Pictures show new 'high quality' 166-bed hotel planned for Edinburgh city centre

Plans have been lodged to convert an old office block into a 166-bed hotel in Edinburgh city centre.

Applicant Cannon Capital Developments Ltd wants to refurbish Meldrum House, Drumsheugh Gardens, to help create a "high quality" offering which also encourages guests to spend their money in local businesses.

A planning statement lodged with the council says The Resident hotels group would take over the 60-year-old building, currently used as office space by HMRC.

But the lease is due to end in April next year which will create an opportunity for the refurbishment to take place.

The existing Meldrum House building and the new hotel proposals.

The planning statement says the proposed development would not provide any in-house restaurants, bars and cafes or conferencing and gym facilities and that the Resident instead wants to "actively encourage guests" to spend more time and money locally in businesses in its central location.

The aim is to create an "elegant" sandstone cladding building front which the applicant says would fit in with other listed buildings on the street, located within the city's World Heritage Site and New Town Conservation Area.

The planning statement says: "The change of use proposed will see the creation of a high quality hotel in a highly accessible city centre location.

"The hotel proposed will positively enhance the vitality of the city centre and will contribute to Edinburgh’s role as a capital city and key tourist attraction."

The view of the proposed hotel in Drumsheugh Gardens.

According to their website, the Resident has hotels in the Covent Garden, Soho, Kensington and Victoria areas of London and in Liverpool's Ropewalks district.

The proposed hotel in Edinburgh would have 166 beds with a reception and ground floor lounge room.

A car park with 14 spaces already exists behind the building and is accessible from Melville Street Lane but no extra spaces are being proposed, although there would be two disabled car parking spaces and 17 cycle parking spaces provided.

The existing and proposed views from Dean Bridge.

The planning statement says Meldrum House is considered to be in "extremely poor" condition and that small pieces of concrete cladding recently started to break away from the building and that its electrical systems, heating and lighting inside are "well past their natural lifespan."

The current building sits on the site of what was St Andrew's Free Church but this was demolished in 1957 after about 70 years of service.

Proposals for the hotel were validated by Edinburgh City Council’s planning department on Tuesday, May 12th.