Edinburgh build-to-rent scheme moves forward

City of Edinburgh Council’s development management sub-committee has told Platform that it is minded to grant the application with conditions.

Platform intends to build 453 BTR units, including 25% affordable housing.

The site is in Edinburgh’s Bonnington area and extends from the former Bonnington Resource Centre at the southern edge and over the recently demolished John Lewis depot to the north. The development is a mixture of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, duplexes and studio and will have from on-site concierge and maintenance staff. The proposals also include communal amenity spaces such as a residents’ lounge, roof terraces, a gym and a bike café and workshop.

The proposals also include retail and employment space at ground level, which will be available to residents, start-up companies and other workers. In addition, the development will create a public ‘pocket park’, a new pedestrian-priority public street and will replant 80 additional trees across the site.

A spokesperson for Platform said: “We are very pleased to have received approval for our high-quality build-to-rent scheme at Bonnington Road Lane. The development will offer residents flexibility on a wide range of housing needs. The project will support the delivery of regeneration within the local area.

“Our key aim is to create quality, sustainable, and responsibly managed properties and we are looking forward to delivering this for Edinburgh. We will continue to update the community as the project develops and look forward to working with our partners across Edinburgh to deliver this exciting development.”

Platform has undertaken a community and stakeholder engagement programme. A community consultation was held in December 2019 and readvertised again in December 2020 to demonstrate improvements made since the original May 2020 submission. Proposals were recommended for approval ahead of this week’s council meeting after discussions and collaboration with city planners.

Turley provided planning support and the architectural design was produced by JM Architects. Hirst was the landscape architect and Harley Haddow the project engineer.

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