Edinburgh planning round-up: Homes proposed at hospital site, new Leith Walk shop and city centre mews
Your weekly round-up of new planning applications in Edinburgh
Plans to build up to 400 homes at the site of a former Edinburgh hospital have been submitted to the city council.
Still to go through the consultation stage of the planning process, the proposals submitted by the City of Edinburgh Council would see a mix of social and mid-market flats, along with private homes, built at Liberton Hospital.
Elsewhere in the latest planning applications, The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh has applied for permission to install new polytunnels as part of its Edinburgh Biomess project.
And, plans have been submitted to build a new 1.5 storey mews building on the site of a city centre car park, for use as a single unit of professionally managed serviced visitor accommodation.
See below for more of this week’s new planning application submitted to the City of Edinburgh Council’s planning department.
Housing proposals for former hospital site
The City of Edinburgh Council submitted a proposal of application notice on October 16 to its planning department to transform the site of the former Liberton Hospital at 113 Lasswade Road.
The plans for the large site would see the delivery of a new mixed tenure residential development with up to 400 social rent, mid-market rent and private for sale homes.
If a full planning application is submitted and approved, the development will be comprised of both housing and flats and will be supported by car and cycle parking, landscaping, amenity spaces, and drainage and servicing provision.
With the plans still at an early stage, a consultation phase must take place before a full planning application is submitted.
Proposed community consultation events are due to take place during the weeks commencing November 23 and January 25, at a local location still to be confirmed.
The design team will provide an online presentation to the local Development Information Forum in advance of each consultation event.
Local community councils and ward councillors have been notified of the proposals, along with Police Scotland and the local community policing team.
New polytunnels part of “most ambitious development and restoration programme” at Botanics
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh applied to the City of Edinburgh Council’s planning department on October 16 for permission to erect new polytunnels at the Royal Botanic Nursery, Inverleith Avenue South.
If the plans are approved, the 2792sqm currently vacant site would provide replacement tunnel accommodation within the Nursery to facilitate future decant activities, as part of the Botanics’ Edinburgh Biomes project, which includes the recent restoration of the Grade A-listed Palm Houses.
The proposed development comprises the erection of two polytunnels, associated hardstanding, access paths and ancillary works, to provide additional growing capacity for plants serving both the Nursery and the wider Garden, including the north east corner site.
Access will be taken from the existing road along the eastern boundary of the site, with paved paths connecting the road to the entrances of each polytunnel and the central hardstanding area.
The hardstanding between the polytunnels will accommodate a shipping container at its western end, providing ancillary storage in association with the Nursery operation.
In the planning documents, the applicant said: “Edinburgh Biomes is the most ambitious development and restoration programme in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s 355-year history.
“It represents a long-term investment in the Garden’s glasshouse, research and infrastructure assets, safeguarding its internationally important Living Collection while significantly reducing carbon emissions.
“The proposals are consistent with the relevant development plan policies and have been sensitively designed to respect the character and appearance of the Inverleith Conservation Area.
“They represent a positive and functional addition to the established Nursery supporting ongoing horticultural activities and contributing to the delivery of the wider Biomes project.”
New Mews building proposed in city centre to provide serviced accommodation
Sundial Properties Ltd submitted an application on October 9 to build a new 1.5-storey mews building for use as a single unit of professionally managed serviced visitor accommodation, at 39 Young Street North Lane.
The application site is presently a secure surface car-parking area comprising five spaces.
The proposed 120sqm building would include a pitched slate roof, natural stone at ground-floor level using stone reclaimed from the existing boundary wall, zinc cladding at upper level and carefully proportioned fenestration.
The building is proposed to employ highly insulated construction together with underfloor heating system and hot water supply served from air source heat pump, and a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery installation.
It is proposed to provide two bedrooms with a maximum occupancy of four persons, with access through the property's own entrance directly from Young Street North Lane.
No external garden, terrace or other outdoor guest amenity space is proposed. And the applicant said the unit will be “operated at the high-quality end of the visitor-accommodation market” by Sundial Properties Limited.
The applicant said: “The proposed development comprises a two-bedroom, professionally managed unit aimed at the high-quality visitor market and can therefore reasonably be expected to contribute to visitor expenditure and economic activity in the surrounding city-centre businesses.
“These economic benefits are additional to the central point that the proposal involves no loss of existing residential accommodation.
“The proposal accordingly complies with the development plan in respect of the principle of serviced visitor accommodation and, subject to the detailed design, heritage, sustainability and transport matters addressed in the accompanying application documents, planning permission should be granted.”
Convert former Leith Walk bank into standalone shop
SJCF Limited submitted a planning application to the City of Edinburgh Council on October 20 to convert 53 Leith Walk into a standalone commercial unit, including a shopfront replacement and internal alterations.
It was formerly combined with the units at 55-59 Leith Walk to form a single TSB bank premises, which has since ceased trading.
If these plans are approved, works will involve removing the previous bank fit-out, infilling the openings in the separating wall between the units and installing a replacement shopfront.
The proposed shopfront would retain the existing stone mullion, preserving the original proportions of the frontage. The non-original box signage would be removed, and new windows and a door installed in traditional timber joinery. While the stall riser would be painted to match the adjacent masonry.
In the planning documents, the applicant said: “These changes will reinforce the traditional character of the frontage while retaining its surviving historic features.”
The separation of the units has already been approved under Listed Building Consent.
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