Massive redevelopment of historic Leith gas works given green light by planners

The former Edinburgh and Leith gas works is set for redevelopment, with some of the historic buildings due to be replaced with student accommodation, affordable homes and shared office space.

Architect's vision of redeveloped gas works

Charlotte Square-based property developer Sundial Properties has successfully applied to Edinburgh City Council for permission to demolish the large Category B-listed gasometer building in the middle of the site, which sits on Baltic Street, Constitution Street and Tower Street in Leith, and replace it with a brand new development.

Other, much smaller Category B-listed buildings on the site will also be demolished, however the Category A-listed Corn Exchange on the corner of the site will be left untouched.

Much of the facades of the old buildings, particularly on Baltic Street and Tower Street, will be retained and redeveloped as part of the new buildings.

Street view of redeveloped gas works

The mixed development will feature six accommodation blocks, three new builds and three conversions, with five of the blocks arranged in a courtyard and one fronting onto Constitution Street.

The student accommodation will consist of 66 multiple occupancy apartments, of between four and eleven rooms, for a total of 558 student bedrooms.

Two warden’s flats will also be built on site, and there will be common rooms, laundry rooms and even music practice rooms.

The affordable housing element will comprise eight one-bedroom flats, six two-bedroom flats and three four-bedroom flats.

A mixture of affordable homes and student accommodation

These will be situated above the office blocks, which will face onto Constitution Street on the north-west of the site. This ‘digital co-working space’ will also feature a cafe. A second co-working area will be located off North Assembly Street.

The height of the proposed new buildings will be five storeys, with the exception of the building proposed at the junction of Constitution Street and Tower Street and part of the proposed new building in the centre of the site.

There will also be a three storey high section of building fronting Constitution Street adjoining the existing Corn Exchange.

A design statement, submitted on behalf of the developers by Forres Street-based Michael Laird Architects, reads: “The site contains a rare and vulnerable group of historic Category B-Listed industrial buildings within the Leith Conservation Area.

Main entrance of the redeveloped former gas works at Leith

“The buildings are largely vacant, increasingly derelict and suffer from severe structural problems.

“Both parts of the site are contaminated and require costly remediation to enable re-use.

“The current use of the site is not compatible with its location on the new tram extension, and its status as a major gateway into the city from the existing and proposed developments in and around the Eastern Harbour of the Port of Leith.

“The scheme proposes a mixed-use development including the provision of postgraduate student accommodation, affordable housing, affordable work units and a café space.

Historic map showing the huge site of the former gas works

“There is no existing or consented purpose-built student accommodation within the Leith council ward, which has approximately half the average density of student residents of the city as a whole.

“The site is well connected to the city centre by existing bus routes, the proposed tram extension and National Cycle Route 75.”

The application was heard at a meeting of the council’s development management committee, which met on Wednesday October 28 to deliberate on the proposals.

Councillors raised concerns about the small number of affordable properties, compared to the large number of student flats, but officers insisted the scheme would not be commercially viable if the balance was redressed.

Members also heard that the council’s environmental protection team strongly objected to the proposals, citing concerns over noise and air pollution.

The objection reads: “Environmental protection recommends the application is refused.

“This is due to the potential noise impacts may have on the development site.

“The site is in the middle of the Salamander Street Air Quality Management Area for PM10 [pollutant] levels exposing future tenants to excessive levels of pollutants likely to adversely affect their health.

“The applicant has not applied mitigation measures recommended by their consultants.

“Environmental protection remains concerned with the level of amenity that would be afforded to future tenants and the likelihood that complaints will be received regarding neighbouring industrial operators.”

Despite this objection, councillors moved to approve the development.

Leith councillor Chas Booth, Green Party, said: “I think that in a sense there is no requirement for this development to bring forward affordable housing as they’re not bringing forward normal housing, so it’s good we’re getting what we get - in a perfect world we would be getting more but we do have to recognise, as the presentation did, that this is an extremely challenging site, this application has a lot of merit.

“It retains many of the fantastic features of Leith’s history and industrial past.

“I still have outstanding concerns about the air quality, but the report makes it clear that because of the appeal decision on an adjacent site about air quality, we won’t get anywhere with pushing that further unfortunately.”

Pentland Hills councillor, and convener of the development management committee, Neil Gardiner, SNP, added: “On this particular site I think they have jumped through hoops to develop this site.

“I think it’s a key site, it’s a key gateway for Leith. The sawtooth buildings remind me of Hamburg, it’s that sort of Hanseatic feel to Leith.

“There’s that historic trading link we have that we need to retain, and we’re fortunate to have in Edinburgh, a Leith - these two great twin cities, and it is very much a city within a city.

“We really are privileged to have these buildings and I think it’s a fitting development for Leith and Edinburgh.”

The development was approved unanimously.

Joseph Anderson, Local Democracy Reporting Service

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