neighbours in terms of overshadowing or operationally. And the proposal provides high quality urban realm amenity for the future occupiers of the development through the proposed rain garden and community orchard. The green space proposed is significant, 1,056 sq.m, or 46 per cent of the site area.

“A greater variety of living with the addition of three-bed apartments is proposed, whilst maintaining ground floor access more suitable to elderly living.”

The new housing on the eastern part of the site will have a similar footprint to the housing consented under permission three years ago.

This application received one comment online, from the Edinburgh Access Panel, who said: “The proposal shows no drop-off spaces nor any accessible parking within the site boundary.

“The description of accessible homes in the application does not appear to be matched by the drawings. The statement that the ground floor housing will be suitable for older people needs to be demonstrated on the plans.”

The plans show this additional site to the east, marked in red, next to the previously approved plans for the west of the site. | City of Edinburgh Council

The application site is roughly triangular shaped in plan and extends to 0.23 hectares. The site currently operates as site compound and storage area for Phase 1 of the wider Tower Street / Bath Road development. Previous to this, it has been used by the City of Edinburgh Council as a car pound, and previous to that, to store grit.

Approving these plans, the council’s chief planning officer David Givan said: “The proposed residential flatted use is acceptable in land use terms. Subject to conditions, there is no significant adverse impact on neighbouring amenity and the future occupiers will be afforded adequate residential amenity.

“The development is acceptable in transportation terms including cycle parking. The development has no detrimental impact on significant archaeological remains.

“There is an infringement of the Edinburgh Design Guidance both in terms of the proportion of three-bed units suitable for growing families and there not being a proportionate split of family and non-family units between the private and affordable components.

“However, given that the proposed proportion of three-bed units across the wider site exceeds 20 per cent, and the fact that there is a mixture of sizes of units across the site and which all meet the minimum internal floor space set by the Guidance, the infringement is considered minor and acceptable in the particular circumstances of this case.

“There is an infringement of the Edinburgh Design Guidance in terms of the flats suitable for growing families not having direct access to a private garden. However, this is acceptable in this case given that the proposal is a high density development which is of a similar character to existing neighbouring developments and is an effective reuse of an urban site.”

A new 212-unit residential development with commercial spaces is under construction to the south-west of this site - which is bound to the north by cleared land that that forms part of Forth Ports Authority docks and basins.

Sepa objected to this application in August. However, following consultation with the applicant and the local authority it has now withdrawn it’s objection.