West Town will include 7,000 homes, multiple schools, a hotel and shops (Image: 7N Architects)
Locals are fuming as a huge new UK town gets the go-ahead with 7,000 homes, schools, hotel and shops.
, on the outskirts of in Scotland, is one of the city’s largest housing developments in modern times, with an estimated cost of £2 billion.
Council planners recommended the development go ahead – despite more than 50 objections – and the decision was consented by councillors on Wednesday, December 4.
But locals have raged at the decision, with one who was speaking on behalf of a group of residents branding it a “concrete jungle” which will “tower over” them.
Members of the Development Management Sub Committee voted unanimously to grant permission for the in a bid to tackle what they claim is the city’s housing emergency.
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Locals are angry about the West Town plans approval (Image: West Town Ltd)
Developed by West Town Ltd (formed in 2021 by Drum Property Group), it is said the development will include 2,500 new affordable homes and deliver employment through commercial, leisure and community facilities.
two schools, pubs, bars, restaurants, cafes and office space with Edinburgh trams serving the new town linking it to the airport and city centre.
There will also be 27-acres of open green space – including a 5.5-acre central park, several pocket parks and a wildlife corridor criss-crossed by cycle, running and walking tracks.
Locals have said they accept homes are needed but they feel their concerns over the design of the current plans have been ignored by developers.
Businessman Stuart Duncan, who is acting as the leader of the group of residents opposed to elements of the proposals, has called on Drum to listen to their concerns.
He is unhappy with the design of the new estate, describing it as a “concrete jungle” which will “tower over” residents while also sharing fears over the size of buffer zone and a lack of a path connecting Gogar Rigg residents with the proposed new tram stop and other amenities.
“Before they saw the plans, some residents envisioned a well-designed, spacious housing estate with gardens – a harmonious addition to the area,” he told .
He said: “Instead, what we’ve been presented with is a concrete jungle, with unsightly gable ends towering over us right on our border.
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“Castle Gogar Rigg residents were largely ignored in the original planning application. The aerial Google images used were outdated, leaving out half of the properties, and the drawings depicted our homes in such a faint grey they were almost invisible.
“Despite the emphasis on creating a ’20-Minute Neighbourhood,’ there was no provision made to connect Castle Gogar Rigg via a path to this vision of accessibility and integration.”
He added: “The developers also talk about prioritising green space, even branding West Town as a ‘Green Place,’ but their plans stripped us of the green areas we currently enjoy and totally ignored the impact on our outlook and privacy.”
However, the developers defended their plans saying they would help deliver a “major transformation” of the city.
Graeme Bone, Drum’s managing director, said: “This planning consent is the next significant milestone in our journey to realise the ambition we share with the Council, as agreed in the City Plan 2030, to deliver a major transformation of the west of Edinburgh.
“We now have the once-in-a-generation opportunity to make West Town an exemplar, sustainable 20-minute neighbourhood on a par with the best new developments taking place anywhere across the UK and Europe.
“The amount of space on the site, combined with its superb location, allows for a natural extension of the city. West Town also has direct access to some of the best public transport in Scotland – creating a strategic gateway for the west of Edinburgh.”