Posted on 11 Dec 2007

'Overwhelming' interest for new homes in Craigmillar as £200 million regeneration programme gathers pace

Stewart Maxwell MSP, Minister for Communities and Sport, visits Craigmillar, Edinburgh, on Tuesday (December 11) to mark the start of construction for 3,200 new homes for the Capital.

The massive home building programme is part of the £200 million regeneration of Craigmillar led by PARC - a joint venture bringing together The City of Edinburgh Council, The EDI Group and the local community, supported by the Scottish Government.

The Minister will tour two of the initial home building phases at Wauchope Square and Greendykes, known as Edinburgh's 'Green Quarter', where around 100 new homes are set to be completed by the end of 2008. One in five of the new homes will be available for affordable rent through a Housing Association.

Demand for the new homes for sale, marketed under the ParcLife name, is currently high, with high levels of interest registered on the ParcLife website. Local people have already signed up for the first batch of new homes in the Green Quarter under an innovative priority purchase scheme launched in November.

Welcoming the Minister to Craigmillar, Councillor Gordon Mackenzie, Chair of PARC, said: “Today is a great opportunity to witness at first hand the progress that is being made in the regeneration of Craigmillar. We are now seeing the combined efforts of the local community, PARC, the Council and the Scottish Government in driving this ambitious programme forward finally coming to fruition.

"The home building programme is quite unlike anything else taking place in the city right now. We are providing high quality housing, near to the city centre, at affordable prices - backed by support services geared to helping people buy their own home. At the same time, we are also providing the same level of high quality of homes for social rent.

"And so far, the response has been overwhelming. We have had interest from throughout the city, from Scotland and beyond. But we have also had a strong local interest with one in seven enquiries coming from the Craigmillar area."

Stewart Maxwell, Minister for Communities and Sport, added: "This phase of housing is an important element of the regeneration of Craigmillar and of PARC's plans for the area.

"The Government are providing PARC with £9.4m this year to accelerate the delivery of their business plan. This builds on the £11.8m provided by the previous administration in previous years. This is a significant investment and I am encouraged to see tangible signs of progress on the ground.

"It is also very encouraging to see that there has been significant input from the local community in the design of the new shared school campus at Wauchope Square, which should help to give pupils, teachers and residents a real sense of ownership. This type of meaningful and effective community engagement is a vital component of any successful regeneration project and I hope that this continues to inform the design process here in Craigmillar well into the future."

As well as viewing the nascent housing developments in Craigmillar, the Minister will also witness other components of PARC's overall regeneration programme.

This includes the £13 million primary school campus in Wauchope Square which brings together St Francis and Niddrie Mill primary schools. Due for completion in mid-2008, the shared denominational and non-denominational campus will have a joint school roll of around 700 children - making it one of the largest and most impressive sites in the city.

PARC's other investment plans include a major investment programme in a revived Craigmillar town centre, more new primary schools, new educational facilities and library, and 150-acres of surrounding green space transformed into a network of parks, river walkways, open woodland and play areas. A £500,000 'third generation' sports pitch - the first of its kind in Edinburgh, was officially opened last month, at Castlebrae High School.

Ends 11 December 2007

Notes to Editor: PARC

PARC is a joint venture company bringing together The EDI Group and The City of Edinburgh Council with local groups and individuals from the Craigmillar community.

Through PARC, the Urban Regeneration Company for the area, there will be an approximate investment of £200million in Craigmillar. For Craigmillar, PARC will achieve:

• new homes and a new town centre

• new employment and business opportunities for local people

• new primary schools and a new high school and library

• new projects to improve open spaces and parks and restore Niddrie Burn

• new community partnerships

Read next: Regeneration boosts job and business opportunities for Craigmillar

Read previous: PARC Plans Green Gateway for Craigmillar