Wheatley chief executive Steven Henderson was joined by City of Edinburgh Council housing convenor Councillor Jane Meagher and others to see how work was progressing on 300 new homes Wheatley is building at West Craigs.

The development – made up of 168 homes for social rent and 132 for mid-market rent – will be the biggest ever built by Wheatley Group.

The new homes are just one element of the transformation of West Craigs which will see up to 1200 new homes for private sale, two new public parks, a new primary school and new shops.

Wheatley’s £52 million project at West Craigs includes £27.8m funding from the City of Edinburgh Council. The first phase of the homes should be ready by the end of 2024.

Wheatley Homes East chair Alastair Murray said: “We were delighted to welcome Councillor Meagher to West Craigs.

“This is Wheatley’s biggest-ever development and we’re grateful for the support of City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government in helping us increase the supply of much-needed affordable housing across Edinburgh.

“The homes include low-carbon features such as solar panels, high levels of insulation and energy-efficient boilers, as well as electric car charging points, which will help tenants with their bills and help us cut our carbon footprint.

“I’m sure our tenants will enjoy living here.”

The new Wheatley homes will be a mix of two to four-bedroom houses, and one, two and three-bedroom flats, with 19 homes suitable for wheelchair users.

The development will include 33 Livingwell homes, the group’s service – provided by Wheatley Care – to support older tenants to live independently, as well as 19 flats provided by Wheatley Care to support people with complex needs.

Councillor Jane Meagher, Edinburgh’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work convener, said: “Edinburgh’s council housing stock was devastated by the Right to Buy policy, meaning only 14% of homes in our city today are social housing, compared to a Scottish average of 23%. We desperately need to work on reversing this trend and I’m pleased to see the prioritising of good quality social housing and genuinely affordable new homes in West Craigs.

“I’m looking forward to seeing hundreds of people move into their beautiful new homes, which are all being built with carbon reduction in mind. It will be a great example of a development which is focused on delivering the types of homes our city, our climate and our residents need, and which people will love living in.”

Developers Cruden Building Scotland will be providing jobs and training opportunities for local people as part of the new-build contract.

Richard Crowther, commercial director of Cruden Building Scotland, said: “We are delighted to work on this transformational new housing development, and Wheatley’s biggest housing development to date. All of these homes are set within an exemplary placemaking and well-planned environmental space.

“Importantly, we take pride in building communities and we will bring a range of community benefits to this area such as new jobs, apprenticeships, new training opportunities and supporting a number of local community initiatives.”

Wheatley Homes East is currently on site building, among others, 57 new homes in Penicuik, 146 units at Almondvale at Livingston, 60 in Wallyford, East Lothian and 76 new homes in two phases at Roslin, also in East Lothian.