Edinburgh student accommodation: 450 objections to Eyre Place flats as locals say latest plans could be worse

Latest application for Canonmills student flats could be worse because it includes two outdoor roof terraces

More than 450 objections have been lodged over the latest plans for a large student accommodation block in Canonmills.

Residents successfully campaigned earlier this year against proposals for 142 studio flats in a six-storey block, along with nine townhouses, at the former Jewson's builder's yard at Eyre Place and Eyre Place Lane. But just three months after the application was thrown out by a Scottish Government planning reporter, developers CA Ventures lodged fresh plans, which the residents say have not changed significantly – and may even be worse.

The number of flats has been trimmed from 142 to 139 and the townhouses from nine to seven. The height of the student block has been reduced, but with the building now extending further up the lane, and residents say their communal garden would still be badly overshadowed. And the plans now include two roof terraces, which residents say will inevitably mean a noise nuisance.

Residents were joined by MSPs and councillors at a protest against the planned development earlier this year Picture: Greg Macvean

When the deadline for comments closed at the end of last week, a total of 457 objections had been submitted on the student accommodation – about 60 more than last time. And there were 109 objections to the townhouses compared with 29 last time.

One resident, mother-of-three Hannah Edwards, said developers often expected opposition to be less when they tried a second time to get permission for a development. “It was good to show that people feel just as strongly if not more strongly than before,” she said. “I think people are just so fed up with how we've been treated.”

She said there had been no engagement with the community from the developers at all. “It feels like they are paying lip service to the things the reporter said, but they haven't really addressed them. I think people are angry because to all intents and purposes, apart from making it slightly lower, it’s the same design. And some of the things we were worried about, like the large roof terrace, there's now two large roof terraces – so in some ways it's worse than it was before.

“We've always said we want the site to be developed, but we want to have a bit of a voice because we're the people directly affected.”

And another resident, Dr Francesca Fiori, who is senior lecturer in social policy at Strathclyde University and specialises in housing, said student flats were the wrong sort of accommodation to be building.

She said: “Edinburgh is in the middle of a housing crisis – we all know there is a shortage of affordable, secure, good quality housing, and that is particularly so for young families with children. In less than five years, the proportion of children being born and raised in rented accommodation has doubled, and rented accommodation often means insecure and poor quality housing. So if there is a priority it's making sure we build more affordable housing for families.

"It can also be argued there is also a student housing crisis and that's true, but this type of purpose-built student accommodation is not going to solve the problem because the average student won't be able to pay the extortionate rents. They're not going to solve any of the hot priorities of Scotland's housing crisis, which is the housing crisis for families with young children and the housing crisis for students with limited financial resources. This is not the kind of accommodation we need in Edinburgh.”

CA Ventures was approached for comment.