Lansdowne Extra Care Community in Edinburgh
— Oct 2, 2025, 5:30:00 PM by Sarah Watt
A new community of extra care homes is planned on the 2.2-acre Lansdowne House site in Edinburgh.
Vivere, a joint venture with Probitas, acquired the Lansdowne House site on Coltbridge Terrace in Edinburgh, from St George’s School, and plans to transform this into their first community of new extra care homes in the city. Vivere is investing £25 million in the refurbishment and restoration of the listed buildings on the site and the construction of the new community.
The Lansdowne House development will provide a combination of refurbished heritage and newly built homes, alongside communal lounges and amenities created within the main Victorian villa on the site, originally built in 1875.
CDA is the lead architect appointed to prepare proposals for the new community alongside Doig & Smith, Montagu Evans, Harley Haddow, Henderson Warnock and Rankin Fraser.
A hugely successful Community Information Event was held on site at Lansdowne House on 2nd October 2025 where visitors attended to learn more about the plans for the site.
The vision is to transform Lansdowne House and its grounds into a high-quality extra care community, providing homes that are designed for people to enjoy their life for longer and to be able to age in place, supported by high-quality on site amenities and care services for a healthier life and wellbeing.
This fully aligns with the Scottish Government’s ambition to both raise life expectancy in Scotland and the number of years that people can spend in good health, supported by both suitable properties to live in and the services to assist their needs.
Central to the proposals is a commitment by Vivere to protect, conserve and sensitively refurbish the listed buildings, alongside new build elements which will be thoughtfully designed to complement the character of the Victorian buildings.
Carol Chandler-Thompson, Head of St George’s School, said: “After a thorough and carefully considered process, we are confident we have selected the right buyer who will be respectful of the site during the development phase, and a good neighbour to the school and the local community in the years ahead.
“St George’s has a proud and pioneering heritage in Edinburgh, and an exciting future ahead as we bring inspiration, opportunities and positive role models to our students, and also to girls right across the city. The proceeds from this sale enable us to invest further in our 15-acre, single-site parkland campus in Ravelston, enriching the exceptional 360-degree school experience, facilities and sector leading education that equips girls with unshakable confidence and to make a lasting, positive impact on society.”
Scott Curran, co-founding director of Vivere, said: “For almost 70 years before it became a school Lansdowne House was a private dwelling and our vision is to return the site to its residential origins, protect and refurbish Lansdowne House and its Lodge, and create a high-quality community, providing extra care homes designed for local people. Our proposals are aligned with the Scottish Government’s ambition to both raise life expectancy in Scotland and the provision of suitable housing and amenities for older people which help to enhance their health and wellbeing.”
Danielle Corker, associate director at Savills, added: “Savills is pleased to have supported St George’s School in securing Vivere to develop this important site into a much needed extra care community. The upcoming community event will give local residents a chance to learn more about Vivere and engage directly with the team. It’s exciting to see the next phase begin.”
Martin Stephenson added, “Scotland, like the rest of the UK, has an overwhelming demand to provide housing with care and services to a large and fast-growing older demographic, but with the key difference for Scotland currently being the huge lack of supply of these tailored homes and services within the housing sector. With its development plans Vivere aims to provide a quality product to the market and help to meet the demands in the sector.”
Beatrix Lehnert said, “The forming of Vivere represents significant new long-term investment and job creation in the Edinburgh economy. Alongside delivering best-in-class extra care schemes, our approach is to partner with Scottish businesses, suppliers and operators who are local leaders in their field to provide the care services and amenities for our new communities. This way Vivere will help to create new jobs and investment in Edinburgh alongside the construction jobs generated by the building of our new projects.”
Project Team
CDA team: David Hannah, Catriona Gray, Jamie Sansbury, Cristiano Pintani, Amina Hafeez, Laura Krumina
Client, Owner & Developer: Vivere, a joint venture with Probitas and Stephenson Group
Operations Partner: Home Instead
Wellness & Physiotherapy Partner: Physiolistic
Architect: CDA
Project Manager & QS: Doig + Smith
Planning Consultant: Montagu Evans
Structural Engineer: Harley Haddow
M&E Engineer: Henderson Warnock
Sustainability: Sustainable Estate Solutions (SES)
Transport Planning Consultant: MOR Transport