Plans approved for 3,000 new Edinburgh homes

The development will also include office space, shops and a school

A new 3,000-home development in west Edinburgh has been unanimously approved by the city council.

The new community is set to be constructed on a 29-hectare disused brownfield site which used to be a runway for Edinburgh Airport, as part of a £1bn development for the city.

Edinburgh Elements will include a mixture of one, two and three-bedroom homes, as well as office space, shops, a school, active travel routes and a green urban park.

The decision was made on Wednesday by councillors on the City of Edinburgh Council's development management sub-committee, who said it "takes traditional Edinburgh into the 21st century".

Proposals for the development located near Cammo, East Craigs and South Gyle were lodged in February just a few months after the local authority became the first city council in Scotland to declare a "housing emergency".

According to Crosswind Development, the company behind the plans, more than 1,000 of the properties will be affordable housing to reduce housing pressure in the city.

The decision follows the recent approval of the adjacent West Town development, which is expected to deliver 7,000 homes on a neighbouring site.

The two developments combined will see 10,000 new homes built.

Developers said the new homes will be aim for zero household carbon dioxide emissions to help Edinburgh meet its environmental targets.

The site will also include over 9km (five miles) of designated walking and cycling routes to promote active travel and reduce the number of cars in the area.

Developers hope to create a "car-lite" neighbourhood

John Watson, chief executive of Crosswind Developments, said: "This approval marks a critical moment for west Edinburgh, and the city more widely, allowing us all to take the next step towards delivering new homes the city so desperately needs.

"Aside from delivering 3,000 new homes, the site will also provide key transport links, green space and a primary school which will help ensure these major housing developments also become a thriving community.

"The decision marks the beginning of a new chapter which will see plans for the Elements site become a reality, transforming Edinburgh and creating new homes for its people."