The City of Edinburgh Council’s flagship coastal regeneration — ~3,500 net-zero-ambition homes on the Firth of Forth. We track it honestly, including how much is affordable and rented, what you can actually buy now, and why the tram link is still only proposed.
Granton Waterfront is the City of Edinburgh Council’s flagship coastal regeneration — the largest scheme of its kind in Scotland, on a big brownfield site on the Firth of Forth in north Edinburgh. The council is acting as master-developer, delivering with partners including CCG (Scotland) and Cruden Homes and backed by Scottish Government funding. The long-run ambition is around 3,500 net-zero-standard homes plus a school, a low-carbon heat network, a coastal park and cultural and commercial space.
Two honest qualifications frame everything below. First, the tenure is heavily affordable and rented — the consented first phase is around 45% affordable — so for most private buyers this is an area to track rather than an easy place to buy, with one current exception (West Shore). Second, the headline £1.3bn / 3,500-home figures are a 15-year-plus aspiration: only about 847 homes are consented, with several hundred delivered or on site so far.
How to use this profile: it’s Regeneration Intelligence, not a single-development buyer guide. For the investor picture see Buy-to-Let in Edinburgh; for where to live and buy, see Living in Edinburgh; and for rents, our Edinburgh Rental Intelligence. Buying in Scotland differs from England — start with our LBTT, Home Report and buying in Scotland guides.
| Scheme | What it is | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Western Villages (CCG) | Flagship affordable-led neighbourhood, ~444 homes — social rent, mid-market rent and some for sale | Verified |
| Granton Station View | 75 homes, completed and occupied (Oct 2024) | Verified |
| Silverlea | 143 affordable homes under construction | Verified |
| West Shore (CCG Homes / Rettie) | 56 net-zero-ready apartments for sale from ~£205,000; ~half reserved/sold | Verified · for sale |
| Consented first phase (Cruden) | 847 net-zero-ready homes approved Nov 2024, ~45% affordable, delivery 2025–2032 | Verified |
| Gasholder Park & Station Square | Restored Victorian gasholder frame and public square; creative workspace in the old station | Verified |
| Low-carbon heat network | ~7km wastewater-source heat network for ~3,500 homes; concession being procured | Monitoring |
| Tram to Granton | Proposed north–south line; consultation / business-case stage, no funding | Monitoring |
The connectivity story at Granton is mostly about the future, and it is important to be clear how early it is. A north–south tram line from Granton through the centre to the BioQuarter is proposed only — at consultation and strategic-business-case stage, with no confirmed funding or construction date. A commonly repeated “Granton station reopening” refers to the restoration of the historic station building as creative workspace, not the return of trains. Today the area relies on buses and active-travel routes; rapid transit remains aspirational. Judge a purchase on the bus links and road access that exist now, not the tram that might come.
For most private buyers, the bulk of Granton is affordable and rented, not for sale. The one realistic buy-now option is West Shore — 56 net-zero-ready apartments from around £205,000 — and further open-market plots will come with later Cruden-built phases. Everything else is track-it.
For investors, the long-run placemaking case (coastal park, heat network, cultural anchors, possible trams) is real but slow, and rental demand is supported by the area’s affordable and council presence rather than a rapid-transit uplift. Scotland’s 8% ADS makes an additional purchase markedly dearer than in England (see the LBTT guide), and the capital-growth timeline here is long. We would publish a full profile on any qualifying for-sale development that emerges — not before.
Regeneration profiles change as schemes move. This panel records when we last checked, the current status, and what would prompt the next update.
| Field | Record |
|---|---|
| Verification date | 23 July 2026 — schemes and figures checked against the sources below |
| Current status | Monitoring — active, phased regeneration; tenure heavily affordable/rented; only West Shore for sale now; tram proposed only |
| Confidence | Confidence: High (delivered phases & consents) · Monitoring (full 3,500 programme, tram, tenure mix) |
| Review cadence | Quarterly |
| Next scheduled review | October 2026 |
| Classification | Regeneration Profile (large-scale transformation intelligence) — the flagship anchor for our Edinburgh Property Intelligence, not a single qualifying for-sale PIP at this stage |
The City of Edinburgh Council's flagship coastal regeneration — around 3,500 net-zero-standard homes over 15+ years, plus a school, heat network and coastal park. Most delivered stock so far is affordable or rented.
Mostly to rent or through affordable routes — the one open-market option now is West Shore (56 flats for sale from ~£205k). More for-sale plots come with later phases.
No — it is proposed only, at consultation/business-case stage with no funding or date. The “station reopening” is a restored building used as creative workspace, not returning trains.
A long-run placemaking signal, not a near-term opportunity. Rental demand is supported by the affordable/council mix; Scotland's 8% ADS and a long capital-growth timeline temper the case.
This anchors our Edinburgh research — see the investor view in Buy-to-Let in Edinburgh, the neighbourhoods in Living in Edinburgh, the rental picture in Edinburgh Rental Intelligence, or browse everything in Property Intelligence.
This is a Monitoring profile — details change as the schemes move. We re-verify quarterly; follow Hall’s Homes UK to catch updates.