Green light for new energy efficient homes on site of former Edinburgh care home

The site of a former care home in the capital’s Corstorphine district is to be developed by a housebuilder.

A computer-generated image of the communal space at Rowanbank Gardens

Plans to construct 126 energy efficient homes have been given the go ahead by Edinburgh City Council’s planners.

Artisan Real Estate’s Rowanbank Gardens will see a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments on the site of the former Gylemuir Care Home, overlooking Gyle Park, close to the main A8 access route into the city.

Apartments have been designed around an internal courtyard garden filled with fruit trees and communal planting and growing beds, as well as a children’s play park, a natural woodland area and formal lawns.

An image of how the homes will look at dusk

The homes are designed for open-plan living with most having easy access to a private courtyard or large balcony overlooking the gardens. Innovations such as green roofs ensure benefits of surface water retention, improved insulation and ecology.

Artisan’s Regional Sales Team Leader, Christie Turner said: “This is part of a £90 million investment commitment to raise the standards of sustainable living at prime city centre brownfield sites across Edinburgh.

"Rowanbank Gardens is a significant planning application providing much-needed new homes in a popular and accessible part of the city. The site is ideally located between a large public open space and a major retail park, with superb transport links in and out of the city.

“At its heart is a sustainable design which reflects the demands of modern life, with buildings designed to minimise carbon footprint and maximise daylight. Significant emphasis is placed on the quality of internal space and light to create enjoyable home-working environments, whilst accessible gardens and landscaping promote health and well-being by making nature and well-designed outdoor space integral to the day-to-day living experience.”

She added: “The planning application follows a period of consultation with local people and community groups earlier this year, and we received a lot of feedback which we incorporated into our final proposal.

"There has been strong interest in the development from Corstorphine residents, many of whom wanted to downsize and stay in the area and from families looking for more space. We are now looking forward to getting on site and progressing with the development, continuing with our ongoing investment to get the city living again following lockdown.”

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