What could help, who could lead and how to tell whether it works. These proposals respond to the evidence; they are separate from the council’s actual commitments.
Proposal
Build Granton’s homes and community facilities as a neighbourhood
The first Granton Waterfront housing phase has started construction, while heritage buildings and public spaces are being brought into new uses.
New homes need useful routes, facilities and community space around them. Housing starts and restored buildings do not establish that all services are ready.
Who could lead: City of Edinburgh Council, Cruden and Scottish Government; City of Edinburgh Council and heritage partners.
- Start now
Explain the sequence of homes, school provision, access routes and heritage-space openings, distinguishing confirmed work from future phases.
- Over the next few years
Coordinate occupation with accessible public transport, safe walking routes and the services the development is intended to support.
- Over the longer term
Review whether residents can use the facilities and spaces, and address gaps as the wider waterfront grows.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Granton Waterfront first-phase homes: Construction start announced. Granton heritage buildings and public spaces: Delivery phase; station platforms reported refurbished.
Measure: Occupied homes, confirmed facility openings, accessible journeys and residents’ experience.
Trade-off: Large developments have long and changing delivery programmes; infrastructure and ongoing services need funding alongside construction.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Granton Waterfront first-phase homes →
Granton heritage buildings and public spaces →
Proposal
Measure settled housing as well as temporary placements
The emergency response expands suitable temporary accommodation and tests earlier homelessness prevention in Wester Hailes.
Proposed response: Track whether households move into settled homes and whether earlier help prevents homelessness.
Evidence
Who could lead: City of Edinburgh Council and housing partners.
- Start now
Explain the allocations decision and actual operating dates; publish suitable and unsuitable accommodation counts on the same basis.
- Over the next few years
Evaluate the Wester Hailes pilot using referrals, help received and housing outcomes, with personal information protected.
- Over the longer term
Track time spent in temporary accommodation and sustained settled tenancies, alongside supply and prevention costs.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Housing emergency: suitable homes and earlier prevention: Housing emergency progress and allocations decision reported in August 2026. Evidence dated 2026-08-26.
Measure: Unsuitable placements, length of temporary stays, settled tenancies and prevention outcomes.
Trade-off: Buying temporary homes may improve conditions without solving the shortage of permanent affordable homes.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Housing emergency: suitable homes and earlier prevention →
Proposal
Make room for homes people can afford
The average home price is £304,000 (July 2026) in City of Edinburgh council area. This is about £108,000 higher than the Scotland average for the same month.
Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.
Who could lead: The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers.
- Start now
Publish the local waiting list, temporary accommodation and affordable-home delivery figures together.
- Over the next few years
Test proposed housing sites against affordable-home need, access to work, school places and water capacity.
- Over the longer term
Check whether completed homes reduce unmet need, rather than counting planning permissions as delivery.
How to judge progress
Starting point: The average home price is £304,000 (July 2026) in City of Edinburgh council area.
Measure: Affordable homes completed, households waiting, time in temporary accommodation, and rent compared with local earnings.
Trade-off: More homes can put pressure on infrastructure and land. Affordability requirements also affect development viability.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Evidence: Average home price →
Granton Waterfront first-phase homes →
Housing emergency: suitable homes and earlier prevention →
Proposal
Connect local skills to local opportunities
50% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or higher (20 March 2022) in City of Edinburgh council area. People aged 16+ with a degree or higher ranged from 37.9% in Liberton/Gilmerton to 65.9% in Morningside — a gap of 28 percentage points.
Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.
Who could lead: Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority.
- Start now
Compare vacancies and employer needs with training available to local residents. Start by checking the different needs in Morningside and Liberton/Gilmerton; census differences are not proof of unmet demand.
- Over the next few years
Link training to real jobs, including routes for people without formal qualifications.
- Over the longer term
Track sustained employment and earnings after training, not just course starts.
How to judge progress
Starting point: 50% with a degree or higher; 20 March 2022. People aged 16+ with a degree or higher ranged from 37.9% in Liberton/Gilmerton to 65.9% in Morningside — a gap of 28 percentage points. 20 March 2022; 17 of 17 current wards have comparable figures.
Measure: Sustained jobs, earnings and training completion for residents who face barriers to work.
Trade-off: Training takes time and cannot create demand for jobs on its own. Qualifications are not a complete measure of ability.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Evidence: People aged 16+ with a degree or higher →
Evidence: People aged 16+ with no qualifications →
Granton heritage buildings and public spaces →
Proposal
Target safety work where problems repeat
Recorded-crime figures cover the whole City of Edinburgh council area; they do not identify individual wards.
These are police-recorded crimes under Scottish counting rules. They cannot be ranked alongside the mapped incidents shown for other UK nations.
Who could lead: The local police force, council community safety team and relevant services.
- Start now
Check recurring places and categories alongside local police priorities and residents’ reports.
- Over the next few years
Test focused prevention and support, with a comparison period agreed before the work starts.
- Over the longer term
Publish whether problems fall, move elsewhere or return, and adjust the response.
How to judge progress
Crime evidence and coverage →
Starting point: Use the dated, complete periods shown in Crime and safety; keep anti-social behaviour separate.
Measure: Comparable recorded incidents, repeat victimisation and residents’ reported experience; never a single crude league table.
Trade-off: More reporting can increase recorded crime. Enforcement and support may work differently for different problems.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Proposal
Turn published plans into visible progress
3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.
A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.
Who could lead: The named project owners and council scrutiny bodies.
- Start now
Put the scope, owner, funding position and next milestone in one public place.
- Over the next few years
Report delivery against the agreed scope and explain delays or changes.
- Over the longer term
Check the benefits residents actually receive after completion.
How to judge progress
Starting point: The dated stages in Projects; unknown costs and funding remain unknown.
Measure: Milestones met, costs against the approved budget, and measured outcomes after delivery.
Trade-off: Delivery reporting takes staff time, but a launch announcement alone cannot show value for money.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Granton Waterfront first-phase homes →
Granton heritage buildings and public spaces →
Housing emergency: suitable homes and earlier prevention →
What still needs an answer
Delivery costs, current service capacity and residents’ experience need to be assessed before choosing a programme. The time bands describe a possible sequence, not promised delivery dates.
Project locations have not been matched to official ward boundaries. No ward-specific delivery claims are inferred.
Costs, funding and benefits are only reported where the selected official evidence states them; blank fields are not zero.
The reviewed August update does not provide a complete outcome evaluation of Ask and Act or an implementation date for every change to allocations.
