Ministers to decide on 1,350-home first phase of Edinburgh ‘Garden District’

The £450m first phase of developer Murray Estates’ 675-acre ‘Garden District’ is earmarked for a site next to Royal Bank of Scotland’s Edinburgh headquarters at Gogar Station Road.

The plans were approved by the City of Edinburgh Council in 2016 but have now been referred to ministers for scrutiny because of its scale.

If approved, the project will deliver homes of various types, including 330 affordable homes, a 40-acre park and schools, as well as analysis on flood prevention, traffic and public transport. It also includes a community hub, shopping centre, sports facilities and green space.

Royal Bank of Scotland, which owns the adjacent Gogarburn Campus, has given its support to the development after Murray Estates agreed to minimise disruption to the 6,000 staff who work at the bank’s HQ.

Malcolm Buchanan, chairman of RBS in Scotland, said: “We have held constructive discussions with Murray Capital Group and are delighted it is committed to ensuring disruption to our HQ is kept to an absolute minimum.”

David Murray, managing director of Murray Capital Group, parent company of Murray Estates, said: “The city economy desperately needs a good mixture of quality housing that is well connected to Edinburgh’s growing transport infrastructure, including the new Edinburgh Gateway Station.”

He added: “We have worked closely with organisations neighbouring the development, not least Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture and Royal Bank of Scotland, and are now delighted to have secured their support.”

The building of the village will also support 26 jobs in its first year, rising to 332 jobs by the height of the eight-year building work.

It is hoped the overall Garden District will deliver 3,500 homes.