A major housing award has been achieved by the project which will see the first new council homes built in Edinburgh for more than a generation.

The Gracemount project within the 21st Century Homes for Edinburgh programme came out top in the prestigious Scottish Homes Award 2011 held in Edinburgh on June 9th.

The City of Edinburgh Council and The Cruden Group jointly submitted the entry for the Community Partnership of the Year category.

The submission highlighted benefits such as: Public and private sector working together to significantly contribute to meeting Edinburgh’s housing and regeneration needs; A community benefits programme delivering local employment, training and jobs; Support for social, educational and community initiatives; Councillor Paul Edie, Housing Leader for the City of Edinburgh Council, received the award on behalf of the Council last night.


He said: "It’s great news that our partnership with The Cruden Group has been recognised with this fantastic award. It reinforces our belief in the importance of the public and private sector working together for the benefit of the whole community.

"This is an exciting time for Gracemount residents as the first new council homes for more than a generation are beginning to take shape in Edinburgh.

"The 21st Century Homes project is a vital element of our ongoing long term regeneration plans for the Capital which will support the economy by providing new jobs in both the construction industry and other sectors. These new homes demonstrate our commitment to tackling the affordable housing shortage in Edinburgh.'

On behalf of the Cruden Group, Steven Simpson, Managing Director of Cruden Homes (East) Ltd, said: "We are absolutely delighted to have won the ‘Community Partnership of the Year’ award in conjunction with City of Edinburgh Council. Evolution at Gracemount represents one of the most pioneering regeneration projects in Scotland and we’re proud to receive recognition for our commitment to delivering community benefits at this early stage of development.

"This award is testament to the successes of a strong public and private sector partnership approach, which will continue to generate much needed local employment and training opportunities during the construction of a sustainable and socially inclusive environment for future generations."

(GK/KMcA)