Edinburgh council invests £128 million in improving council homes and building new houses

More than 3,000 council homes in the Capital are to be improved over the next year as part of a £128 million housing investment in the city.

Let us know what you think and join the conversation at the bottom of this article.

The council said the cash would make the homes greener, safer, and more accessible for generations to come.

It aims to be one of the first local authorities in Scotland to pilot a “whole house retrofit” approach to support the council’s net zero carbon commitment.

That is expected to involve a mix of measures in different homes, including insulating roofs, walls and floors; replacement windows; improved ventilation design; and more efficient low-carbon heating and hot water systems.

The investment plan will also drive forward the council’s house-building strategy centred on new affordable homes to address the city’s housing pressures.

There are currently over 770 new homes on site and under construction and a further 2,200 homes in design and pre-construction stage, not including those being delivered for private sale or market rent through council-led developments.

Housing convener Kate Campbell said: “We’re really scaling up our efforts to improve the condition of people’s homes and driving forward our house-building programme, so that residents can have permanent homes that are energy efficient, safe and affordable.

Edinburgh has huge housing pressures

“Our ambition has been to deliver 20,000 affordable new homes by 2027 and we’re well on the way to achieving that despite the pandemic and Brexit, which have been really challenging for construction.”

She said the rent freeze which the council agreed for tenants next year would help support them through the cost of living crisis.

"But, longer term, all the work we’re doing now to make homes much more sustainable will also help us to drive down fuel bills.

"The steps we’re taking to make better use of shared greenspaces is also important for tenants’ wellbeing.

“Our investment plan for the year ahead will make a big difference to our tenants, both their quality of life in their homes, and to their cost of living.”

Vice-convener Mandy Watt there was huge pressure on housing in Edinburgh and people on low incomes continued to be the most affected by high rents and high bills.

She said: “House-building has a role to play in providing more affordable and energy efficient homes, and to help us meet the city’s growing demand for accommodation.“While funding and land supply remain two key challenges, we’re doing a lot of work to maximise the number of homes we can deliver. But we’re also investing in existing homes and revolutionising housing to provide safer, warmer, and more enjoyable places to live.”

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.