Work to transform Powderhall waste depot into homes and early learning centre could start in summer

Work to transform the former Powderhall refuse depot into affordable homes and an early learning centre could start this summer, the Council has revealed.

Powderhall nursery view

The development which forms part of the wider regeneration of the former Powderhall Waste Transfer Station and the adjacent former Stables building will deliver more than 200 homes – over a third of them affordable.

It will also feature a new Early Learning and Childcare Centre with places for 128 children and 27 accessible council homes, designed for older people, situated above.

Now a planning application has been submitted for the first phase of the project by Collective Architecture, who are designing the development for the council.

One of the first of its kind in Scotland the facility will bring older residents and an early learning and childcare centre onto one site, providing learning and social opportunities for children attending the nursery.

The new Early Learning and Childcare Centre, which will be managed by Broughton Primary School, will allow for the existing nursery provision to relocate to the new centre. This will provide more childcare places and open up more space for the school.

The development also proposes to create a new civic space as an entrance to Powderhall and make improvements to St Mark’s Path, together with a new outdoor educational space for Broughton Primary School.

Subject to planning approval the Council hopes to start on site with the building and associated works this summer.

Councillor Ian Perry, Convenor for Education, Children and Families, said:

“This entire Powderhall development will bring fantastic benefits to the local community, creating great spaces to live, work and play – while being safe and carbon neutral. It’s great to see that through the new Early Learning and Childcare Centre more children in the area will be able to access nursery spaces. This will allow us to meet our commitments to making early years provision more flexible, to fit family needs, and deliver 1,140 hours a year of free early learning and childcare for all three- and four-year olds and eligible two-year-olds.”

Councillor Kate Campbell, Convenor for Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work, said:

“The community has absolutely shaped the development plans for this site, so I’d like to thank everyone who gave up their time to share their thoughts with us. The plans are better because of their contributions and will have community facilities that work for local people.

These new homes will be accessible and energy efficient. They will all be fully wheelchair adapted and built to the internationally recognised Passivhaus-standard, with renewable power generation on site. So they are both contributing to our Net Zero Carbon by 2030 target and our commitment to building 20,000 affordable homes by 2027.

We’ll start by restoring the stable block and work will begin imminently. This will create affordable, flexible workspace for small businesses – supporting dozens of local jobs. The function space can be used for community events, such as art classes or exhibitions.

I’m looking forward to seeing the development start to take shape over the course of next year, restoring the lovely stable blocks, bringing them back into use and giving local residents back this area that has been unused for so long.”

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