Housing development site set for former Leith Walk tram depot

Tramcar taken by transporter from Shrubhill Depot of Corporation Transport Dept at East London Street in Leith Walk

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The Shrubhill project will see 236 affordable homes built in the north of the capital - part of an overall plan to put 374 homes on the site.

Edinburgh’s housing leader, councillor Cammy Day, said: “I’m pleased that partnership working and council loans through the National Housing Trust (NHT) will enable more than 370 new homes to be built at Shrubhill with over 60% of them being affordable.

Shrubhill House, Leith walk. Picture; Ian Georgeson

“The development is a major part of the regeneration of Leith Walk, bringing life back into an area that has lain derelict for many years.”

The development will include 150 homes built under the NHT initiative.

As part of the financing scheme, developers are appointed to build a specified number of affordable homes on land they own.

The homes are bought by a local partnership company which includes the developer, local council and Scottish Futures Trust (SFT), and then let to tenants at affordable rents for up to 10 years before being sold.

Almost 900 homes are being built in the capital under the plan.

Holyrood’s Housing Minister Kevin Stewart is joining council representatives and developers Places for People in a visit to the Shrubhill site on Tuesday to mark the official start of the work.

He said: “This Government is committed to delivering 50,000 more affordable homes over the next five years. Unique innovative financing schemes, such as NHT, play an important role in helping us deliver this major expansion in housing supply - supplementing delivery through conventional programmes which is backed up with investment of more than £3 billion.

“I am delighted to officially mark the start of work on the Shrubhill site. This development will not only regenerate an iconic site in the centre of Edinburgh, but will also provide hundreds more high quality affordable homes for the people of the city.”

The city council is supporting the development with almost £28 million of grant and loan funding.