In today’s edition:
‘Affordable’ homes target exceeded;
The SNP manifesto and Edinburgh;
Cramond ‘campus’ proposals inch towards a formal planning application;
Call for entries issued by Scots property awards competition;
Finalists announced by Scottish Home Awards;
Sustainable design accreditation for Edinburgh-based architect;
Edinburgh tenement maintenance - online seminar;
Mural celebrates the local people of Leith;
Paying subscribers invite;
Ministers reportedly warned Scots law lacks the facility to shut down ‘rogue’ shops;
Tenement tale turns the spotlight on Picardy Place;
Manifesto issued as cyclists prepare to Pedal on Parliament;
Wanted: Views on how to potentially ‘improve’ the West End;
Applications invited for Edinburgh Doors Open Days weekend;
Litter pick organised for Sighthill Park; and
Enjoy, see you next Friday!
‘Affordable’ homes target exceeded
ALMOST 1,500 new ‘affordable’ homes were completed by the city council, and its housing association partners, in the last financial year - according to an announcement from the council.
Says a media release, issued by the council, the figure represents “the most completions delivered in a single year since the [council’s] Affordable Housing Supply Programme began”.
The announcement continues, here: “In 2025/26 1,473 houses were completed or purchased for use, beating the target of 1,368, while 994 homes were approved for construction. Work also started at 1,004 sites.
“Almost £74m was spent on affordable housing in the last financial year, surpassing the previous high figure of £55m spent in a single financial year since the programme was introduced in 2007.”
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The SNP manifesto and Edinburgh
WITH the SNP expected to form the next Scottish Government (in whatever guise: minority or majority) - following yesterday’s Scottish Parliament elections - several implications are in store for Edinburgh, should the party’s campaign manifesto to be honoured.
One pledge has already been noted by BuildEdinburgh - here - which is to fund a feasibility study into the possible re-opening of the South Suburban rail line for passenger traffic, as part of a wider ‘Tram Trains’ scheme.
Also on the cards from the manifesto (here) is a walk-in clinic service in north Edinburgh, a possible second Gaelic-medium primary school and a feasibility study into how Wardie Bay and parts of the Water of Leith might be turned into an outdoor swimming facility similar to Copenhagen’s Harbour Baths.
Another pledge - with potentially significant implications for plans for a second tram route in Edinburgh, this time north-to-south, complementing the current Newhaven-airport route - reads: “We support efforts in Edinburgh to retain the Roseburn corridor as a route for pedestrians and cyclists and believe that any tram proposals brought forward and funded by the city council should use an alternative route.
“We will also support efforts to bring the former Powderhall railway line into use as a new walking and cycling route in the capital.”
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Cramond ‘campus’ proposals inch towards a formal planning application
A PLANNING application is expected to be soon submitted for a ‘mixed-use campus’ development in Cramond, including - among other things - sports facilities and a care home.
Being a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN), it is expected public consultation events will be soon held (two have been scheduled, but as yet with no accompanying details) ahead of a formal planning application being submitted.
The PAN follows the developers being ordered ‘to get a move on’ by the city council’s Development Management sub-committee in January (here).
At the time, BuildEdinburgh’s reporting (here) of the sub-committee’s instruction began: “Developers of housing on a site in Cramond - once occupied by what is now known as the Moray House School of Education and Sport - have been ordered to produce a Proposal of Application of Notice (PAN) by April 30, concerning the provision of sports facilities that have been over 20 years in the waiting.”
The PAN notice can be read here (ref: 26/01854/PAN) and concerns the specific address, 34 Cramond Road North.
The story is picked up by the Edinburgh Live and Urban Realm websites, here and here.
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Call for entries issued by Scots property awards competition
A DEADLINE of the 21st of this month has been set for an awards competition celebrating Scotland’s housing sector.
Category titles such as Residential Regeneration Project of the Year and Affordable Housing Development of the Year are up for grabs at The Herald Property Awards for Scotland 2026.
Entry details, here.
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Finalists announced by Scottish Home Awards
MEANWHILE, the finalists have been announced for another awards competition celebrating Scotland’s housing sector.
This year’s Scottish Home Awards will be handing out the prizes on the 18th of next month, with category titles including Renovation of the Year (New Craig at Craighouse among the finalists) and Housing Development of the Year (large private sale) (West Shore among the finalists).
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Sustainable design accreditation for Edinburgh-based architect
AN architect with the Edinburgh office of Purcell Architecture has been awarded ‘Architect Accredited in Sustainable Design’ status by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland.
Says RIAS, here: “Claire [Cockburn] has RIAS accreditation in both Conservation and now Sustainable Architecture and is also a certified Passivhaus designer.”
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Edinburgh tenement maintenance - online seminar
AN online seminar is taking place next month, about Edinburgh tenement maintenance.
It is being hosted by the Scots tenements charity, Under One Roof, and is taking place on the second of next month.
Details, here.
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Mural celebrates the local people of Leith
A MURAL has been unveiled in Leith, by the recycling social enterprise, Edinburgh Remakery.
The mural - unveiled on Wednesday in Newkirkgate - followed a series of community engagement events, to garner views as to what should be celebrated in the district.
Says Edinburgh Remakery, here: “The mural is more than artwork. It reflects the people, stories and spirit of Leith. It is a piece of the community, made by the community.”
As well as local people being involved in the project, the painting also included local artists, Isabell Buenz and Ross MacRae.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, Edinburgh Remakery was recognised by an awards scheme promoting enterprise in sustainable development - a King’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development, as announced here and here.
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Paying subscribers invite
EAGLE-eyed readers will have noticed that - from last week - BuildEdinburgh has set up the opportunity for free subscribers to convert to paying ones (either £3.50 a month or £30 a year).
As the site celebrates its first birthday, funding has started to become an issue, not least because ‘solid journalism’ (phoning, researching, interviewing, etc) takes up significant effort and rightly requires paying for - especially if it is to involve commissioning freelancers.
Besides feeling good about supporting the site, paying subscribers will also enjoy access to dedicated content, plus access to exclusive webinars.
Fear not, the site’s weekly aggregation of what’s happening in the city will always remain free to read.
Crucially, they will also be able to help decide future editorial.
BuildEdinburgh now comprises almost 200 posts - most of which are now part of an archive available only to paying subscribers.
Each and every one of them has been produced for free.
The next editor of the site might struggle to be so generous with their time.
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Ministers reportedly warned Scots law lacks the facility to shut down ‘rogue’ shops
SCOTTISH Government ministers have reportedly been told that Scots law does not allow trading standards teams to shut down ‘rogue’ shops, operated by criminal gangs.
Writes Martin Williams - in an ‘exclusive’, here on the front page of the Herald on Sunday newspaper: “The Scottish Government has had a national strategy to tackle organised crime since 2009, when Letting Our Communities Flourish was first published, but concerns remain over whether enforcement powers have kept pace..”
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Tenement tale turns the spotlight on Picardy Place
IT was “part of a terrace [of townhouses] that replaced a village of French weavers”, while more recently it was a Hertz car rental garage: the latest in a series of Edinburgh tenement histories turns the spotlight on 10 Picardy Place.
Read all about it on Diarmid Mogg’s Tenement Town website - which describes itself as “uncovering Edinburgh’s forgotten lives, one stair at a time” - here.
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Manifesto issued as cyclists prepare to Pedal on Parliament
A MANIFESTO has been issued to accompany an annual gathering of cyclists at the Scottish Parliament.
The Pedal on Parliament event is taking place on the 30th of this month (starting at Middle Meadow Walk at 11.30am), and the manifesto (here) primarily has four key aims: Reinstate funding, Redouble efforts, Redress safety and Repair division.
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Wanted: Views on how to potentially ‘improve’ the West End
VIEWS are being sought about how to potentially ‘improve’ the West End.
The local community council has launched an online survey as a prelude to compiling a Local Place Plan, to submit to the city council as it works up its wider planning targets (City Plan 2040).
Already, three communities have produced a Local Place Plan - here - with several others in the pipeline, including from Fairmilehead Community Council and Morningside CC.
The survey can be found, here.
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Applications invited for Edinburgh Doors Open Days weekend
A DEADLINE of the 21st of next month has been set for applications to feature in a festival of Edinburgh buildings.
Doors Open Day is scheduled for September 26 and 27. To find out how to potentially be part of the programme, email here.
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Litter pick organised for Sighthill Park
A LITTER pick has been organised for Sighthill Park - taking place from 11am on Sunday.
Meet at the pavilion on Broomhouse Road.
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Main image details: McEwan Hall; copyright Mike Wilson
Mural image details: copyright Edinburgh Remakery