Multi-million pound legal battle over Edinburgh Castle Homes development edges closer

Cala Homes has hit back against claims it bullied a community group into backing its plans for 145 apartments at Edinburgh Castle Homes - and repeated threats to sue them.

The developer insists it has done nothing wrong and says the group, which has fought the development since it was first proposed, was ‘deliberately misleading’ in its latest claims.

A petition against the development, which currently sits on the site of a former care home on the capital’s Castle Terrace, has now topped 10,000 signatures.

Opponents have said that the proposed development is too big and will overshadow the historic buildings around it.

The plans were approved by the City of Edinburgh Council in 2021, despite the objections, and Cala Homes began work on the site in March this year.

However, the Stockbridge and Inverleith Community Council (SICC) is now seeking a judicial review of that decision. It claims that Cala Homes bullied it during the planning process and threatened it with legal action unless it dropped its opposition.

However, Cala Homes has hit back. It said that it had been ‘crystal clear with the SICC from the outset that the company would seek the recovery of its costs if it took legal action against our development.’

The developer also repeated its threat to sue the community council. It قال: ‘Cala Homes has been left with no option but to instruct lawyers to commence proceedings against the SICC to seek the recovery of our costs, which currently exceeds six figures.’

The SICC has been contacted for comment.

A Cala Homes spokesperson said: “We have been made aware of the latest claims made by the SICC. These are inaccurate and deliberately misleading.

“Our legal representatives have written to the SICC again today, reminding them that we will be seeking our reasonable legal costs from them. This was made clear to them from the outset, and they have continued to ignore this advice.”

The SICC has said it is ‘disappointed’ by Cala Homes’ response. A spokesman said: “We are disappointed that Cala Homes has chosen to respond to our legitimate concerns by threatening us with legal action.

“We believe that Cala Homes has bullied us throughout this process and has shown no regard for our concerns about the impact of this development on our community.

“We will not be deterred by Cala Homes’ threats and will continue to fight to protect our community from this harmful development.”