Edinburgh development: Revised plans for one of Edinburgh’s largest-ever sustainable workplace projects

Plans for ‘Edinburgh Green’ include Scotland’s biggest EV charging hub

Revised plans have been submitted for one of Edinburgh’s largest-ever sustainable office campuses on a site in the west of the city.

Developers behind the “Edinburgh Green” project on an 18-acre site at Edinburgh Park say it will include much-needed, high-spec workspace for nearly 6,400 employees, a new public park and Scotland’s largest electric vehicle (EV) charging hub as well as cafe and event space.

Shelborn Asset Management purchased the site and existing buildings from the NatWest Group in 2021. One office building on the site, Drummond House, has already been demolished, but another, the Younger Building, has been retained and refurbished. And the plans involved construction of seven new office buildings, as well as a 516-space multi-storey car park with EV charging.

The Edinburgh Green development will have flexible, sustainable office space for nearly 6,400 employees.

The developers say Edinburgh Green, with 800,000 square feet of flexible office space, is among the most ambitious and sustainable office developments ever proposed in the city. The revised application comes following an initial pre-application consultation phase and application in 2022. They say the use of passive design measures and sustainable materials mean the latest plans represent a 25 per cent reduction in operational carbon over a 60-year period compared to the previous proposals.

The number of car parking spaces as been scaled down from the original proposals to meet the city council’s policy and an underground parking element has been scrapped. But the developers say the multi-storey will still be Scotland’s largest EV charging hub and one of the largest in Europe. Initially, one in six of the parking spaces will have a charger installed and the rest will be EV-enabled with all the necessary cabling ready to meet demand. There will also be a further 37 installed, accessible EV charging spaces at surface level.

The development will also have strong public transport links with rail and tram stops at Edinburgh Park station and will include a dedicated mobility hub, connecting to active travel options across the city.

Brian Rabinowitz, director at Shelborn, said: “In bringing forward revised proposals for Edinburgh Green, we are reaffirming our commitment to delivering the most ambitious office development seen in Edinburgh in decades, changing perceptions of how office space should look and feel within the Capital. By delivering Scotland’s largest EV charging hub, we are putting sustainability and active travel at the heart of our proposals, whilst crucially seeking to address the recognised shortage of prime, sustainable Grade A office space within Edinburgh.”