Scottish Water Fairmilehead Office Redevelopment

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Project status prepare

Project Overview

Scottish Water has now submitted an application for Planning Permission in Principle (PPiP) for the redevelopment of our Fairmilehead office site.

As part of a wider property review, we have decided to relocate our Edinburgh office to a more accessible city centre location and repurpose the Fairmilehead site for long-term use.

We are exploring options for the future redevelopment of the site as we prepare to transfer office functions from Fairmilehead and, ultimately, dispose of the site when it is no longer required for operational purposes.

The application seeks to establish the principle of development, with detailed proposals to be developed and considered through future planning processes. No final design or layout has been agreed, and any future development would need to be carefully planned to ensure it is sustainable and sensitive to the surrounding community.

Public consultation events were held earlier this year, giving residents, stakeholders and community groups the opportunity to view emerging proposals and provide feedback.

The application is now being considered by the City of Edinburgh Council and can be viewed on the Council's planning portal under reference 26/02900/PPP.

At A Glance

Application for Planning Permission in Principle (PPiP) has been submitted
Part of Scottish Water’s wider property review
Proposals being developed by appointed design and architecture partners
Public consultation events held earlier this year
No final design or development decisions made at this stage

Fairmilehead Reception

What to Expect

The Fairmilehead office is one of several larger sites identified through our property review as under‑utilised and no longer suited to long‑term operational needs.

Relocating to a modern, accessible workspace will allow us to support more flexible ways of working and provide better connectivity for colleagues, while creating an opportunity to plan a new future for the Fairmilehead site.

Planning Permission in Principle

Planning Permission in Principle (PPiP) is a type of planning application used in Scotland to establish whether the principle of development is acceptable in terms of land use, location and scale before detailed plans are submitted. It allows applicants to seek approval for the principle of development, without providing detailed designs.

We are pleased to confirm that a PPiP application for the redevelopment of the Fairmilehead site has now been submitted to the City of Edinburgh Council and is available to view on the Council's planning portal under reference 26/02900/PPP.

Should PPiP be approved, conditions will be added to the planning permission which requires the applicant to submit an Application for Matters Specified in Conditions (AMSCs). The AMSC process is where details such as materials, design, layout, landscaping and/or unit numbers are provided for assessment to the planning authority. Work cannot start on site until an AMSC is submitted and approved.

Public Consultation

As part of the planning process, we held two public consultation events to give residents and stakeholders the opportunity to ask questions, share feedback, and view the emerging proposals. In total, we engaged with almost 200 residents across the two events.

Both events were held at Fairmilehead Parish Church on Wednesday, 11 March and Wednesday, 25 March 2026.

If you were unable to attend either event, please don’t worry - all consultation materials and information are available in the Documents Hub section of this page.

Documents Hub

All information boards presented at the consultation events can be found in the Documents Hub.

Learn more

Our Commitment to the Community

We are committed to transparent, proactive and community‑centred communication throughout the project. As proposals develop, we will continue to work closely with the City of Edinburgh Council and keep residents and stakeholders updated.

Please note that all comments received during this process are not representations to City of Edinburgh Council. Comments should not be made to the City of Edinburgh Council at this stage. An opportunity to make representations to the Council will exist when a formal application is made and statutory neighbour notification and publicity will be undertaken at that time.