Edinburgh planning: Plans submitted to turn former Newington record shop into a new restaurant

Yakiniku Edinburgh Ltd is proposing that it changes the former Hog Head Music Record Shop at 62 South Clerk Street in the Newington area of the city into a new Japanese restaurant called Yakiniku.

The plans, submitted to the City of Edinburgh Council’s planning department on October 28 by the applicant’s agents Angus Architecture Limited, would see the formation of a small restaurant with kitchen and limited patron seating on the ground floor level.

The former Hog Head Music Record Shop at 62 South Clerk Street, Edinburgh. | Google Maps

The existing record shop floor would be transformed into a 24-seat restaurant, with the staff room/ kitchenette becoming the restaurant’s kitchen.

It is understood that the basement level will be used for storage space, with customer access to basement level toilets only.

A new shop front would be installed under the plans, with the existing aluminium frame replaced with traditional timber panelled windows and door.

There are existing residential properties above and below the commercial unit. Both the residential properties share a separating floor with the proposed restaurant, the basement level flatted property also shares a separating wall with the proposed restaurant.

This drawing shows how the new Edinburgh restaurant would look at street level. | City of Edinburgh Council

There is an existing residential communal stairwell to one side of the proposed restaurant and a commercial business to the other side at ground floor level.

The application is a re-application which was withdrawn due to pending noise impact assessment and ventilation strategy drawings. Due to time scale and dates the applicant was advised to withdraw and resubmit the plans once all reports were in place. These have now been prepared and submitted.

The noise impact assessment carried out by RMP concluded: “The assessment has shown that the separating floor between the proposed restaurant and basement level residential flat will require upgrade measures to meet the local authority inaudibility criteria for both airborne and impact sound transmission.

“Recommendations have been provided to upgrade the existing separating floor construction to improve airborne and impact sound insulation performance above current performance levels.

These detailed plans show the proposed layout of the new restaurant at South Clerk Street. | City of Edinburgh Council

“The assessment also highlighted that the separating wall construction between the basement restaurant level and the adjoining basement level residential dwelling was also unlikely to meet local authority criteria for inaudibility.

“Recommendations have been provided to upgrade the existing separating wall construction to improve airborne sound insulation performance above current performance levels.”

The plans to turn the former record shop at South Clerk Street into a new Japanese restaurant catering for up to 24 diners will now be decided upon by the council’s planning department.