Edinburgh plans to demolish Scottish War Blinded building to make way for new 131-room student accommodation

S Harrison Developments Ltd and Sight Scotland have re-submitted plans 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 latest application, submitted on May 1, is for the “proposed demolition of existing building and erection of purpose built student accommodation and associated amenity space, landscaping and infrastructure”.

The revised proposal for the two-block four-storey L-shaped new building with a basement level, presents a slightly lower overall height to both building forms and increases the separation distance between the proposal and the existing buildings along Bruntsfield Place.

In the planning documents, the applicant’s agent CBRE said: “This application seeks to address and respond to the reasons for refusal established in the associated decision notices.

“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.”

The Scottish War Blinded building in Bruntsfield will be demolished if plans are approved to build a new 131-bedroom student development there. | Google Maps

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The plans show that 131 student bedrooms are proposed with 10 per cent of those studios, including the provision of accessible bedrooms, and the remaining 90 per cent comprising cluster rooms.

The proposed internal student amenity, comprising 228sqm, “offers a range of spaces for socialising, studying, and relaxing to encourage social cohesion amongst residents”. The principal amenity space would be accessible at ground level from the main reception area. The cluster flats would also have shared amenity space comprising of kitchen, living, dining space.

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 was most recently utilised as an office by Sight Scotland but has been empty for some time. Sight Scotland now seek a sale to reinvest proceeds into their charitable work, and has therefore jointly submitted these plans for demolition and the building of new student accommodation.

Highlighting a local need for student accommodation and revealing more details about the plans, the applicant’s agent added: “There is an acute need for additional purpose-built student accommodation to be delivered in Edinburgh in order to house its growing student population and huge shortage of student beds. This shortage forces students to seek alternative accommodation, often in the private rented sector or budget hotels.

“The proposed building, comprised of two blocks with a small interconnecting block, begins to establish a new geometric plan layout to the area to the south of Gillespie Crescent, which corresponds to the characteristics of the conservation area, by seeking to make best and most rational use of the space whilst also taking account of the historic landownership boundaries and other constraints, notably the line of mature trees which demarcate the northern boundary of the former Gillespie Hospital.

“The building’s overall scale has been intentionally reduced through the design review to achieve a more contextually appropriate design that responds to the character and appearance of the conservation area.

“The reduced building scale and strategic placement ensure that the proposal integrates positively into the urban fabric, preventing it from dominating or overwhelming neighbouring properties, ensuring the proposal contributes positively to the site without compromising its visual or environmental integrity.”

The applicant argues that the current building is no longer sustainable, making demolition the only option. A condition survey concluded that the building is in a deteriorating condition and that immediate repairs would be required to rectify ongoing issues of water ingress, damp and other fabric damage.

Leading the applicant’s agent to state: “The sale of the site will allow Sight Scotland to save costs on the existing building and grounds and generate funds to be reinvested in their charitable work in Edinburgh.

“The proposed development will optimise use of a brownfield site, delivering a well-designed, sustainable development at an appropriate density and comprising high quality materials which are in keeping with the Marchmont, Meadows and Bruntsfield Conservation Area.”

The application will now be decided upon by the council’s planning department. The application has so far received two objections on the online planning portal.