Cala to transform historic school into new homes

Cala Homes, the Edinburgh-headquartered housebuilder, plans to turn the site of a former school for the blind in the city into 49 homes.

The Legal & General-owned firm has been given planning permission to turn the C-listed building that once housed the Royal Blind School in Craigmillar Park in the south-east of the Scottish capital into residential.

Plans had originally been filed in December last year, but following what it called “an extensive community consultation” Cala submitted revised documents that reduced the heights of buildings, reconfigured key blocks and changed some of the proposed materials to be used in the project.

Craig Lynes, Cala Homes’ land director, said it had been important to engage with the local community in a series of events and the firm’s “flexible approach” following the public consultation had been “appreciated by local people and city planners”.

Recent extensions to the old school building, which was originally built in 1835 and closed its doors five years ago, will be demolished, as will some surrounding buildings in order to make way for the new homes.

Cala said it would build 21 apartments in the school building, 26 new townhouses in the grounds, a flat over a garage on the site and a flat in a refurbished gatehouse.

The scheme was designed by Edinburgh-based Michael Laird Architects.