Edinburgh residents voice fears about new housing scheme as government overturns council's refusal

New blocks in Edinburgh’s Blackford area will ‘tower over’ existing homes

A controversial housing development has been given the go-ahead by the Scottish Government, overturning the decision of the city council's planning sub-committee to refuse the scheme.

The application by Cala Homes to build 49 residential units on the site of the former St Crispin's special school at Watertoun Road in Blackford was rejected by councillors in February 2022 amid concerns about the scale and density of the development and the loss of privacy for residents in neighbouring houses. Planning officials had recommended approval of the proposal, but the sub-committee voted by five to three to refuse it, with one councillor saying the plans would mean a new three-storey block "towering over" existing homes down a slope in adjoining Langton Road.

Cala appealed against the refusal and a Scottish Government reporter overruled the council. But residents living next to the site say new flats which are part of the development will look right into their homes. They also still have concerns about allotments being flooded because of the development's impact on natural drainage and whether the sewer system will be able to cope with the new homes. And one resident accused Cala of "ghettoisation" because of plans to locate a block containing affordable housing looking into the backs of existing houses rather than facing into the rest of the development.

Trees which might have helped screen the new development - which will be built on the site of the former St Crispin's special school - from existing homes have been removed

The council received 166 objections to the scheme, which involves 23 three-storey townhouses laid out in terraces and 26 flats in two blocks of three and four storeys. St Crispin's relocated from the site to a new home in Burdiehouse last year and the old school buildings will be demolished to make way for the new development.

Stephen Cooney, who lives in Langton Road, said the reporter’s written decision wrongly claimed trees on the eastern boundary of the site were being retained and would provide screening for existing homes, aided by wooden fencing proposed as part of the development. “The report talks about trees retained down east side, but they’ve just chopped them down – they were always earmarked to go. And the fences, because of the height difference with the ground climbing up, won’t stop anyone seeing at all.”

Mr Cooney continued: “The Edinburgh design guidance says no new buildings should be higher than adjacent existing buildings and they clearly are. The flats planned to run down the east side, where Langton Road is, are at least 1.5 metres higher, plus they are going to be on higher ground which will make them about 4m higher. In terms of overshadowing and privacy it's just outrageous. I'm going to be looking out right onto the gable end of a row of townhouses – but they’re going to be much higher. My house is 7m high, while the building that’s going there i going to be 12m – and sitting on ground that is 2m higher, so 14m higher overall.”

Mr Cooney said most of the affordable properties on the site were townhouses but there was also a block of 12 flats. “That block of flats, believe it or not, doesn't face into the new development. The front of their properties are being put against the back of Langton Road flats. That's how they've positioned the affordable housing –which is bizarre to say the least. It’s bizarre that Cala thinks that's acceptable because to me it seems like social discrimination. But the council has accepted that too.

The new homes will be built on the site of the former St Crispin's special school at Watertoun Road - the school relocated to Burdiehouse last year.

"As someone said to me, it’s ghettoisation of the new affordable block. And the elevation they have is just astonishing into the back of existing flats in Langton Road. It's going to be difficult to look out the window without seeing into the rear of other people's properties. It’s bad in terms of privacy for the existing residents, but it also seems unfair for the people who are going to be in these affordable properties, the way they're being treated.”

Mr Cooney said there were still concerns about the foundations for the new buildings interfering with the underground drainage on the site and causing flooding of the nearby West Mains allotments. And there are also fears over the adequacy of the sewer provision. He said Cala planned to use an existing six-inch sewer to serve the new development. “It is already serving the properties in Watertoun Road, which is probably about 100 people, and then they want to put on the 49 new properties, which Cala have said will have 225 people, so that’s 300-plus using one six-inch sewer. I don't think that's adequate.”

A Cala spokesperson said the development had been through a rigorous planning and appeal process, culminating in a positive outcome. "Our redevelopment of this brownfield site brings forward much needed private and affordable homes. As part of our proposal we will deliver 25 per cent social rent housing on-site, with a mix of one-to-three bedroom homes. These will be the first social rent homes to be built in the area for around 60 years.

"The proposed development complies with both planning and Scottish Water guidelines and will be drained via a new sustainable urban drainage system before forming part of Scottish Water's drainage network on Watertoun Road. We recognise the importance of communication with our surrounding communities and have established a dedicated development website that will provide regular construction updates.”