Edinburgh in 2026: Mapping Development, Managing Change

POSTED ON January 16, 2026 BY James Garry

A period of significant urban change shaping Edinburgh for decades

As Edinburgh moves into 2026, the scale and pace of development across the city is becoming increasingly clear. Dozens of building projects, ranging from housing-led regeneration and infrastructure works to cultural and commercial schemes, are now either planned or underway. Taken together, they point to a period of significant urban change that will shape how the city looks, functions and feels for decades to come.

A timely new resource helps bring this cumulative picture into focus. Harry Williams of Edinburgh Planning Updates has published an updated Edinburgh Development Summary 2026, presented as an interactive Google Earth map. Based on the long-running Edinburgh Development Summary compiled by Kenspekle on SkyscraperCity, the map allows residents to explore proposed and approved developments across the city, from waterfront regeneration sites and major brownfield redevelopments to infill projects in established neighbourhoods.

Seen all at once, the map is striking. It offers a powerful reminder that planning decisions are rarely isolated. Each proposal sits within a wider landscape of pressures on housing, infrastructure, heritage and public space.

Housing Growth and the Shape of the City

Unsurprisingly, housing dominates the 2026 development pipeline. Major residential-led schemes are proposed or progressing in Leith, West Edinburgh, along key transport corridors and on former industrial land at the city’s edge. Recent reporting suggests that as many as 8,500 new homes could be delivered through a limited number of large schemes alone, reflecting the scale of change now underway.

This focus on housing delivery is welcome amid continuing pressures on affordability and supply. However, volume alone is not enough. As the Cockburn Association has long argued, questions of density, affordability, accessibility, design quality, access to green space and integration with existing communities are arguably more important than headline numbers – who are we building for, and is what Edinburgh needs?

Several high-profile schemes illustrate both the opportunities and challenges involved. At Leith Dockside, proposals for hundreds of new homes sit alongside plans for retail, leisure and improved walking and cycling connections. The development draws on the area’s industrial heritage while signalling a new phase of waterfront regeneration. Further west, proposals at Redheughs Village in Gogar form part of the wider West Edinburgh expansion, combining housing, offices and major leisure infrastructure. While the scale of investment is significant, concerns have been raised about traffic impacts and the cumulative loss of open land, affordability and the displacement of communities.

Elsewhere, smaller but still substantial projects point to changing approaches to sustainability. At Ferry Road, a new low-carbon residential development is expected to deliver over 250 homes, with a proportion set aside as affordable housing. Initiatives such as the re-use of site materials for social benefit demonstrate how development can contribute positively beyond the immediate site boundary, and support the communities adjacent. Near the airport, Edinburgh Gateway continues to evolve as a mixed-use, commuter-oriented neighbourhood, combining housing, affordable provision and hotel accommodation on previously industrial land.

Beyond the city’s core, large-scale growth at places such as Shawfair and New Brunstane highlights how Edinburgh’s expansion increasingly extends beyond its historic boundaries. These new neighbourhoods underline the importance of public transport, local services and social infrastructure being delivered alongside housing, from the offset

The cumulative impact of large-scale residential and purpose-built student accommodation developments is not always fully addressed at application stage. Density and massing may appear acceptable in isolation yet have far-reaching consequences when viewed across whole districts. We urge the planning authority to continue taking a joined-up, city-wide approach, particularly in areas already experiencing sustained development pressure and prolonged builds.

Heritage, Refurbishment and Adaptive Re-use

Not all the activity mapped for 2026 involves new construction. Encouragingly, several significant projects focus on refurbishment and adaptive re-use, extending the life of existing buildings while improving energy performance, accessibility and long-term resilience.

In Craigmillar, major investment is planned for the refurbishment of Peffermill Court and Craigmillar Court, with works aimed at improving energy efficiency and living standards for residents while reducing carbon emissions. Such projects demonstrate the social and environmental value of reinvesting in existing housing stock rather than defaulting to demolition and rebuild.

Elsewhere, cultural and community assets are also undergoing renewal. The long-awaited restoration of the King’s Theatre in Tollcross represents a substantial commitment to preserving one of the city’s most important historic venues, ensuring it remains fit for contemporary use while retaining its architectural and cultural significance. At Portobello Swim Centre, a sensitive programme of works will secure the future of a much-loved late nineteenth-century building, allowing it to continue serving the local community.

For over a century, the Cockburn Association has argued that the city’s growth must be guided by care, restraint and a deep respect for Edinburgh’s historic character. That principle remains just as relevant today. While refurbishment and adaptive re-use can offer clear environmental and social benefits, the city has also experienced the downsides of prolonged construction and poorly managed works, particularly in sensitive historic areas. Long-running scaffolding and disrupted streetscapes serve as reminders that regeneration must be carefully planned and responsibly delivered if public confidence is to be maintained.

Infrastructure, Culture and Mixed-Use Development

Beyond housing, the 2026 development map highlights a wide range of infrastructure and mixed-use projects. These include transport improvements in West Edinburgh, commercial and residential expansion at established business parks, and new cultural venues intended to strengthen the city’s arts and events offer.

Such projects bring opportunities for economic vitality and cultural enrichment, but they also require careful scrutiny. Large-scale developments can have lasting impacts on skyline, views, movement patterns and the public realm. These are matters of particular importance in a city defined by its historic landscape and World Heritage status.

A Civic Moment for Engagement

Taken together, the Edinburgh Development Summary 2026 illustrates a city at a crossroads. Growth is clearly coming, and in many cases it is needed. The challenge lies in ensuring that development is community-centered, well-designed, low-carbon, inclusive and respectful of place, enhancing Edinburgh rather than eroding the qualities that make it distinctive.

Planning decisions shape the city for generations, and meaningful public participation, early, informed and ongoing, is essential if development is to command public confidence. Tools such as Harry Williams’ interactive map play a valuable role by making the scale and distribution of development visible and accessible.

The Cockburn Association encourages everyone with an interest in Edinburgh’s future to use these resources, follow planning applications closely and take part in consultations wherever possible. In a period of rapid change, informed and constructive civic engagement is more important than ever, not to resist change for its own sake, but to ensure that development genuinely enhances the city we pass on to future generations.

 

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Image: G. Gainey

 

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