The developers behind the £1 billion redevelopment of Edinburgh’s St James Centre have unveiled plans to build 41 new homes in the city.

TH Real Estate will build the properties on a site at Beaverbank Place in Canonmills.

Work on the homes, which will be managed by Dunedin Canmore Housing Association, is expected to start next year.

The developer agreed to build the homes as part of its planning application for the St James overhaul.

Martin Perry, director of development for TH Real Estate, told the Edinburgh Evening News: “As the population of Edinburgh continues to grow, it is important that we work to support the council in accelerating the provision of affordable housing in the city.

“Beaverbank Place will provide high quality, low-cost homes, in a central, sought after location and we are delighted to be able to offer such a strong affordable housing component as part of Edinburgh St James.”

Dunedin Canmore Housing Association managing director, Hazel Young, said: “We are really pleased to be working on this project and building the new affordable homes.

“We are proud to play our part in tackling the acute shortage of affordable housing in Edinburgh city centre.”

Planning permission for the 41 new homes was welcomed by former city council leader Andrew Burns before last week’s elections.

He said: “The Edinburgh St James development is a hugely important project for the Capital which will make a major contribution to the local jobs market and deliver millions of pounds to the local economy, as well as providing more council homes, which the city so desperately needs.

“The Beaverbank Place site is a great example of how the council and our partners are delivering on the joint commitment to build 16,000 new affordable homes in Edinburgh over the next ten years.

“The site won’t just deliver dozens of homes – we expect it to generate benefits to the local community, improving the area and supporting jobs and local businesses. I look forward to seeing the scheme progress.”