Edinburgh planning: Residents angry at developers' bid to switch from new homes to short-term lets
Angry residents of an historic Edinburgh street are urging the city council to reject an “appalling” switch of plan by developers who said they would convert an old hotel into permanent housing but now want to create a block of short-term lets.
Residents are urging councillors meeting on Wednesday to pause any decision on S1’s proposals for the former Claremont Hotel, part of the Category-A listed Claremont Crescent on the edge of the New Town.
Initially, developers S1 won locals’ support for their 2024 plan to create seven residential flats and two mews houses in the former hotel and its grounds, an apparently thoughtful response to Edinburgh’s housing emergency.
Locals were however dismayed when, after winning planning approval, S1 switched its proposal to serviced apartments for short-term lets on the site, claiming there had been little sales interest in flats as residential properties.
Over 40 objections to the revised proposals have been lodged, many drawing attention to a “breach of trust” by the developers, saying it undermined “the integrity of the planning system”.
Local MSP Ben Macpherson, the Cockburn Association and the New Town and Broughton Community Council have all spoken out against S1’s revised plans.
Amanda Young, who lives on the crescent, said: “The developer secured planning consent for long-term residential homes on the basis this would address Edinburgh's housing shortage. Now, with works underway for over a year, they are seeking to change the use to short-term serviced apartments, undermining the entire premise on which consent was granted.”
Ms Young added: “Unmanned short term lets will have a significant negative impact on a safe, quiet, family-focused, close-knit community. We all support new residences being built but not to be used as short lets which will fundamentally change the nature of our crescent.”
Another resident said many locals felt “blindsided” by S1’s revised plans. “The now very obvious ‘bait and switch’ technique they're using to change permission to STL is appalling,” said a third local, in an anonymised response. “It's putting profit before community and will be nothing but disruptive to the area.”
Speaking as MSP for Edinburgh Northern & Leith, Mr Macpherson said: “This proposed development seems at odds with the character of the neighbourhood and the clear need in the city for more, permanent housing for residents.
“ I am sympathetic to concerns that my constituents have raised about these proposals, and that high density occupancy in commercial short-term lets could detrimentally impact the area, particularly the quality of life of those living on and around the street.”
Built in the 1820s, Claremont Crescent was designed by William Burn, the architect of Edinburgh Academy and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, and is the only known example of his residential work.
Famous past residents include Eduardo Paolozzi, the artist, and Stuart Sutcliffe, the “fifth Beatle”, while one property in the crescent is said to have been a base for Arthur Scargill, the president of the NUM, during the 1984-85 miner’s strike.
Planning officials are recommending approval of the latest application. But James Garry, assistant director of the Cockburn Association, urged councillors to refuse consent for short-term lets. He said he considered the proposal “unacceptable in principle and detrimental to the long-term sustainability and character of the New Town.”
Richard Price of the New Town and Broughton Community Council said he was “surprised and disappointed” to see the application switched from residential to STL properties. He added local residents were “understandably extremely annoyed and frustrated and opposed to this late proposed change of use and rue the support that they (had) given to the developers.”
A spokesperson for S1 Development said their plan would convert what had been an 18-room hotel with function room and bar into seven high-quality serviced apartments.
“This change of use application will see it changed from the current hotel use class to serviced apartments, hosting fewer guests than when it operated as a hotel. These will provide flexible accommodation and be well-suited to Edinburgh’s business travellers and tourists.
“While preserving the property’s historic features, the proposals will fully refurbish the building to current standards, ensuring vast improvements to the building’s soundproofing.
“A management regime including noise detectors will also be implemented through a reputable serviced apartment provider.
“This regime will allow a constant assessment of guests to ensure that there is no adverse effect on residential amenity, unlike the previous hotel use, and the local community will be prioritised in the delivery of the development.”