Plans for offices made from shipping containers approved in Port of Leith

Plans to create a new office and retail space made from repurposed shipping containers at a former dry dock in Edinburgh have been approved.

Forth Ports’ Harbour 31 regeneration at the Port of Leith will also see historic buildings on the site incorporated into the design.

The firm said the development would also “open previously inaccessible” parts of the port to the public.

Construction is expected to begin next year, with completion set for late 2027 or early 2028.

The Dry Dock project forms parts of the wider Harbour 31 development.

City of Edinburgh Council is also mulling over a planning permission in principle application submitted as part of the project in March 2024, which would see 337 new homes built on the site.

Under the recently approved plans, new workspaces and creative hubs would be created from refurbished shipping containers.

Historic structures including the former dry dock pump house, storage sheds and railway tracks will also be preserved and used in the final design.

It will become a neighbour to FirstStage studios, the film studio development opened in 2020 where Netflix series Department Q and Amazon Prime’s The Rig were filmed.

It is the latest development at the Port of Leith in a long-term plan to transform the area into a leading hub for renewable energy.

Pameal Smyth, chief legal and property officer at Forth Ports, said: “Our plans for this area will deliver a vibrant, creative and commercial hub which will be integrated into this historical part of the port.

“The Port of Leith is going through a major transition as it becomes a leading offshore renewables hub and The Dry Dock will be a positive addition as Leith and the waterfront continues its regeneration.”