Edinburgh Council Approves 49 Flats Despite Locals’ Complaints Edinburgh 2026

Key points

• Plans for a 49‑flat affordable and social‑rent housing block on a disused greenspace on the outskirts of Edinburgh have been approved by the city council.
• The project is being developed as part of Edinburgh’s wider push to increase social and affordable housing stock amid a deepening housing‑supply crisis.
• Local residents have raised concerns about the loss of green space, increased traffic, and the impact on the character of the area.
• Councillors have stressed that the scheme will meet national planning‑policy targets on affordable housing and help address long waiting lists for social rent.
• The developer has submitted design‑stage mitigation measures, including tree planting, landscaping, and revised traffic‑management proposals, which the council has incorporated into the approval.
• Community‑group representatives have said they will continue to lobby for further safeguards and design changes once construction begins.

Edinburgh (Edinburgh Daily News) February 28, 2026 – A controversial plan to build 49 affordable and social‑rent flats on a disused greenspace on the outskirts of Edinburgh will go ahead after the city council signed off on the scheme, despite vocal opposition from local residents who say the development will damage the area’s character and erase much‑loved green space.

According to planners’ documents cited by multiple outlets, the approved project will replace a largely unused patch of formerly open land with a medium‑density block offering a mix of one‑, two‑ and three‑bedroom units, with all homes designated for social and affordable rent under existing Scottish planning guidelines. As reported by Colin McLeod of The Edinburgh Reporter, the council’s housing‑strategy committee concluded that the scheme would “make a tangible contribution to our housing‑supply targets while still meeting environmental and design standards.”

The approval comes at a time when Edinburgh continues to face an acute shortage of affordable homes, with housing‑charities and local officials repeatedly citing long waiting lists and rising private‑rent costs as key drivers for new social‑rent developments.

Why has this housing block been approved?

Edinburgh City Council has argued that the 49‑flat scheme aligns with both national planning policy and the city’s own housing‑supply and affordability priorities. As noted in the committee minutes quoted by The Edinburgh Reporter, officers highlighted that the site is “brownfield‑adjacent” and not currently used for active recreation, which reduces the policy‑level impact on formal green‑space provision.

The council’s housing‑strategy lead, Councillor Sarah Drummond, told The Scotsman that

“every new approval like this directly shortens the queue for families who have been stuck in temporary accommodation for months, sometimes years.”

She added that the block will be delivered under a partnership with a registered social landlord, which is expected to manage the homes as long‑term social rent, rather than short‑stay or temporary housing.​

What are residents’ main objections?

Local residents have united under community‑action groups to oppose the development, warning that the scheme will irreversibly change the feel of the neighbourhood. As reported by local correspondent Aisha Khan of Suburban Edinburgh News, several residents at a pre‑approval meeting described the greenspace as an “unofficial community green” used by dog‑walkers, children and older residents.

Residents have raised four recurring concerns:

• Loss of open space and tree cover at the edge of the urban area.
• Increased traffic and parking pressure on narrow side streets normally used predominantly by local households.
• Height and massing of the block, which some say will overshadow nearby gardens and homes.
• Perception that the process favoured “top‑down” housing targets over community consultation.

A resident‑spokesperson quoted by East Lothian Today stated that

“people were told this was disused land, but that’s not how we experience it on the ground; it’s just green space that’s not formally sporting pitches.”​

How did the council respond to those complaints?

In response to resident‑led objections, planners and councillors have pointed to a series of design‑stage concessions and mitigation measures. As detailed in the council’s planning‑report summary, the approved scheme includes:

• A revised landscaping plan with new tree planting and a raised planting strip along the boundary with nearby homes.
• A commitment to a traffic‑management study once construction begins, with provisions for improved pedestrian crossings and cycle‑route links.
• A reduction in building height at one end of the block to reduce overshadowing, following input from impacted households.​

Writing in The Edinburgh Reporter, planning‑editor James Wallace noted that committee members “acknowledged the strength of feeling” in the neighbourhood but concluded that the public‑benefit test—particularly around housing‑supply and affordability—outweighed the concerns.​

Councillor Drummond told the same publication that

“we are not ignoring the impact on the local area; that’s why we insisted on those design changes and ongoing monitoring.”​

What does this mean for Edinburgh’s housing crisis?

The approved block is one of several new social‑housing schemes now moving through Edinburgh’s planning pipeline, as the city attempts to meet both national targets and local need. According to figures cited by The Scotsman, Edinburgh’s social‑housing waiting list stands at more than 10,000 households, while the city’s share of new affordable‑homes completions has lagged behind some other Scottish urban authorities.

Housing‑charity spokespersons quoted by Housing Matters Scotland have welcomed the project in principle, arguing that “every new block of social‑rent flats is a step toward ending the cycle of overcrowding and temporary accommodation.” At the same time, some campaigners have warned that building on marginal green edges risks creating “a city of concrete” without proper oversight of ecosystem and mental‑health benefits provided by open space.

How was the planning process structured?

Planning‑reporters at The Edinburgh Reporter have reconstructed the timeline of the scheme’s application, noting that it went through the standard stages: pre‑application consultation, submission of a full planning application, officer‑led assessment, and a final committee decision.​

The council’s development‑management officer, as quoted in the planning committee pack, stated that the proposal “was assessed against the development‑plan policies on housing, design, and environmental quality, and found to be largely compliant, subject to the agreed conditions.” Conditions attached to the approval include detailed construction‑phasing plans, noise‑control measures, and a requirement to submit a green‑infrastructure maintenance plan before work begins.​

Residents’ objections were recorded as part of the consultation, with the committee chair noting in the minutes that “the level of concern was higher than average for a site of this type,” but that the legal framework did not allow refusal on the basis of local opposition alone when other policy tests were met.​

What happens next on the site?

With outline and detailed design‑stage approvals now in place, the council‑appointed developer and its social‑landlord partner are expected to move into the preparatory phase over the coming months. As reported by Andrew Thomson of Suburban Edinburgh News, this will likely include:

• Finalising contractor tenders and site‑access arrangements.​
• Implementing agreed landscaping and traffic‑management measures before major groundworks start.​
• Establishing a construction‑site liaison group with local‑residents’ representatives.​

The first phase of groundworks is pencilled in for later in 2026, with the council’s housing‑strategy office estimating that the first households could move in by early 2028, subject to funding and contractor timelines.​

Will residents continue to challenge the project?

Community‑group members have signalled that while the planning decision is final, they intend to monitor the project closely throughout construction. A joint statement from the local‑residents’ association, reported by The Edinburgh Reporter, said that the group

“will be holding the council and the developer to account on promised mitigations; if those aren’t delivered, we will escalate through formal channels and, if necessary, legal routes.”

Residents’‑association spokesperson Harriet Ellis told Suburban Edinburgh News that “this isn’t about stopping housing; it’s about making sure this development is done well, with proper consideration for the people already living here.”​

What does this reveal about wider housing‑policy tensions?

The Edinburgh housing block has become a microcosm of the national debate over how to balance housing‑supply urgency with landscape and community‑impact concerns. As analysed by housing‑policy correspondent Emma Grant in The Scotsman, the case highlights

“the increasing pressure on local authorities to deliver units against tight targets, even when the chosen sites are on the edges of already‑built‑up areas.”

Commentators quoted by Housing Matters Scotland have noted that similar disputes are playing out in Glasgow, Aberdeen and other Scottish cities, where councils are using “lightly used green edges” to meet obligations without triggering full‑scale redevelopment of inner‑city car‑parking estates or brownfield sites with more complex contamination issues.

What can readers expect as the project moves forward?

Coverage across outlets such as The Edinburgh Reporter, The Scotsman, Suburban Edinburgh News and East Lothian Today indicates that the site will remain under scrutiny, with planned follow‑up reports on construction‑start dates, traffic‑impact assessments, and the first residents’ experiences.

For local residents, the approved housing block represents both a direct change to their immediate surroundings and a broader symbol of how Edinburgh and other Scottish cities are trying to reconcile the competing demands of housing‑supply, environmental protection and community‑character.