Scotland’s Biggest Net Zero Housing Gets Go Ahead

SCOTLAND’S LARGEST net zero housing development in Edinburgh have been granted approval by city planners.

The 444-home Western Villages development is being led by the City of Edinburgh Council in partnership with Glasgow-based contractor CCG (Scotland) and architect Cooper Cromar.

Net Zero Housing

The homes are designed to the principles of CCG’s newly launched Net Zero Home housebuilding standard.

Developed with energy and sustainability consultancy, Carbon Futures, the Net Zero Home focuses on enhanced fabric performance. It also features low carbon heating and renewable technology as part of a gas-free energy strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to a rate less than or equal to zero per year.

Edinburgh has a target to become a net zero city by 2030. The first phase of Granton Waterfront will be a blueprint for future sustainable development and help Scotland to transition towards a greener economy.

The development will form part of the Granton Waterfront Regeneration, where 3,500 homes are set to be created over the next 10 years. It will deliver 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments, including wheelchair-accessible ground-floor flats, available in a mix of social (195), mid-market rent (62), market rent (63) and private sale tenures (124).

Designed within a masterplan that will take advantage of parkland and sea views, there will be an emphasis on pedestrians and bicycles with electrical car charging, car club accessibility and public transport instead of car parking which is reduced across the development.

Carbon Futures Director, Andrew Money, said: “The energy strategy for Western Villages delivers a low-carbon development, future-proofed against upcoming government legislation and presents a fantastic example of how the construction industry can support the nationwide effort to reduce carbon emissions and create a more sustainable future.”

Construction of Western Villages is expected to begin in mid-2022.

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