Located on the 2.2-acre Lansdowne House site on Coltbridge Terrace, the new community will provide 48 extra care homes, communal residents’ lounges and facilites, on-site parking, landscaped gardens and Scotland’s first zero carbon 5G heat network, located on the vacant brownfield former Lower School Campus site of St George’s School.

The former school campus will be returned to its residential origins since it was originally a grand Victorian villa set in landscaped grounds, including a Victorian lodge house and stables, formerly known as Coltbridge Hall, built in 1875, designed by architect T.B. McFadzen. 

The new extra care community will help to address the proven demand in Edinburgh for age-appropriate housing with 24/7 care services that support residents to age-in-place and retain their independence, an alternative to a care home.  

Vivere Extra Care Group plans to invest circa £25 million to restore and refurbish the historic buildings on the site and undertake the construction to return Lansdowne House to its residential origins. During the refurbishment and construction period, the new project will contribute to the Edinburgh economy, providing over 100 construction jobs, including a local builder apprenticeship programme for 16-25 year olds. 

When the new community is operational, it will support up to 16 full-time jobs on site and local business partners in Edinburgh, contributing almost £625,000 per annum (estimate) to the local economy, with the residents themselves contributing almost £430,000 per annum to the local economy in taxes and spending. 

Central to the proposals is a commitment by Vivere Extra Care Group to protect, conserve and sensitively refurbish the listed buildings, alongside new build elements which will be thoughtfully designed to complement the character of the Victorian buildings.

Inside the main two-storey Victorian C Listed villa, all the heritage rooms on the ground floor will be fully retained and carefully restored to provide communal lounges and shared amenity spaces for residents.

The high-quality facilities will include a bistro, private dining, a multi-purpose room for a range of activities and a hobby/craft room encouraging socialising. The rooms on the upper floor will be transformed into heritage apartments offering large living spaces and beautiful retained period features.

The scheme will also offer a Health Club, including a fully equipped fitness studio, an activity area for classes such as pilates and yoga, a physiotherapy treatment room and post-operative services. The on-site management team will support the residents on a day-to-day basis and estate management services will ensure the maintenance of the buildings and grounds. 

In the grounds, the current modern buildings will be replaced with new high quality buildings, with the grounds enhanced with landscaped gardens, including the modern reinstatement of the original sunken garden of 1875, with new planting and existing trees protected in order to enhance the residential character and quality of the place. 

The landscaping will enhance the biodiversity of the site by increasing the percentage of usable green space by creating a range of garden types, with green and blue roofs enhancing biodiversity as well as slowing rainwater down before going into the main drainage system.

Scott Curran, co-founding director of Vivere Extra Care Group, said: “Vivere Extra Care Group is pleased to have gained a ‘minded to approve’ planning consent from The City of Edinburgh Council for Edinburgh’s first fully integrated community of extra care homes on the 2.2-acre Lansdowne House site.

“We thank The City of Edinburgh Council and members of the local community for working closely with us to help finalise our proposals for the project.” 

Vivere co-founding director Beatrix Lehnert added: “This is an important step in the provision of much needed extra care housing in Edinburgh. Lansdowne is the first of four planned developments we have in the pipeline in Edinburgh over the next five years.

“Our proposals are aligned with the Scottish Government’s ambition to both raise life expectancy in Scotland and the provision of suitable housing and amenities for older people which help to enhance their health and wellbeing.”