Edinburgh 'eyesore' office block set for demolition to make way for new development
Developers are bidding to bulldoze a city-centre office block labelled one of Edinburgh’s worst eyesores.
Planners at Edinburgh council have received a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) for demolition Argyle House in Castle Terrace, which is currently home to tech incubator CodeBase, followed by redevelopment of the site for residential, hotel and office use.
But it is understood CodeBase - which had just negotiated a one-year renewal of its lease - had no prior warning of the plans and had to scramble to issue messages of reassurance to the 80-plus small businesses based there.
Around 900 people work for companies based at Argyle House, including the CodeBase team.
A CodeBase spokesperson said: “We have reassured tenants that this is the very start of what is typically a long process, and there is no immediate impact on CodeBase or our community.
“We remain secure in Argyle House for at least the next year, and we’re continuing to work towards a longer-term commitment that ensures the future of CodeBase Edinburgh, whether that be at Argyle House or elsewhere.”
The official documents submitted to the council do not give many details of the proposed redevelopment of the site, saying simply the application is for demolition of the existing building and redevelopment of the site for “mixed use”, which would include residential, hotel and office use, along with “ancillary commercial spaces, associated open space, car parking, landscaping and ancillary works”.
The plans will bring a new period of uncertainty for companies based in the building. CodeBase had been engaged in lease renewal negotiations with the landlord since last year, and because the lease was set to expire on November 23 and the outcome of the negotiations was unresolved, CodeBase was legally obliged to issue termination notices to tenants who had notice periods in place.
But after agreement on the one-year lease renewal CodeBase was recently able to write informing tenants they were secure until at least November 22, 2026.
CodeBase has been headquartered at Argyle House since it was founded in 2014. Although the property is owned by PGIM Real Estate, who bought it for £38 million in 2023, it is leased to Telereal Trillium, who act as landlords to CodeBase.
But there are also other tenants in the 11-storey office block, including Edinburgh University.
The building, designed by Edinburgh architect Michael Laird and completed in 1968, has regularly been criticised as “an eyesore” and “second only to the St James centre in the ugliness stakes”.
The Cockburn Association once described it as one of the worst example's of the city's 1960s office blocks.
It was used as government offices for a long time and also served as an annexe for Edinburgh Sheriff Court. And it has twice achieved stardom, being used as the exterior of the police headquarters in the recent Neflix series Department Q and in 2023 in a similar role in the TV version of Irvine Welsh’s novel Crime.
Two consultation events are planned in relation to the application - both at The Lookout, Edinburgh Futures Institute, 1 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh EH3 9EF. The first is on December 2, from 2pm until 7pm; the second on January 28, from 2pm until 7pm.