Edinburgh building news 2026, Lothian architecture images, Scottish architects, modern Scotland property design

Edinburgh Building News 2026: Architecture

22 January 2026

Sector urges Scottish Government to capitalise on the welcome potential of new housing agency

Responding to the Scottish Government’s announcement of a new national housing agency to enable and facilitate the accelerated delivery of homes of all tenures, Jane Wood, Chief Executive of sector representative body Homes for Scotland, said:

“With it now approaching two years since a national housing emergency was declared, this is an important and much-needed intervention from the Scottish Government which we have long called for. We applaud the First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Housing on this bold move which seeks to introduce simplicity, scale and speed.

“There is clearly much detail to be worked through but the impact of this announcement and the Scottish Government’s restated commitment to an all-tenure approach should not be underestimated in terms of its potential to stimulate both private sector confidence and investment. In order to make sure that the ambitions of the Scottish Government are achieved, it is now essential that commercial insight and all-tenure expertise feed directly into the design phase. Homes for Scotland is ready to play its full role in this on behalf of members who together deliver the vast majority of all new homes built tin Scotland.”

post updated 18 January 2026

National Galleries of Scotland Waterfront Cultural Centre News

The National Galleries of Scotland has secured almost £56m from the Scottish Government to get a new waterfront cultural centre in Edinburgh off the ground, The Herald can reveal.

The funding package – which will be spread over four years – will allow the National Galleries to proceed with The Art Works project after more than a decade of planning.

16 January 2026

Leading Northern Architects Open New Edinburgh Office

Leading Yorkshire architects brown + company have opened an office in Edinburgh.

The office, which is based in the heart of the historic city, will be run by award-winning architect Rob Miller.

Build-to-Rent apartments in Meadowbank, Edinburgh design by Leach Rhodes Walker:

Rob has already made his mark in Edinburgh, having secured first place in the National Design Ideas Competition for a new community facility at Portobello Promenade in the city.

He explained: “I am extremely proud to be opening brown + company’s first Scottish office here in Edinburgh. This is a major move for our company and a tremendous vote of confidence not just in ourselves, but crucially also in Edinburgh.”

Architect Rob Miller of brown + company:

Rob has over ten years of experience as an architect in both Leeds and York, with a diverse portfolio of completed and acclaimed projects, ranging from sensitive conversions of listed buildings to large-scale mixed-use developments. After joining brown + company in 2019, he played a key role in several high-profile projects in the city including The Roman Quarter and Coney Street Riverside and two Aparthotels in the city centre, before relocating to Edinburgh.

“I believe strongly that my experience of working in York, a magnificent city full of history just like Edinburgh, on heritage, office, retail, build-to-rent, education and brownfield projects, will stand me in great stead as I hit the ground running.

Portobello Promenade design by brown + company:

“So, too, will the Scottish track record of our sister firm Manchester-based Leach Rhodes Walker, which has delivered several high-profile projects across Glasgow and Edinburgh, including Motel One on Princes Street and the Royal and Custom House Glasgow. Leach Rhodes Walker has also recently secured planning consent for 277 Build-to-Rent apartments in Meadowbank, Edinburgh, on behalf of Grahams Investments and Panacea Property.”

Neil Brown, managing director of brown + company, commented: “Rob is the perfect person to open and run our Edinburgh office. Hard-working, talented and charismatic, he brings a strong understanding of design, a creative approach to problem-solving and a dedication to sustainable practices to every project he undertakes.

“These characteristics helped Rob to win the National Ideas competition, which invited proposals from architects across the UK to revitalise the dated public toilet block at Portobello Promenade, introducing commercial and community uses that would support extended public access.”

Rob explained: “Our winning proposal reimagines the existing facilities through sensitive refurbishment and thoughtful expansion. The scheme enhances accessibility with new inclusive toilets, a Changing Places facility and showers for beachgoers.”

Royal and Custom House Glasgow by Leach Rhodes Walker:

The proposal also features a community garden — a shared initiative to be nurtured by local schools, charities, and residents. Seasonal produce grown here will be used within the community facility, reinforcing the project’s commitment to local collaboration and sustainability.

Neil added: “We are incredibly proud of winning this prestigious competition. Rob worked tremendously hard on this project to create a high-quality facility which is worthy of its stunning situation.”

brown + company are now working closely with the client and City of Edinburgh Council to fulfil Rob Miller’s vision for Portobello Promenade.

brown + company (www.brownandcompany.uk) are York’s leading architects with major projects including St Peter’s School, Coney Street Riverside, The Mount Royale, Aparthotel Micklegate and 23 Piccadilly in York, together with Hotham Hall Estate in East Yorkshire and St Paul’s Street in Leeds.

13 January 2026

Home builders frustrated by Scottish Budget

References to young Scots looking for their first home and support for wider all-tenure ambitions welcome but glaring lack of detail

As Scotland’s housing emergency continues to intensify, the country’s home builders have been left “frustrated” by today’s Scottish Budget announcement.

Ahead of May’s Scottish Parliament election, Homes for Scotland are asking stakeholders to demand that housing is a top priority for all parties so that everyone has access to a home that meets their needs and that they can afford.

Help end the housing emergency by reading Homes for Scotland’s 2026 manifesto asks and pledging your support at homesbuildfutures.scot.

Read the article in full at Glasgow Building News 2026

12 January 2026

Princes House Student Accommodation Glasgow Building Design

Acting on behalf of TREC Capital, Mosaic Architecture + Design, one of Scotland’s most experienced practices, has submitted a planning application to develop best-in-class purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) at Princes House on the corner of Waterloo Street and West Campbell Street in Glasgow city centre.

Princes House Student Accommodation Building News

Lothians property updates from last year for now!

5 December 2025

Best building in Scotland

The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland has made history by naming a public realm project as Scotland’s best building for the first time.

Union Terrace Gardens — delivered through a collaboration between Stallan-Brand Architecture + Design and LDA Design — received the Andrew Doolan Award for its exemplary partnership approach to revitalising the city centre, transforming a long-neglected area into a vibrant green space.

This marks the first time a public realm scheme has been recognised with the honour. The project blends contemporary architecture, heritage conservation and landscape design, showcasing what can be achieved through close collaboration between design disciplines.

5 December 2025

Radisson Collection Hotel, Royal Mile Edinburgh Scaffolding

On one of the busiest tourist streets in the heart of Scotland’s historic capital sits a monolith of scaffolding, report BBC Scotland today.

For five years this building on the corner of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and George IV Bridge, has been a plastic-wrapped eyesore.

Remedial work started in 2020 and was only expected to last a few months, but now fed-up residents have been told the scaffolding could remain until 2027.

Hotel Missoni Building

5 December 2025

Challenge facing SME home builders laid bare by latest planning statistics

Local housing applications decrease by 11% as number of SMEs hits lowest level in 20 years

New planning application statistics published today covering the period 2024 / 2025 have shown a worrying decrease in the number of local housing applications for developments of 49 homes or less, highlighting the challenging operational environment of Scotland’s SME home builders, the number of which is now at a 20 year low. The average processing timeframe also remains more than twice the statutory eight weeks at nearly five months.

HFS Director of Planning Keving Murphy said:
“Whilst it is encouraging to see an increase in the number of major housing applications being processed and their average decision timescales decreasing, they still far exceed the statutory timeframe of 16 weeks. More concerning however, is the fact that local housing applications (49 homes or less) have decreased for the fourth year in a row whilst average decision timeframes for these sites have continued to increase against their statutory benchmark of 8 weeks.

“These performance statistics for local housing applications highlight the constrained operating environment our SME home builders are facing when trying to be bring forward the homes of all-tenures the country so desperately needs to tackle the housing emergency, particularly in rural communities where we know they are most active. With independent research already showing that SME home builders are at their lowest level in Scotland, with a 70 percent reduction since 2008 we need to see concerted effort across both national and local governments to speed up and make the planning process more proportionate for SMEs.

With the Cabinet Secretary for Housing committing to an ambition to see all-tenure housing completions increase 10 percent year on year over the next three years, we now need to see pace and urgency taken to alleviate the regulatory blockers that exist within our planning system. With the Scottish Budget approaching in January 2026, the sector needs to see clear financial backing for local planning authorities to increase resource and capacity, as well as ensuring the local and national planning digitisation budgets are increased to invest in digital solutions to help increase productivity.”

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