Forth Green Freeport partner, Forth Ports, has been granted approval from the City of Edinburgh Council for a Planning Permission in Principle (PPP) for a 4.7acre waterfront site, forming part of the wider Harbour 31 masterplan at The Port of Leith.
The proposed redevelopment of the site will provide in the order of 240-250 new homes including studios, 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments – which will be in line with the CEC’s approved affordable housing policy – and approximately 134sqm of commercial space for small businesses.
The apartments will be formed over a four-plot development with heights of up to six storeys with a focus on communal green spaces. As well as benefiting from the tram stop at The Port of Leith, the proposed development will include a new transport corridor to encourage sustainable modes of transport including a bus route, cycle lane and walking route linking Bath Road to Ocean Way.
Pamela Smyth, Chief Legal and Property Officer, of Forth Ports, said: “Our ambitious plans for the wider Harbour 31 masterplan at The Port of Leith will create a vibrant new quarter for people to live and work and today’s approval brings this opportunity a step closer. In recent years Leith has changed dramatically through investment and development to create an exciting place to live and work.
“The port has also been transformed and is now Scotland’s largest renewables hub currently working on the Inch Cape offshore wind project and, coupled with the benefits which will be unlocked as part of the Forth Green Freeport and new housing, will position Leith as a very attractive opportunity for the future.”
In addition, an application for listed building consent for works associated with alterations to Edinburgh Dock for the provision of surface drainage for the proposed development has also been approved. The site sits on a dockside location and fits well with the Council’s Local Development Plan for a housing-led, mixed-use development. The proposals have been designed by Comprehensive Design Architects (CDA), an award-winning practice based in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
