Ninety-four homes reinterpret Edinburgh’s colony-house section within the surviving walls of an eighteenth-century fort.
Quick facts
Date: 2017–2018
Design and delivery: Malcolm Fraser Architects, initial planning; Collective Architecture, completion
Designation: New housing within surviving listed fort walls; designation of walls is separate
A new colony section
The 1.7-hectare development combines a ground-floor flat with a two-storey duplex above. Individual front doors, gardens and shared external stairs translate a familiar nineteenth-century Edinburgh arrangement into contemporary housing.
A central green space opens the interior of the site. New houses sit within the surviving stone boundary of the former fort, connecting a new domestic layout with substantial historic fabric. The listed status of the old walls should be distinguished from the recent houses.
Council and housing-association partnership
The original scheme provided 32 council homes for social rent and 62 homes for mid-market rent through Port of Leith Housing Association’s subsidiary. The mixed rental programme demonstrates the different forms of affordable provision delivered through partnership.
Malcolm Fraser Architects obtained the initial planning consent. Collective Architecture completed the development, with sources recording completion across December 2017 and January 2018.
Earlier post-war housing on the fort site has been demolished. Photographs of those towers and slabs show a previous scheme, rather than these colony-style homes.
Location and Photos
The housing lies behind the surviving fort boundary on North Fort Street. Entrances and gardens remain residential.
Explore further
Sources & further reading
- Collective Architecture, Leith Fort — Section, site, architectural teams and completion.
- City of Edinburgh Council, Leith Fort — Council and mid-market rental split and completion.
- Harbour Homes, original 2018 project report — Client partnership and tenure.
- Historic Environment Scotland, Trove, Leith Fort — Site location and earlier phases.
Location
OS grid reference NT 2619 7669 · Location confidence: Representative site point from the historical HES Leith Fort place record, Trove 145504. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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