Edinburgh plans to demolish Scottish War Blinded building to make way for 131-room student block rejected
Plans to demolish the Scottish War Blinded building in Bruntsfield to make way for 131-room student accommodation have been refused, with 232 objections from locals.
S Harrison Developments Ltd and Sight Scotland re-submitted plans in May to demolish the unlisted building at 50 Gillespie Crescent and build the new student blocks, after earlier plans submitted in November 2023 were rejected by the council and on appeal to the Scottish Government.
The revised proposal for the two-block four-storey L-shaped new building with a basement level, presented a slightly lower overall height to both building forms and increased the separation distance from the existing buildings along Bruntsfield Place.
The application was referred to the Development Management Sub-Committee, which rejected the plans on November 25.
The council’s chief planning officer David Givan said: “The proposal would result in the demolition of a building that makes a positive contribution to the character and appearance of the Marchmont, Meadows and Bruntsfield Conservation Area.
“In terms of its built density, its positioning, scale, massing, form, architectural style and use of cast stone, the proposed new build development would not be in keeping with, but instead, would harm the established urban grain and character and appearance of the area.
“Therefore, the proposal conflicts with the objective of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of the conservation area.
“There are no significant public interest advantages of the development which can only be delivered at the scheme's proposed location that are sufficient to outweigh this conclusion.”
Mr Givan also pointed out that the proposal would result in the loss of sunlight to the rear gardens of 1-5 Bruntsfield Place, harmful to the amenity of its residents.
There were 257 representations for this application on the council’s online planning portal, including 232 objections, 24 letters of support and 1 neutral comment.
Among the reasons for objections were the loss of a building that contributes to character and appearance of the conservation area, the carbon cost of demolishing the existing building, and the plans being out of keeping with the character and appearance of the conservation area.
Other objectors highlighted the overly dense development amounting to an over-development of site, the proposed new building being too large, issues with traffic and parking congestion.
Some locals also complained about a potential loss of privacy, security concerns and the site being an unsuitable location for student housing.
Those in favour of the proposals said the plans would alleviate pressure on family/general housing stock, highlighted a need for student housing locally, economic benefits to area, and the sustainable re-use of a brownfield site with a sustainable, low carbon development.
In the planning documents, the applicant’s agent CBRE said: “The applicants and the project team have undertaken constructive pre-application engagement with the council, with planning officers providing helpful feedback which has been taken into consideration in the final proposals.
“The applicant has undertaken a comprehensive pre-application consultation exercise to seek the views and input from officers as the design for this proposal was developed.
“The applicant undertook a public exhibition at the site in order to ensure that local residents were aware of the further development proposals which would be coming forward at the site, and to gain feedback on the proposed design prior to submission of the planning application.”
When lodging these latest plans, the applicant also highlighted the “acute need” for student accommodation in the Bruntsfield area.
The site covers an area of approximately 0.23 ha and is currently brownfield land comprising a vacant building and associated car parking area. It sits within the former grounds of Gillespie’s Hospital which was constructed in 1801.
Royal Blind Asylum and School took on the site in 1922 and built the current building in 1930. The building is the last remaining building of the Royal Blind Asylum that used to occupy a large site to the south of Gillespie Crescent.
The building was most recently utilised as an office by Sight Scotland but has been empty for some time. Through this application Sight Scotland was seeking a sale to reinvest proceeds into their charitable work.
For the latest public notices from your area, please visit: https://publicnoticeportal.uk/