Scottish Government waves through £500m housing development in West Edinburgh

Murray Estates has received final approval from the Scottish Government for a £500 million housing development and supporting infrastructure in West Edinburgh.The first phase of the Edinburgh Garden District – Redheughs Village – is set to deliver 1,350 homes of various types and tenures, including more than 330 new affordable homes, as well as funding for a new primary school and nursery that will ensure places for all children on site.The development will also deliver a new neighbourhood centre, convenience retailing, local road improvements, and a 40-acre park for the community.Located to the south-west of the Gogar roundabout, Redheughs Village will be well served by public transport, with five trams stops in close proximity and easy access to the Edinburgh Gateway and Edinburgh Park train stations. Existing bus routes will be extended to serve the site and provide links to existing employment and retail areas.Active travel routes enabling cycling and pedestrian access to and through the site will also be provided, making it one of the most sustainable new developments in Scotland.The 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.