In the news, w/e July 10
In today’s edition:
Huge fire at the former Debenhams building;
‘Affordable’ homes for ‘visitor economy’ workers;
Relocation achieved by Social Bite Village;
St James Quarter reportedly to soon hit the 100 million visitors mark;
Padel tennis application submitted for Braid Hills Golf Centre;
Leith Theatre removed from at-risk register;
Site news;
1960s Edinburgh house named ‘the most perfectly-preserved example’;
Edinburgh Napier University campus expected to be put up for sale;
New arena stalled?;
Muriel Spark monument competition announces its winner;
Several city streets to be closed for the summer;
Walking tour of ‘20th century Morningside’;
‘Climate-conscious design’ - drinks and conversation;
Tenth birthday for Balgreen Community Garden;
Inch Park litter pick;
‘Topping out’ ceremony celebrated at Leith student accommodation project;
Call made to support the repair and maintenance of ‘at risk’ outlying buildings and locations;
Cycle group issues appeal for commendations;
History of former bingo hall and the La Scala cinema; and
Enjoy, see you next Friday!
Huge fire at the former Debenhams building
A HUGE fire - on the upper floors of the vacant former Debenhams building (pictured) on Princes Street - has received widespread media coverage, with the BBC among those ‘first on the scene’ (here).
Reports the BBC: “Debenhams closed in May 2021, following a large fire that April.
“In 2021, [pensions, life insurance, etc company] Legal and General planned a £50m revamp of the building including a 207-room boutique hotel and ‘hospitality hub’, but this fell through.
“The old department store site was then bought by Criterion Capital, the development company headed up by billionaire, Asif Aziz.
“He planned to turn it into a ‘Zedwell’ hotel, which would be the first in Scotland if successful.”
It is believed that work on the Zedwell hotel has been recently taking place in the building.
Adds fellow broadcasters, STV, here, the upper floors have been completely destroyed and the building is deemed too unsafe to enter.
Meanwhile, The Herald quotes, here, a Criterion Capital spokesperson, as saying: “In respect of the fire at the former Debenhams building on Princes Street, Edinburgh, in the early hours of this morning, our immediate priority is the safety of everyone involved.
“There have been no reported injuries, and we are very grateful to the emergency services for their swift response and professionalism.
“This building is an important and historic part of Edinburgh’s city centre, and we continue to liaise with the emergency services and relevant authorities.”
The building is understood to be Category B-listed. The Scotsman newspaper reports, here, of fears that an ‘ornate Victorian library’ might be among the ‘architectural treasures’ lost in the fire.
The Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland has - here - called for specialist conservation engineering advice to be sought before any decisions are taken about demolition.
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‘Affordable’ homes for ‘visitor economy’ workers
OVER hundred ‘affordable’ flats are being built for people working in the city’s ‘visitor economy’.
Reports Emma Newlands, for the Edinburgh Inquirer website (here), the blocks are due to open - Meadowbank and Fountainbridge - in 18 months’ time.
And they are going to be paid for by a visitor levy, a modest charge from later this month - the 24th - for overnight stays by visitors (explained here).
Last year, the city council agreed to ring-fence £5m per annum from the levy, for what it calls a Housing and Tourism Mitigation Fund.
As explained in council papers, here: “On 24 January 2025, The City of Edinburgh Council approved the adoption of the Visitor-Levy-for-Edinburgh scheme, including a Housing and Tourism Mitigation Fund which is £5 million per annum between 2026/27 and 2028/29.
“This report sets out a recommendation for spend of the fund. This could enable around 472 affordable homes to commence construction between 2026/27 and 2028/29; with more than 75 per cent of those being for social rent.
“The provision of new, permanent social rented homes would enable households in unsuitable bed and breakfast temporary accommodation to access settled accommodation, enabling B&B’s to be returned to the visitor sector.”
The paper adds: “It is acknowledged that people may change occupation during their tenancy and the council would not end tenancies because of this.”
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Relocation achieved by Social Bite Village
THE relocation and official opening has taken place of a ‘village’, comprising ‘tiny houses’, in Granton - for people experiencing homelessness.
The village has been moved just five minutes from its original location.
Operators, Social Bite, announced the opening, here.
PS Apologies: a limit on word length in last week’s news round-up meant it was not possible to slip this story in.
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St James Quarter reportedly to soon hit the 100 million visitors mark
ST James Quarter is reportedly about to break the 100 million visitors mark, as it celebrates its fifth birthday.
The Herald’s Scott Wright interviews estate manager, Anne Ledgerwood, here.
He notes that the mall is to be rebranded ‘Westfield St James Quarter’ in September.
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Padel tennis application submitted for Braid Hills Golf Centre
A COVERED padel tennis facility is being applied for, at Braid Hills Golf Centre.
Says a planning application - here, ref: 26/02521/FUL - the proposal is for the area to the east of the centre entrance, that is currently a ‘short game’ practice area.
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Leith Theatre removed from at-risk register
LEITH Theatre has been removed from a theatres-at-risk register.
Says the Theatres Trust, here, Leith Theatre is joined by Sheffield’s Abbeydale Picture House in being removed from the list.
Reports The Herald newspaper’s Gabriel McKay, here: “The historic Edinburgh venue was given £4.5m for renovation last year in a bid to see it reopen, with the entire project expected to cost around £10m.”
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Site news
THANK you to those of you who took up the offer of the site’s discounted (from £30 to £20) paying subscription.
As announced last Friday.
Every £ helps in shaping how the website might improve its offering, to readers.
That discounted rate will continue until a week tomorrow (Saturday, the 18th), at which point all the longer-form content will be for paying subscribers only and potentially - from Friday 24th - the weekly news round-up too (still swithering, on that one).
BuildEdinburgh now comprises almost 250 individual posts, none of which have been produced out of thin air.
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1960s Edinburgh house named ‘the most perfectly-preserved example’
A 1960s Edinburgh house has been given star billing on a website that describes itself as ‘the home of hip houses and stylish interiors’.
Says WowHaus, here, of the property on Braid Hills Road: “This 1960s mid-century modern house in Edinburgh is perhaps the most perfectly-preserved example of the style I’ve seen.”
In its email to subscribers, WowHaus also said: “I don't usually do newsletters for one house, but this is one I'll make an exception for.”
A ‘closing date’ of Wednesday had been set for the house, it being advertised for sale at offers over £725,000, here.
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Edinburgh Napier University campus expected to be put up for sale
THE Merchiston campus - near Holy Corner - of Edinburgh Napier University is expected to be soon put up for sale.
It is understood an estimated £220m would be required to carry out repairs to the site, partly because of the existence of the ‘crumbling concrete’ build system, Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).
It is understood there is a relatively small amount of RAAC at the Merchiston campus, with the £220m estimated repair figure relating more closely to increasing costs of materials and construction and the working lifespan of the building.
Says a statement issued by the university: “We continue to provide life-changing teaching for students alongside leading research and innovation.
“Our Merchiston campus is no longer fit for the future, and we want to provide enhanced facilities going forward. We are therefore now considering alternative options elsewhere, and this process is in its early stages.”
There is speculation (including here on the Edinburgh Inquirer website) that a replacement site at South Gyle might be already on the cards.
More reading: The Edinburgh Reporter website, here.
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New arena stalled?
BEGINS The Herald newspaper’s Brian Ferguson, here: “Edinburgh’s long-awaited indoor concert arena [at Edinburgh Park] has stalled due to challenges in the Scottish construction industry, The Herald can reveal.
“Work is yet to start on the 8,500-capacity venue, more than two years after planning permission was secured, due to problems finding a main contractor and supply chain issues.”
The story is picked up by the DailyBusiness website, here.
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Muriel Spark monument competition announces its winner
FROM 54 entries, an artist has been chosen to produce a permanent public monument in Princes Street Gardens to the acclaimed Scottish novelist, the late Dame Muriel Spark.
Jacqueline Donachie has been named the winner of a Spirit of Spark competition, which was launched in November last year.
Say the organisers, the next stage in the project will be the unveiling of Jacqueline’s detailed design for the memorial in the autumn, with autumn next year the scheduled date for completion and installation.
It is believed that it will be the first-ever permanent memorial to a woman in the gardens.
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Several city streets to be closed for the summer
GEORGE Street and several streets in the Old Town are to be closed between a week on Sunday and September 7.
The ‘summer streets’ scheme has been announced - here - by the city council.
Adds the council, here: “In summer, we see over 5,000 people moving through the Lawnmarket every hour.”
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Walking tour of ‘20th century Morningside’
TICKETS are - at the time of writing - all sold. But it might be worth periodically checking for returns for a walking tour of ‘20th century Morningside’.
The event - being hosted by Docomomoscotland, which campaigns for the conservation of Scotland’s 20th century built heritage - is taking place a fortnight tomorrow.
Details, here.
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‘Climate-conscious design’ - drinks and conversation
ALSO for your diary, if you are interested in ‘climate-conscious design’, the Scottish Ecological Design Association is hosting drinks and conversation in The Diggers’s sister pub in Leith.
On the 28th. Details here.
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Tenth birthday for Balgreen Community Garden
A COMMUNITY garden in Balgreen is celebrating its tenth birthday, after being created from a ‘neglected corner’ of the walkway along the Water of Leith river.
Says the Water of Leith Conservation Trust - here - the garden site had been previously “battered by construction works, tram developments and even hungry rabbits”.
Adds the Trust: “A decade on, Balgreen Community Garden remains a wonderful example of how a neglected space can be transformed through partnership, perseverance and a shared love of nature; oh, and of course, many hundreds of hours of volunteer time to maintain.”
Inch Park litter pick
A LITTER pick is taking place at Inch Park tomorrow, from 11am.
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‘Topping out’ ceremony celebrated at Leith student accommodation project
A ‘TOPPING out’ ceremony has been celebrated at a 604-bed student accommodation project on Baltic Street, Leith.
‘Topping out’ is when the building construction reaches its maximum height.
Says the scheme’s design and build contractor, McAleer & Rushe, here: “The milestone was celebrated on site with developer, HUB; funding partners, Bridges Fund Management and Housing Growth Partnership; and members of the wider project team, recognising the completion of the scheme’s main structure and the continued progress being made across the development.”
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Call made to support the repair and maintenance of ‘at risk’ outlying buildings and locations
A CALL has been made for Edinburgh’s more outlying historic buildings and locations to be considered every bit as worthy of repair and maintenance as those within the UNESCO World Heritage site city centre.
Donald Anderson - a former city council leader - used his weekly column in the Edinburgh Evening News newspaper (here) to celebrate the fact that the city centre no longer has any buildings deemed ‘at risk’.
But he urged attention needs now to be turned to the city’s more outlying properties and locations, such as the underground tunnels at Gilmerton: Gilmerton Cove.
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Cycle group issues appeal for commendations
THE Lothian cycle campaigning group, Spokes, has issued an appeal for commendations.
The appeal is to help the group celebrate its 50th birthday next year - as detailed here.
And Spokes is specifically looking for testimony as to how the group has benefitted people.
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History of former bingo hall and the La Scala cinema
THE history of a former bingo hall and the La Scala cinema on Nicholson Street - now the subject of a refurbishment planning application - has been penned by local historian, Andy Arthur, on his website, Threadinburgh.
Here.
The planning application - to turn it into a cafe and occasional event space - can be viewed, here (ref: 26/01757/FUL).
Photos of the building’s current interior can be viewed on the website of the Edinburgh Evening News newspaper, here.
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Image details: copyright Antonia Reeve