UK: Developer HUB and impact investor Bridges Fund Management have received planning consent for a residential-led development on Beaverhall Road in Edinburgh.
The project will provide 205 BTR homes, including 52 affordable units, as well as workspace for creatives and a new publicly accessible courtyard.
The scheme will replace an existing warehouse with “a contemporary scheme that maintains the site’s status as a focal point for the resident creative community, delivering 45 per cent more creative workspace than provided by the current building, whilst also bringing new homes to the area”.
Designed by architects shedkm, the proposal has been developed in close collaboration with the local community and current businesses, with the ground floor creative workspace co-designed by the existing tenants, many of whom plan to move into the new development.
The focal point of the scheme will be a new public courtyard, Makers Yard. The new development will also feature a large mural by a local Edinburgh artist on one of the external walls.
In line with HUB and Bridges’ shared values, the plans exceed current Scottish sustainability regulations and include a biodiverse green roof, as well as a communal air source heat pump to provide environmentally responsible heating for the entire building. The designs maximise the potential of a brownfield city centre site and will deliver ‘tenure-blind’ homes, meaning all residents’ homes will be of the same high quality.
Tom Valente, development manager at HUB, said: “We are hugely excited to be moving forward with one of our first developments in Edinburgh. It’s a fantastic city which has a long-established creative scene, and prides itself on its wealth of small, independent businesses. Our plans for Beaverhall will maintain the site’s status as a hive of creativity by placing studios and maker spaces at the heart of the development, alongside high quality, sustainable homes for local people. What we are doing here demonstrates the potential to create lively mixed-use communities on urban brownfield sites, and this is a model that we want to champion both in Edinburgh and elsewhere across the UK.”
Simon Ringer, partner and head of property at Bridges, added: “For Bridges and HUB, people and planet are central to the design and planning of all our new developments. By building high-quality, sustainable lower-cost housing, coupled with enticing public spaces that reflect the needs of local people, we can create highly attractive developments that really deliver for the local community. Beaverhall will be a perfect example of this; and we’re particularly delighted that we’ve also been able to reflect the site’s heritage as a creative hub in the design. We can’t wait to see it come to life in the months ahead.”
James Spencer, associate at shedkm, said: “We’re really excited to be working with HUB to preserve this creative heart in Edinburgh, while improving the built environment for the local community. We look forward to bringing our longstanding experience in regenerating areas across the UK, to create a modern, sustainable place that builds upon Edinburgh’s industrious heritage and remains a key piece of the city.”
