A new primary school campus could be built at Granton Waterfront as part of the continuing regeneration of Edinburgh’s north coast.

The proposal is for a two-stream primary school, nursery and Enhanced Support Base on a site around 250 metres east of 11 West Shore Road. The school is intended to sit within the wider Granton Waterfront Development Framework and has been developed alongside the Phase 1 masterplan for the area.

The application is at Proposal of Application Notice stage, meaning it is an early planning step for a major development rather than a full planning application for permission to build. It is still a notable marker for how the waterfront regeneration area is expected to grow: new homes, streets and public spaces need local services, and a new school campus would be one of the most important pieces of community infrastructure.

What is proposed

The proposal covers a new education campus at Granton Waterfront, including:

• a new two-stream primary school;
• a nursery;
• an Enhanced Support Base, often abbreviated to ESB;
• an outline strategy to allow future expansion to a three-stream primary school.

A “two-stream” primary school usually refers to two classes per year group. The reference to future expansion suggests the campus is being planned with longer-term population growth in mind, although the current planning notice is focused on the two-stream school, nursery and support base.

The proposal is described as being coordinated with the Phase 1 masterplan so that the school is integrated into the emerging urban setting. In practical terms, that makes the relationship between the campus, surrounding housing plots, new routes, open spaces and servicing arrangements especially important as the plans develop.

Where the school would be

The site is listed as land 250 metres east of 11 West Shore Road, Edinburgh. That places it within the Granton Waterfront regeneration area, close to the northern edge of the city and the Firth of Forth.

West Shore Road sits within a part of Edinburgh that has long been earmarked for major change. Granton Waterfront is one of the city’s largest regeneration areas, with plans for new housing, public realm, infrastructure and community uses across former industrial and waterfront land.

The school site’s location matters because education provision is a key test for large residential-led regeneration. If new neighbourhoods are to work as places to live, they need more than homes: they need schools, childcare, accessible walking and cycling routes, green space and local services.

Why it matters

A new school campus would be a significant civic building for the future Granton Waterfront community.

For existing residents, the proposal signals how the wider masterplan is moving from broad regeneration aims towards specific projects on the ground. For future residents, it points to the kind of local infrastructure planned to support family housing and neighbourhood growth.

For nearby businesses and landowners, the school could influence movement patterns, footfall, servicing needs and the design of surrounding plots. Schools shape how streets are used at different times of day, particularly around morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up.

For parents, carers and community groups, the nursery and Enhanced Support Base are likely to be closely watched elements of the proposal. The ESB is described as part of the campus, indicating that additional support provision is being planned into the school from the outset rather than treated as a later add-on.

The proposal also matters in the context of the related development activity nearby. A separate Proposal of Application Notice, reference 26/02827/PAN, has been lodged for plots B1 and B2 within the wider Granton Waterfront Masterplan. That proposal is for up to 275 new homes of mixed tenure, including council homes and private homes for sale, with associated landscaping, open space, access, drainage, servicing and external works.

Together, the school PAN and the residential PAN show the next layer of planning activity around the waterfront: housing and community infrastructure being brought forward in parallel.

The wider Granton Waterfront picture

Granton Waterfront is one of Edinburgh’s most prominent regeneration areas. The planning description for the school says the campus forms an integral part of the Granton Waterfront Development Framework and has been coordinated with the Phase 1 masterplan.

That framing is important. A school in this location is not an isolated building proposal; it is part of a planned new urban district. The design and placement of the campus will need to work with the surrounding street network, future housing, public spaces and everyday routes through the area.

Residents will likely want to look closely at how the future detailed plans deal with safe walking and cycling access, boundary treatments, outdoor space, servicing, and the relationship between school buildings and nearby homes. Those matters are often central to how a school campus feels and functions once built.

What happens next

Because this is a Proposal of Application Notice, it comes before any full planning application is determined. PANs are used for major developments in Scotland and are intended to give advance notice of a forthcoming application and associated pre-application engagement.

The current status is listed as “Awaiting Assessment”. A later planning application would normally contain the detailed drawings, design material and technical information needed for the council to assess the scheme in full.

Anyone wanting to follow the proposal or check for documents can search the City of Edinburgh Council planning portal using reference 26/02763/PAN. The address to search is Site 250 Metres East Of 11 West Shore Road, Edinburgh.