Outdoor cafe plans at Edinburgh tourist hotspot abandoned after dozens of objections

Applicant Welat Barakat has withdrawn a second planning bid for a business in Makars’ Court this year following dozens of objections.

Proposals had been sent to the city council for a cafe and gazebo-covered seating area, which appeared to be a plan-B after the alternative idea of a shisha-smoking area was roundly rejected by nearby business owners.

The court is a common starting point for walking tours and is lined with quotes from Scotland’s most famous writers.

A new cafe was planned in Makars' Court | Google

Agents Bennett Developments and Consulting said the scheme would ‘contribute to the enjoyment of the space’ but objectors disagreed.

One of those, the National Trust for Scotland, said it would be ‘detrimental to the built environment’.

Nearby resident Dr William Zachs said: “For many years, local residents and flat owners, including myself, have battled againt the encroaching forces of commercialism.”

He added: “To put in a cafe and a gazebo and all the rest of the developments in the current plan would be a travesty.”

Another objector wrote: “The Makars Court is a wonderfully peaceful square which hasn't yet been blighted by companies who want to milk tourists in Edinburgh.

“I note that the application includes removal of a tree from the court - there are hardly any trees nearby so on that ground alone the application should be refused.

“The immense weight of Scottish literary history is present in Makars Court, the last thing it needs is a cafe.”