Construction starts on 847-home first phase at Granton Waterfront in Edinburgh

Construction has started on the first phase of the City of Edinburgh Council's Granton Waterfront regeneration, with Cruden Homes building 847 net zero homes on former industrial land three miles north of the city centre.

The council announced the start on 7 October 2026. It said the phase will provide 847 net zero homes, including 387 affordable homes, together with 14 commercial units. The Scottish Government gave the same figures in its own announcement.

Council Leader Jane Meagher said in her October 2026 leader's report that she had joined First Minister John Swinney and representatives from Cruden Homes to mark the start on site.

"This is a big step forward for Granton and the whole city, as construction begins on the first phase of one of the largest public sector led regeneration projects of its time," Meagher said in the council's announcement.

The funding

The Scottish Government said it is providing the council with up to £2.1m a year over a 20-year period to support the first phase. It said payment of the annual grant is conditional on the council meeting targets, including the delivery of walking and cycling routes, green spaces and construction skills training for local secondary pupils.

A further £16m is going towards the first phase through the Scottish Government's contribution to the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, the government said. It estimated the public sector investment would leverage a further £220m of private sector investment.

In November 2025 the council said the Scottish Government capital grant for phase one comes from its Housing Infrastructure Fund, alongside a Place Based Accelerator revenue grant.

First Minister John Swinney said: "This is one of the largest regeneration projects Scotland has seen in decades and a major vote of confidence in Edinburgh's future."

The homes

Cruden Homes will deliver site-wide enabling works, infrastructure and new homes under a development agreement with the council, according to the council's November 2025 release. That release said each of the 847 homes will be fitted with an air source heat pump and that 214 of the affordable homes will be for social rent.

The council said the new community will also include a primary school, leisure and recreation facilities and Scotland's largest coastal park. The planning consent provides capacity for a new primary school and a low carbon heat network.

Cruden said the wider Granton Waterfront regeneration will ultimately deliver nearly 3,500 net zero carbon homes, with at least 35 per cent affordable. The council has described the site as the Capital's largest brownfield site.

Fraser Lynes, chief executive officer of Cruden Homes, said in the council's announcement that starting construction at Granton Waterfront was an important milestone for everyone involved in the project.

Skills programme

The council said its Granton Waterfront Construction Pathway courses are delivered by Edinburgh College in partnership with local schools and Cruden Homes. It said 264 S3 pupils, 195 S4 pupils and 307 full-time college students are currently taking part.

Group	Participants
S3 pupils	264
S4 pupils	195
Full-time college students	307

Meagher said in her report that pupils from nearby Craigroyston High School are gaining hands-on construction skills on site and qualifications at Edinburgh College through the programme.

Background

The council approved a Development Framework for Granton Waterfront in February 2020. By summer 2022 it had appointed Cruden Group to take forward phase one; at that appointment, in June 2022, the first phase was described as about 750 net zero carbon homes, with architects Smith Scott Mullen and C.F. Møller.

The council's Development Management Sub-Committee unanimously approved the phase one planning application on 20 November 2024 for 847 "net zero ready" homes. In November 2025 the council said the phase one business case was to be considered by full Council on Thursday 18 December, after the Finance and Resources Committee.

The council's November 2024 release said the first phase would be delivered from 2025 to 2032, while its November 2025 release gave a completion date of 2033. Neither the council's nor the Scottish Government's October 2026 announcements gave an end date.

Elsewhere in the area, the council said in November 2024 that tenants were moving into 75 homes at Granton Station View and that 143 social and mid-market rent homes at Silverlea were due for completion in summer 2026. Meagher's report also cited the restoration of the Granton gasholder to create a new city park.