March 28 2025

Smith Scott Mullan Associates, on behalf of LAR Housing Trust, has filed plans for 11 four bedroom townhouses in three clusters at Ford's Road, Edinburgh.

Slotting into a former car park to the rear of Riverside House next to the Water of Leith, the terraced family homes will complement the recent residential conversion of Elfin Square, also by LAR.

Outlining their chosen design approach, the architects wrote: "The main design challenge was reducing the existing spatial chaos and the negative impact of the unattractive back elevations and car parking dominating Ford’s Road. The aim is to replace the brutalist car-centric space with a friendly and people-oriented urban street.

"Locating the 3.5-storey high buildings along Ford’s Road creates a legible, human-scale urban street where buildings and mature trees complement each other. This move allows us to obscure the untidy landscape of back elevations. Aligning with the Elphin House breaks its’ mass and minimises the impact of the oppressive gable."

Homes will be finished in a dark grey smooth cement slate cladding in a cassette pattern to lessen the brooding presence of Elphin House to the rear, with a light brick base to the flood line.

4 Comments

#1 Posted by Lovely on 28 Mar 2025 at 10:44 AM

Something different at least.

#2 Posted by town planner on 28 Mar 2025 at 12:31 PM

Is four stories "building density"? I suppose technically it is but would have welcomed another couple of stories here.

#3 Posted by Mark on 31 Mar 2025 at 22:33 PM

I'm sure Gorgie Tony will have his say about this in the Evening News…

#4 Posted by Neil on 1 Apr 2025 at 10:12 AM

This looks like a fantastic scheme and refreshing to see something different as #1 says. The choice of image is a bit odd and doesn't do it many favours though, looks like a screengrab from Paperboy on the Commodore 64 (unless that's what they mean by 'cassette pattern cladding' ;))

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