Leith Depot wins another extension to its lease until January 2020

A popular live music pub which is under threat of closure has won an extension to remain open until early next year.

Leith Depot have been at the centre of the Save Leith Walk campaign which has been fighting to stop a historic block of shops at Stead's Place being bulldozed for a £50 million development including a hotel and student accommodation. Most of the shops which previously occupied the building have been forced to close or relocate.

The venue was originally facing closure on 1 October, but has won small extensions to keep the grassroots music venue open.

In the statement it said: "We've been given a further lease extension until the end of January 2020.

"We can now take January venue bookings and can announce we will be taking part in Independent Venue Week 2020.

"Thank you all for your continued support!"

Leith Depot will remain open until the end of January

The Drum Property Group (DPG) wants to demolish the red sandstone buildings at Stead's Place to make way for hundreds of student flats, a 56-bedroom hotel and 53 affordable homes.

Permission was unanimously refused by the city council's development management sub-committee in January, but the developers have appealed.

The scheme suffered a setback in May when Edinburgh University, which had presented the proposals alongside developers in January, withdrew from the scheme saying it was no longer interested in pursuing the 471 student flats. But DPG has shown no sign of dropping the proposals.

Staff at Leith Depot had been pressing the developers to renew or extend their lease until a decision is reached in the appeal.

In August, Save Leith Walk launched an ambitious buy-out bid to rescue the threatened properties should they come up for sale.