Edinburgh council cleansing depot set to be transformed into homes for wheelchair users
and live on Freeview channel 276
Let us know what you think and join the conversation at the bottom of this article.
Cowan’s Close depot on the Capital’s South Side is scheduled for closure under a review of council sites and a consultation is under way on the proposal to use it to build the new specially-designed homes.
The council said: “There is a shortage of affordable housing, like council housing, in Edinburgh For every vouncil house that becomes available for relet there are an average of 192 households ‘bidding’ to get it.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“As well as the shortage of affordable housing there is an even greater shortage of adapted homes suitable for people with a disability or who need to use a wheelchair.
“The proposal to build new wheelchair-adapted council homes at Cowan’s Close is being done as part of a council target to build 20,000 new affordable homes in the city aimed at addressing some of that need.
“The site is currently used as a depot by council street cleansing staff. This use and staff based there are due to relocate as part of the council’s depot review. Staff will relocate on a phased basis throughout 2021 and 2022.”
A report to the council’s finance committee earlier this year said the closure of Cowan’s Close had been delayed by Covid-19, but some staff are due to move to the Seafield depot, where it is planned to convert a large area previously used for fire and rescue safety training operations, refurbish other parts of the depot and possibly add new unit. Other Cowan’s Close staff could relocate to the Craigmillar depot where another new unit is being considered.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe first online consultation on the Cowan’s Close proposals took place last month and further online drop-in sessions will take place on Thursday between 8.30am and 9.30am, 12.30pm and 1.30pm, and 6.30pm and 7.30pm.
As pat of the consultation people are also invited to give their views in an online consultation form about the surrounding area, including their opinion on walking routes and public transport, whether there is too much traffic and whether there is good access to natural spaces.
A message from the Editor:
Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.
If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.