Edinburgh listed building consent given to turn 'UK's earliest' purpose-built car factory into 28 townhouses
Listed building consent has been given to turn a former Edinburgh car factory, believed to be the earliest in the UK, into 28 townhouses.
The former Madevlic Works Buildings in Granton are set to be transformed into 28 new townhouses, with listed building consent granted on November 13.
This consent is for listed building consent only. Work must not begin until other necessary consents, including planning permission, have been obtained.
Lar Projects Limited, which owns the site, applied in May for listed building consent for the conversion of the production block of the former Madelvic Works, as part of the planning application process to turn the old buildings into new townhouses.
It is proposed to demolish the central dual pitch roof complete with the two gables. The original doorway and porch at the southern gable will be retained. It is proposed to remove the existing flat roofs from both ranges.
Twenty-eight domestic dwelling properties are proposed with entrances to either side of each range, with a central landscaped courtyard between the two providing amenity space for future residents.
The adaption involves work within the existing building envelope, focusing on internal alterations. The proposals subdivide the space into residential homes over two storeys, maintaining the floor levels and fenestration patterns of the original building.
In the planning documents, the applicant said: “The reason for the proposed alterations of the former production block is that it is necessary for economic and other reasons to enable the restoration and conversion of the building to go ahead.
“The building is no longer wind and water tight, and water ingress is beginning to seriously degrade the building fabric.
“The work is intended to revitalise the building, giving it a new lease of life. The primary frontages of the buildings are to be retained and repaired to restore the display aspect of their industrial past.
“The lack of maintenance and repair has seriously affected the viability of many schemes and it is hoped that the current proposal has a good chance of preserving the historic legacy of the Madelvic Production Block.
“Twenty years have passed trying to achieve the restoration of the former production block and alternative development uses for the building such as artists’ studios, offices, hotel, care home and art gallery have been explored with developers but without success.
“There is a strong economic case for the partial demolition of the building on the grounds that it is necessary to fund the restoration and conversion of the remaining part of the building.”
The plans for the former production block include two ranges of two-storey buildings linked by a central single storey building to make a rectangular plan form. The block had been incorporated by previous tenant United Wire into a larger building and had been substantially altered.
Approving the listed building consent, the council's chief planning officer David Givan said: “The statutory listing covers a group of buildings comprising the office, the former production block and the former generator block. The main reason for listing is primarily for their historic importance. They are reputed to be the earliest purpose built motor works in Britain
“The other works proposed within the site, including the formation of parking spaces within the proposed front gardens of some of the proposed new houses, the erection of garden boundary walls and the erection of bin stores, would not harm the setting of the listed buildings.
“The property has been derelict for several decades and is on the Buildings at Risk Register. The building condition is now critical. The degree of intervention reflects the alterations required to bring the building back into use.
“The proposals would preserve the special architectural or historic character, integrity, appearance and setting of the listed building and therefore are acceptable.”
The plans received two objections on the council's online planning portal, with concerns raised about the design of the townhouses, the look of the proposed bin stores, and parking.
According to National Transport Trust, the Madevlic Works in Granton was the oldest purpose-built car factory in the UK, opened in 1898 by the Madelvic Motor Carriage Company, which was found by Edinburgh City Astronomer William Peck.
The vehicle first built there, an electric powered car driven by an extra, fifth wheel under the vehicle, was not capable of any great speed and did not prove popular. This was despite efforts to promote the vehicles, including exhibiting at the Edinburgh Cycle Show in February 1899.
After the Madelvic company, several other vehicle manufacturers used the factory until around 1912 when production ceased. During the First World War, the factory was used by the Admiralty as a torpedo store. In 1925, United Wire took over the site, using the buildings for wire cloth production until 2001.
Madelvic House, situated next to this site, is currently home to the granton:hub community organisation. For the latest public notices from your area, please visit: https://publicnoticeportal.uk/