Showpiece 'green' district heating plan abandoned for city's Waterfront
Plus: Princes St bus stop rapist in court; and East Lothian parking charge protests
Ambitious heating plan for Granton Waterfront goes up in smoke
The plan to include an ambitious heat network as part of the £1.3 billion-pound regeneration of Granton has been abandoned, The Inquirer can reveal.
The heat network pre-development partner appointed two years ago by the city council, Vattenfall Heat UK Ltd, has concluded that for a variety of factors it cannot make the proposed scheme economically viable.
The innovative scheme was intended to serve up to 3,500 new homes being built on the Waterfront and was a key part of the scheme’s environmental ambitions. It would have warmed houses using heat recovered from the area’s sewage system.
A recent report suggested a network of district heating systems across the Lothians could create environmental and health benefits measured at more than £2 billion over 25 years.
An alternative low carbon solution is now being pursued for the Waterfront based on air source heat pumps – which would also meet net zero goals and allow up to a further 20 extra homes to be built.
What was proposed?
The original proposal was to create a shared heat network serving the homes and businesses in the area, capturing heat from the sewage network that would otherwise be wasted.
Vattenfall, which works with several local authorities on low carbon heating solutions including an award-winning joint enterprise with Midlothian Council, reached a pre-development agreement to create a scheme it would build, operate, finance, manage and maintain over the following 40 years.
What has happened?
At its most basic, the numbers have not added up as Vattenfall would have wished. Phase 1 of the work was projected to see more than 900 new homes come onstream, with a high proportion of those required to be affordable, alongside a number of commercial partners. In the event, the number of homes dipped to around 850. A council source stressed that this was not a major factor in the heat company’s decision.
A report to councillors recently said that in September this year Vattenfall announced “intention to terminate the pre-development contract between the parties citing numerous risks which they considered remained unresolved including a lack of confidence in customer connections, a lack of certainty on capital and operating costs and gaps in assurance on the technical deliverability of the proposed heat source solution.”
Were the right partners chosen?
Vattenfall is an experienced and widely used partner for these kinds of projects, and we don’t have to look far for positive examples. Midlothian Energy Limited is a joint venture between Midlothian Council and Vattenfall which uses energy generated by waste and will provide low carbon, reliable heating and hot water to over 3,500 homes and businesses across Midlothian. Once fully operational, this first phase is expected to save over 2,500 tonnes of CO₂ every year – the equivalent of removing around 1,200 cars from the road.
So what happens now?
All steam ahead, if you’ll pardon the pun, to keep the overall regeneration project on track. The council is working with main developer Cruden on another solution “that has minimal impact to current design and planning permission.“ Heat and hot water will now be provided to homes via an exhaust air source heat pump located in each individual home, an all electric low-carbon solution which works by recovering warm exhaust air from bathrooms and kitchens - air that would otherwise be extracted and lost to the outside.
This has the added advantages of allowing residents to exert greater ability to “shop around” for energy deals, say the council, plus removing the need for a central facility to operate the shared network will free up space for more homes.
Is Phase 1 at Granton a big deal?
Over the next seven years, Phase 1 of Granton Waterfront regeneration will deliver 847 net zero carbon ready homes in a mix of housing types and tenure, including 45% of affordable tenure (which includes 214 homes for council social rent). There will also be a serviced plot for a new school and other community uses, 2,250 sqm of commercial space, placemaking including high quality landscaping and public realm, and sustainable transport infrastructure including a mobility hub.
YOUR EDINBURGH BRIEFING
BUS STOP RAPE: A man is awaiting sentence after admitting abducting a 15-year-old girl at knifepoint from a bus stop on Princes Street. Aaron Strachan, 20, took her from a bus stop outside Marks & Spencer in the early hours of 25 May, then raped her in a basement area in York Place. He will be sentenced next month after social work reports are compiled on him. Det Insp Gillian Wells described the crime as “a particularly harrowing attack which was carried out in the busy city centre area and had a profound effect on the young victim”.
CASTLE VIEW HOTEL: Developers have released more details of their plans for the site of the 1960s office block Argyle House on West Port beneath Edinburgh Castle. Drawings submitted to the council by Hendersonherd suggest a building of similar height to the seven-storey office block which it proposes demolishing. The development would include a hotel, homes, offices and commercial units. Building work is not expected to take place ahead of 2033, when the lease expires for existing tenants, including the tech incubator CodeBase, the company said.
MSP FACING EXIT: Foysol Choudhury, the Lothians MSP suspended by Labour over sexual harassment allegations, faces losing his Scottish Parliament seat, despite the complaint against him being unresolved. He had been selected as Labour candidate for Edinburgh North in May, but the party has reopened the selection process with an all-women shortlist. Choudry, a longstanding community activist and one of the founders of the Edinburgh Mela, has been suspended by the party for 10 weeks. He says he has yet to be told the nature of the allegations and that they have made his life a “living hell”.
NO BLOOM BETS: Billionaire Hearts investor Tony Bloom has dismissed allegations he placed bets on matches involving Brighton, the English Premiership club he owns, as “entirely false”. Bloom made his fortune in the gambling industry. Football Association (FA) rules prohibit club owners from placing bets on matches or competitions involving their team.
POLICE STATION ART: The decommissioned former police station in Portobello would be turned into “a vibrant community hub” under plans lodged with the council. The plans have been drawn up by community organisation Action Porty, which runs the Belfield community centre after leading a community buy-out of Portobello’s Old Parish Church. It hopes to open offices for community benefit organisations, public events spaces, artists studios and gallery space in the new venue.
BLEED KITS: Around 200 taxis have been supplied with military-grade emergency bandage kits for use in the crucial minutes after a serious accident, fall or stabbing. Charity Rapaid, which distributes the emergency bleed kits across the UK, says they can provide a vital lifeline by stemming blood loss before medical help arrives.
HOTEL WORK RESUMES: Work on a 350-bedroom hotel at Haymarket has resumed more than a year after the collapse of a council deal to develop it to support the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. Developers QMile have appointed contractor McAleer & Rushe to take over construction as part of a £350m development, including offices, retail space and leisure facilities.
WEST EDINBURGH LINK: Work is also underway on the West Edinburgh Link which will connect South Gyle and Edinburgh Park with high quality walking and cycling routes and new public spaces. Work will be carried out at Glasgow Road, Bankhead, Sighthill, Wester Hailes and Cloventstone.
Pic of the week
THE BUSINESS
East Lothian Council underfire as Berlin data used to undermine parking charge concerns
Business leaders have criticised East Lothian Council for using travel data from Berlin to counter traders’ fears about the impact of introducing parking charges across the county.
Councillors are due to decide tomorrow whether the charges should be introduced in the face of widespread protests in Dunbar, Haddington, Musselburgh and Tranent.
The charges will raise funds for the council as it faces a £43m shortfall in its budget over the next five years, but local traders and residents have raised concerns it will damage local high streets by deterring shoppers.
The report to be considered by councillors tomorrow suggests local businesses’ concerns about putting off customers who travel by car from outlying areas are overblown. It cites data suggesting more than half of shoppers live less than a kilometre from shops, but that data was gathered in Berlin.
‘Not credible’: Garry Clark, East Scotland Development Manager for the Federation of Small Businesses, said to compare the behaviour of shoppers in Haddington with those in Berlin was “just not credible or helpful”. “The council should be learning from the experience elsewhere in Scotland, such as in Angus or in towns like Inverurie, where the introduction of parking charges has caused serious damage to local town centres. They should not be studying comparisons between market towns with a population of 10,000 and the capital city of Germany with a population of nearly four million.”
A trader’s view: Svetlana Kukharchuk, owner of the award-winning The Cheese Lady shops in Haddington and North Berwick, said: “Many of our customers – older residents, families, and those travelling in from nearby villages – value the freedom to pop in without worrying about a meter. Add a fee, and they will drift towards supermarkets, retail parks, or online shopping, leaving our high streets quieter and our towns poorer in character and financially.”
The council says: An East Lothian Council spokesperson said: “Extensive research work was undertaken and the detailed reports going before council refer to multiple sources of information relevant to the matters being considered.”
SHOP LOCAL PLEA: Support your local shops over the festive period is the message of business campaign Small Business Saturday to Edinburghers. The campaigns, which champions small businesses, saw Edinburgh’s housing, homelessness and fair work convener Tim Pogson visit a number of businesses that make up the Shore Collective to share the message at the weekend.
SPACE RACE: Scotland’s Business Minister, Richard Lochhead, has announced a review of Scotland’s space strategy to help accelerate the growth of a sector predicted to be worth £4 billion and support 20,000 jobs by 2030. The announcement follows hard on the heels of the UK Space Agency’s £3.8 million funding investment in the Scottish sector, which accounts for 20% of UK space jobs.
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
KING OF COMEDY: Scotland’s comedy king Kevin Bridges has announced a series of shows at the Edinburgh Playhouse in November 2026, as part of a new UK tour, Here If You Need Me.
ART FROM THE SEA: Paul Anders MacPhail creates art from the objects he finds washed up on the beach near his home in Portobello. Resurrection is the first major exhibition of his sculpture and photographs. Featuring 15 limited edition prints of his work, catch Resurrection at Summerhall from Saturday until Monday, at 11am-5pm. Entry is free.
THAT’S MAGIC: The programme of the not-for-profit Edinburgh International Magic Festival is jam-packed full of good old fashioned, no-santa entertainment for the grinches in town (although it is sprinkled with some entirely avoidable Christmas themed events). The programme includes magic performances from Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist Kevin Quantum, a magic trick workshop, and a tour of the “secret rooms” of Lauriston Castle. 17-30 December. Tickets vary between £5 and £25
HIDDEN DOOR RETURNS: The Hidden Door art festival has announced its return in 2026 after securing a significant funding boost from national arts agency Creative Scotland. The volunteer-run grassroots arts festival, which has transformed a series of landmark empty buildings into pop-up venues, will host another multi-arts festival from Wednesday 3rd to Sunday 7th June 2026. The announced followed the confirmation of multi-year funding which secures the festival’s future until 2027.
QUICK BITES
BAR BOOST: Encore Bars, the group behind several popular Edinburgh venues, are taking over and refurbishing The Globe in Niddry Street. The pub will initially run exactly as it is, before closing in the New Year for a complete refurbishment.
BAR HAS SHUT: City centre venue The Bon Vivant, on Thistle Street, has announced its closure due to “growing economic pressures.” The bar has closed with immediate effect, urging those with festive bookings to contact them for refunds or help with alternative arrangements.