Scottish government green-lights £500m Edinburgh housing development

The Scottish government has given the green light for a £500m housing development in Edinburgh.Murray Estates received the final approval for the development in the west of the city, which is set to include supporting infrastructure such as a new primary school.The first phase of the Edinburgh Garden District – Redheughs Village – will deliver 1,350 homes of various types and tenures, including more than 330 new affordable homes.The development will also deliver a new neighbourhood centre, convenience retailing, local road improvements, and a 40-acre park for the community.Active travel routes enabling cycling and pedestrian access to and through the site will be provided, which Murray Estates says makes it “one of the most sustainable new developments in Scotland”.Seven years in planningThe project has been in the planning process since 2015; it was approved by the City of Edinburgh Council in June 2016 before being called in by the Scottish government.The reporter recommended that planning permission in principle be granted and this was ratified by Scottish ministers in April 2020.Following the agreement of a Section 75 with the City of Edinburgh Council, Murray Estates was then asked by the Scottish government to engage in a further procedure in October 2021 to retrospectively review any impacts of the recently published proposed local development plan on its earlier decision.That process is now complete, and planning permission has been granted with no further conditions.