A Labour-run council in Scotland will soon be opening a temporary accommodation site which could be used to house homeless migrants, despite being less than a five-minute walk from a primary school.
The City of Edinburgh Council has proposed to transform the defunct Northfield House Hotel as a building to tackle homelessness in the Scottish capital.
Located in the leafy suburb of Gilmerton, the new accommodation is projected to have 100 self-contained flats which will be used to house homeless people, who are mainly single males, The Telegraph reports.
The local authority has insisted the building will not be used to house asylum seekers.
However, in accordance with legal obligations local authorities are subject to, people who have been granted asylum could be housed there.
Scottish policy states if “you have settled status or indefinite leave to remain” or “you’ve been granted refugee status or humanitarian protection”, you “have the right to homeless help”, according to Shelter Scotland.
Refugee homeless households rose from 1,955 to 3,020 between April to September 2024 and the same period in 2025 – a 54 per cent increase year-on-year, according to the Scottish Government.
This makes up of 16 per cent of all homelessness applications in Scotland.
In January, Ian Murray MSP for Edinburgh South took to social media to inform his constituents on the development, advising the accommodation will be for people “classed as homeless”.
He wrote on Facebook: “The Council will take over ownership of the building on completion to provide accommodation for people who are officially classed as homeless.”
The 100-flat temporary accommodation is due to open at the end of this month
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Mr Murray continued, writing the accommodation “will not be used” to “house people who are seeking asylum”.
“They have also said that the site will NOT be used as a secure residential unit to house prisoners or young offenders; a custody or short-term holding centre; or accommodation to house people who are seeking asylum, a matter which is managed by the Home Office, not local councils.”
He continued: “The council has assured me there will be at least 2 members of staff onsite 24/7, 365 days a year.
“They plan to hold an open day prior to opening so that local residents can meet the staff and ask any questions they may have.”
Northfield House Hotel site in conjunction to its proximity to schools and nurseries in the area (all within a 0.3 mile radius)
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The accommodation is expected to open at the end of May.
Residents in the area have voiced their concerns for the accommodation, particularly due to its close proximity to schools and nurseries in the area.
Carebears Children’s Nursery is 262ft away from the building, Little Learners Nursery is 0.2 miles away, as well as Kaimes Special School and Gracemount Primary.
Slightly further away, within a 0.3-mile radius of the temporary accommodation, are St Catherine’s Primary School and Gracemount High School.
When the council applied for the building to be temporary housing for homeless people, 93 per cent of those who commented said they did not want the proposal to go ahead.
One resident weighed in on the debate that sparked in the comments section of Mr Murray’s Facebook post, writing: “I absolutely don’t like this idea as I have to commute at strange times directly across the road.
“Super unhappy about the fact that there is a need to mention that there will be security guards on site at all times.”
Another person commented: “Having security guards is useless. They can only manage what happens inside the building – there is no way for them to control what happens outside.”
After the Scottish National Party ditched rules which meant individuals had to have a “local connection” to the place where they want to be housed, councils are having to provide more temporary accommodation to asylum seekers.
The legislation, passed in November 2022, meant that councils could not refer a homeless applicant to another council on the basis that they did not have a connection to their area.
An Edinburgh council spokesman said: “This temporary accommodation is one of the many actions we’re taking to tackle our housing emergency in Edinburgh.
“To be absolutely clear, this site will not be used to house people awaiting a decision on their asylum status – this is a matter managed by the Home Office, not the Council.
“Everyone placed there will have presented as homeless in Edinburgh, received a full homeless assessment, and are entitled to council services and support.”