Largest net-zero housing development in Scotland granted approval

The City of Edinburgh Council will lead development of the 444-home Western Villages, in partnership with Glasgow-based contractor CCG and architect Cooper Cromar, designed to CCG’s newly launched ‘Net Zero Home’ housebuilding standard.

Developed in collaboration with energy and sustainability consultancy, Carbon Futures, the Net-Zero Home focuses on enhanced fabric performance, low carbon heating and renewable technology.

The development will form part of the Granton Waterfront Regeneration, where over 3,500 homes are set to be created over the next ten years, with a mix of social, mid-market rent, market rent and private sale tenures.

City of Edinburgh Council’s vice convener for the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work committee, Cllr Mandy Watt, said: ‘All of the steps we’re taking to make homes more sustainable will reduce the energy they use once occupied, thereby helping us to tackle climate change and become net zero carbon by 2030. That’s why we’re pleased to have CCG working with us as they adopt a new ground-breaking housebuilding standard.

‘It’s great to see this development with a large proportion of social rent homes get planning approval. We have incredibly ambitious plans which form the bedrock of our housing strategy over the next ten years. There is a critical need for more affordable homes in Edinburgh and we are responding to that through the commitment to build 20,000 social and affordable homes by 2027.’

Greater emphasis will also be placed on pedestrian and cycle movement in the project, with electric car charging, car club accessibility and public transport in place of traditional car parking, which is reduced across the development.

CCG Managing Director, David Wylie, said: ‘Housebuilding is going to play a major part in achieving our ambitious target of becoming a ‘net zero’ economy by 2045.

‘With gas being removed from new build homes as early as 2024, it places greater emphasis on collaborative working as the partners on this project have demonstrated; utilising the CCG Net Zero Home building standard to create an affordable, scalable and practical solution that can ultimately be delivered now for any residential development.’

In related news, construction has begun on a carbon-neutral bus station in Leicester.

Photo by Peter Cordes