Your weekly Edinburgh buildings, planning, streets and neighbourhoods news, w/e August 14
In today’s edition:
BBC broadcasts history of Edinburgh house, through time;
Permission being sought to build temporary emergency accommodation for people experiencing homelessness;
Demolition potentially back on the agenda, following decision against ‘listing’;
End-of-month reopening hoped for Princes Street;
Environmental Impact Assessment ordered for South Gyle ‘green’ data centre;
Leith hotel proposal issues invite to comment;
Guidance issued for traditional buildings conversions;
Concerns about Water of Leith pollution reportedly raised by local MP;
Trio of historic buildings expected to receive conservation funding;
Sewer upgrade to close westbound lane of Waterloo Place;
Hopes high for Edinburgh outlet following Harvey Nichols’ purchase;
Views sought on Starbank Park ‘community space’ plans;
‘Digital hub’ aiming to aid place and building design;
Litter pick at Pilrig Park;
‘Democracy cairn’ added to monuments care list; and
Enjoy, see you next Friday!
BBC broadcasts history of Edinburgh house, through time
YESTERDAY evening saw the broadcast of the first episode of a four-part TV series looking at the history of a single Edinburgh home.
Series six of the BBCs’ ‘A House Through Time’ - presented by historian, David Olusoga - looks at an 18th century home on Calton Hill.
Olusoga is appearing at the Edinburgh International Book Festival a week on Sunday, here and also the following day, here.
-
Permission being sought to build temporary emergency accommodation for people experiencing homelessness
PLANNING permission is being sought to demolish a former social club - used by supporters of Heart of Midlothian FC - and replace it with accommodation and services provision for people experiencing homelessness.
A planning application - here, ref: 26/03173/FUL - has been submitted to create a 97-bed temporary emergency accommodation project on McLeod Street, in Gorgie.
The architects are Unum.
The story is picked up by the website, Urban Realm, here.
-
Demolition potentially back on the agenda, following decision against ‘listing’
THE possible demolition of a block of flats in Gorgie is potentially back on the agenda, following a decision against protecting it with a ‘listing’ designation.
The decision not to list Westfield Court has been taken by the Scottish Government agency, Historic Environment Scotland (here).
In June, BuildEdinburgh reported (here) a mooted buy-back (of flats) scheme being halted because of the possibility of a ‘listing’ protection against demolition.
Repair costs had been estimated at around £500,000 per flat.
The story is picked up Scottish Housing News, here.
-
End-of-month reopening hoped for Princes Street
PRINCES Street could be fully reopened by the end of the month, some five weeks after a section of it had to be closed due to fire ripping through the former Debenhams building, located between Castle Street and Frederick Street - leading to concerns about the structure’s stability.
Says an update issued by the city council, here: “Subject to favourable weather conditions (this restricts when this can be done safely) the hope is that work [to stabilise the building] carried out will allow Princes Street to reopen by the end of August.”
The update adds: “The front façade of the building is now being stabilised with steel beams – more than 40 per cent of these are now in place internally and externally to support the western end of the Princes Street façade - with work ongoing on the remainder of the upper floors.”
The story is picked by The Herald newspaper, here.
-
Environmental Impact Assessment ordered for South Gyle ‘green’ data centre
AN environmental impact assessment (EIA) - for a ‘green’ data centre being proposed in South Gyle - has been ordered by the Scottish Government.
It follows a planning-in-principle application - here, ref: 25/04239/PPP - that was refused by the city council’s Development Management sub-committee in February (here), albeit an EIA was not considered necessary by an officers’ recommendation (here) to approve.
The (rather robust) reasons for the order - by a ‘reporter’ at the Scottish Government - can be found here (‘open the document’).
The story is picked up by The National newspaper, here.
-
Leith hotel proposal issues invite to comment
VIEWS are being sought, concerning a proposed 121-room hotel on the corner of Ocean Drive and Rennie’s Isle, in Leith.
Says the architects, FaulknerBrowns, here: “The proposed massing places a focal tower at the prominent corner, addressing the scale of the larger dockside context, while lower shoulder blocks step down to align with the neighbouring Rennie’s Isle residential scheme and the wider conservation area.
“The preferred option has been refined through three pre-application meetings with The City of Edinburgh Council, incorporating feedback on massing, heritage impact, ground-floor activation and the public realm.”
It’s not been possible for BuildEdinburgh to locate any formal planning application on the city council’s planning applications portal - perhaps because an application has yet to be submitted, albeit a Proposal of Application Notice should exist somewhere on the portal, to provide advance notice.
Views are being sought, on the FaulknerBrowns website, here. There is a deadline of the first of next month.
Among the proposals is a “panelled mural along Ocean Drive celebrates Leith's wine trade history”.
A public consultation event took place a week yesterday.
A campaign against the scheme already has already been formed, with its own website, here.
The proposal is being reported by the Urban Realm website, here.
-
Guidance issued for traditional buildings conversions
NEW Scottish Government guidance - believed to be the first of its kind in almost two decades - has been issued, to help in the conversion of traditional buildings.
Says the government, here: “The Guide to Conversion of Traditional Buildings will help ensure traditional buildings are adapted safely for modern use – ensuring that they meet fire safety, accessibility and energy efficiency needs, while supporting the sustainable reuse of historic buildings.”
Read more, here, on the website of Historic Environment Scotland.
-
Concerns about Water of Leith pollution reportedly raised by local MP
CONCERNS about pollution entering the Water of Leith have reportedly been raised by local MP, Scott Arthur.
Dr Arthur is quoted, here, by The Edinburgh Reporter website, as saying: “People value [the Water of Leith] as a place to walk, cycle and improve their well-being, but they’ve also raised important concerns about user safety, courtesy and water quality.
“I’ll be taking these issues up with both the [city] council and Scottish Water to ensure we see real improvements that make the Water of Leith safer, cleaner, and more enjoyable for everyone who uses it.”
He mentions his concerns on his social media Bluesky account, here.
-
Trio of historic buildings expected to receive conservation funding
THREE historic buildings that were originally excluded from the proceeds of a levy now being charged for overnight stays by visitors in the city are to now receive funding, to help conserve them.
Yesterday, members of the city council’s Culture and Communities committee (here, agenda item 7.4) agreed to allocate Visitor Levy funds to Leith Custom House, the Tron Kirk and the Portobello (pottery) Kilns.
Said papers (here) considered by the committee members, money would come from the “de-prioritisation” of revamp plans for George Street.
The papers proposed, for Leith Custom House: 2026/27 £100,000, 2027/28 £100,000 and 2028/29 £100,000; for the Tron Kirk: 2026/27 £200,000, 2027/28 £0 and 2028/29 £0; and for the Portobello Kilns: 2026/27 £0, 2027/28 £0 and 2028/29 £724,000.
In February, councillors agreed (here) a sum of £3m, from the Visitor Levy funding, to upgrade Hunter Square, adjacent to the Tron Kirk.
On the tenth of next month, further new projects for possible Visitor Levy funding are to be also considered: The Causey Project, Lost Shore and Edinburgh International Climbing Centre and ‘development’ of Princes Street.
The story is picked up by Ian Swanson, of the Edinburgh Evening News, here.
-
Sewer upgrade to close westbound lane of Waterloo Place
THE westbound lane on Waterloo Place is to be closed for an anticipated 11 weeks, from the seventh of next month, to allow for sewer upgrade work.
Says Scottish Water, here, of the £3m investment: “The project… will improve the long-term resilience and reliability of a key section of the city’s sewer and water network, helping it continue to serve homes and businesses for years to come.”
It adds: “The works will also include diverting and upgrading a 130-year-old 12-inch cast iron water main with around 25 metres of new pipeline, helping improve the resilience of the local water infrastructure.”
The eastbound lane will remain open throughout.
The story is picked up by the BBC, here.
Meanwhile, 12 weeks’ worth of overnight roadworks are expected to cause traffic disruption at Crewe Toll roundabout, starting Monday. As detailed here and here (North Edinburgh News).
-
Hopes high for Edinburgh outlet following Harvey Nichols’ purchase
HOPES are high that the Edinburgh outlet of the retail group, Harvey Nichols, will continue to trade as it has been, on St Andrew Square, following news yesterday of the group’s purchase by the founder and owner of Sports Direct, Mike Ashley.
Reporting the purchase - by Ashleys’s Frasers Group - the Guardian newspaper, here, says: “Ashley has bought a series of struggling premium brands in recent years after starting out with a single sports shop. He has said he would keep Harvey Nichols’s Knightsbridge and Edinburgh stores, but rebrand the four other UK stores – in Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and Bristol – as House of Fraser or Flannels.”
-
Views sought on Starbank Park ‘community space’ plans
VIEWS are being sought on whether a ‘community space’ should be created in Starbank Park.
Says an online survey (here) launched by the Friends of Starbank Park:“Starbank House is an historic building located within Starbank Park in north Edinburgh.
“The building has been part of the park landscape for many years and there is
growing interest in exploring how it could be used as a community space for
local residents.”
The story is picked up by The Edinburgh Reporter and Edinburgh Inquirer websites, here and here.
-
‘Digital hub’ aiming to aid place and building design
A ‘DIGITAL hub’ is being developed, to aid the design of places and buildings.
Says one of the partners in the project, Architecture and Design Scotland, the hub aims “to share knowledge, explore emerging technologies and support data-driven approaches to design, infrastructure, placemaking and the built environment”.
Read more, here.
-
Litter pick at Pilrig Park
A LITTER pick is taking place on Tuesday, at Pilrig Park.
Organised by Edinburgh Trash Club, it kicks off at 7pm.
-
‘Democracy cairn’ added to monuments care list
A CAIRN on Calton Hill - that was erected in 1998, to commemorate vigils held nearby for a Scottish parliament - has now been added to the list of monuments in the city being officially cared for by the city council.
It follows a SNP motion agreed yesterday (agenda item 9.1) by members of the council’s Culture and Communities committee, which noted the cairn - aka the ‘Democracy Cairn’ or ‘Parliament Cairn’ - was at risk of being lost because of vandalism.
Meanwhile, councillors on the same committee agreed to a temporary halting (here) of new monuments and memorials in Princes Street Gardens - with the exception of a sculpture celebrating the late writer, Muriel Spark - until a ‘statue and memorialisation plan’ is agreed as part of a wider Princes Street and Waverley Valley strategy.
The story is picked up by The Edinburgh Reporter website, here.
Also meanwhile, a report is to be drawn up, on how to improve the play park in Inverleith Park, following a petition - here - asking for “urgent investment”.
Image details: Meuse Lane, just off South St Andrew Street; copyright Mike Wilson