Edinburgh office blocks to be replaced with student accommodation and office floorspace in Calder Road plans
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
HAMCAP Pentland Gait Ltd has applied for planning permission to carry out the changes at 595 and 597 Calder Road, near the Calder Junction roundabout at the City of Edinburgh Bypass, calling it an “opportunity to revitalise the largely vacant site”.
If approved, the new seven-storey development will comprise 382 student beds, around 1400m2 of office space, a cycle store and associated soft landscaping. The site is in a prime location for students. Both Heriot Watt University and Edinburgh Napier University are under a 20 minute walk or a 10 minute cycle away from the site.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad

The Pentland Gait site extends to approximately 1.82 hectares and currently comprises three office buildings – Calder House, Heriot House, and Currie House. The proposal relates to Heriot House and Currie House which are located on the south side of the site orientated towards the eastern boundary and comprise 2,400 sqm of net floorspace in total.
Heriot House and Currie House are arranged over two to three-storeys and currently there is around 2,200 sqm of office space lying vacant.
Outdoor amenity space for the students in the proposals includes a central enclosed courtyard with informal seating and gathering spaces framed by planting beds. A student garden would be provided to the front of the property, with a small lawn and further seating. This space would also be framed by planting.
The consultation website states that public consultation events were held at the start of the year, with the full plans lodged with the council on June 24 through Scott Hobbs Planning.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdSpeaking about the proposals for Pentland Gait, a spokesperson for Scott Hobs Planning said: “The proposed development is an opportunity to revitalise the largely vacant site through the introduction of a mix of uses. The development would see the introduction of 15,000sq. ft. of flexible employment space (Use Class 4).
“A large element of the existing employment space is vacant, and the new flexible employment provision could facilitate a greater uptake in employment space on the site. The development would also provide needed student accommodation within proximity to two university campuses.”


The site is framed to the south and west by existing woodland, which will be supplemented by additional woodland planting and informal meadow.
As part of the new proposals there would be limited car parking on site. There is one accessible space planned for the student accommodation and seven spaces for the commercial unit, including one accessible space – a total reduction of 102 parking spaces compared to the existing site.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdA Flood Risk Assessment of Pentland Gait identified some flooding issues to the south of the site. To alleviate this, detailed levels and drainage designs should remove all low points where possible and provide adequate surface drainage to remove any potential risk of surface water ponding.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.