Final 90 new Edinburgh council homes approved as part of Pennywell regeneration project
Plans for the final 90 new Edinburgh council homes have been approved as part of the Pennywell regeneration project.
Work is due to start on February 23 for the delivery of Block 3 of the final phase of the wider regeneration scheme for the north Edinburgh area, comprising 90 council homes with Class 1A use commercial units on ground floor, associated site development, drainage, external works and landscaping, including MacMillan Square.
Affordable housing will account for at least 35 per cent of the units, on the site where the former Muirhouse Shopping Centre stands.
The plans includes a mix of one, two and three bedroom flats including flats for wheelchair users and families. The project is the final phase of the original masterplan for the area,, which has involved significant investment over the last 15 years, delivering 800 new homes to the area.
This final phase of the regeneration project is split into two blocks, east and west, with both blocks four storeys high, aligning with the surrounding buildings.
The Pennywell masterplan has seen the demolition of obsolete older housing stock and commercial spaces and delivered new mixed tenure housing for sale and rent and other improvements in the form of new retail units and community facilities.
This final phase will deliver 30 per cent 1 bed, 2-person properties, 50 per cent 2 bed, 4-person properties and 20 per cent 3 bed, 5-person properties. Alongside this there are to be two commercial units, each unit circa 80 sqm, providing active frontage to Macmillan Square / Pennywell Road.
The plans, submitted in April last year, were approved on February 5 by the council’s planning department. The council’s chief planning officer David Givan said: “The principle of the proposed development is acceptable, and it complies with the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) and Local Development Plan.
“The general design, layout and materials are acceptable and follow the previous masterplan and design guide for the area. The proposals will provide a good level of amenity.
“Other matters such as transport implications, waste collection, biodiversity and sustainability are acceptable.
“Subject to recommended conditions and a memorandum of understanding, the proposal is acceptable and broadly complies with NPF4 and the aims of the LDP. There are no material considerations that outweigh this conclusion.”
A legal agreement has been signed for developer contributions of £955 per unit for primary school infrastructure and £4,964 per unit for secondary school infrastructure.
In the planning documents, the council’s agent Stallan-Brand Architecture & Design Ltd said of the proposals: “It will define the edge to Pennywell Road and complete MacMillan Square.
“Sitting adjacent to the recently completed Arts Centre and opposite newly built flats with commercial spaces to the north will complement the delivery of local facilities in the area which include homes, a health centre and schools.”
Seven conditions were added to the council approval for this application, which received no public comments on the online planning portal, including work starting within three years.
A site survey must be carried out to establish, either that the level of risk posed to human health and the wider environment by contaminants.
A detailed specification, including trade names where appropriate, of all the proposed external materials shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the planning authority before work is commenced on site.
Cooking operations within the Class 1A units shall be restricted to the use of one microwave, one single sandwich Panini machine, one toaster and a souple kettle only; no other forms of cooking shall take place without the prior written approval of the planning authority.
Other conditions include an approved landscape scheme and associated maintenance schedule, as well as specifications for glazing, ventilation and walls, and biodiversity measures.
The site currently has vehicular access from Pennywell Road to the east and Muirhouse Avenue to the south.
There are future plans to de-dual Pennywell road to allow for an active travel route which will further enhance the public routes to the site. This, however, will lead to the site only being accessed by vehicles from the south.
For the latest public notices from your area, please visit: https://publicnoticeportal.uk/