Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) has unveiled a number of development initiatives in its commitment to providing affordable housing in Leith and throughout Edinburgh’s waterfront.

The Association has recently made a number of acquisitions at a cost of £2.95m and will spend £22.5m in the next few years developing these projects.

These include:

The acquisition of Granton United Church on Boswall Parkway. PoLHA plans to build 15 one, two and three bedroom homes, as well as providing a church centre on the corner of the site. Work is due to begin in September and will take around a year to complete.

PoLHA has started work on a 60 homes site at Coburg Street. 16 of the properties will be made available for Shared Ownership schemes and will be marketed in the later in the year.

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The Association is due to complete 17 units at West Granton Road in 2011. This is the first scheme by PoLHA to be approved by the Edinburgh Sustainability Standards, where solar roof panels have been incorporated which will be used to support heating and hot water.

It has acquired land at Fox Street Poplar Lane and plans to work with local contractor J. Smart & Co to build 98 homes. Outline planning permission is in place and a detailed application has been lodged. The plans allocate 40 of the homes for shared ownership with work commencing in the early 2011 and completing in 2013.

PoLHA has secured planning permission for a second development at Western Harbour. The Lindsay Road site will provide around 100 homes for a mix of tenures and is due to go on site next year, taking around two years to complete.

The Association was funded £5.688m in the recent round of grants allocated by the City of Edinburgh Council.

Keith Anderson, Chief Executive at PoLHA, said: “It is important, as part of our commitment to regenerating Leith, that we continue to embark upon significant and ambitious projects.

“We want to create strong communities in areas people want to live, in homes where they feel safe and secure.

“These are significant projects and highlight our strategy for revamping the traditional Leith, as well as developing the new waterfront projects.”

PoLHA recently welcomed over 100 households to the first affordable housing development at Western Harbour.

(GK)