Plans approved for new 157-bedroom hotel in old Haymarket office block

Plans have been approved to convert an old 1970s office building in Edinburgh's West End into a new 157-bedroom hotel.
An artist's impression of how the new hotel at Osborne House will look.An artist's impression of how the new hotel at Osborne House will look.
An artist's impression of how the new hotel at Osborne House will look.

Osborne House, located at Osborne Terrace, will also boast a restaurant and bar on the ground floor of the four-storey building.

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Plan to convert West End office to hotel refused

Proposals to convert Osborne House were initially kicked out in November last year after planning officers were accused of ignoring residents' concerns over transport.

An artist's impression of how the new hotel at Osborne House will look.An artist's impression of how the new hotel at Osborne House will look.
An artist's impression of how the new hotel at Osborne House will look.
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But the developers won a Scottish Government appeal to gain planning permission for the site on August 12th.

The hotel at Osborne Terrace has been designed by modernist architecture studio Morris and Steedman. The current structure and facades will be retained but they will repair and refurbish the whole building while creating a new top floor and a new glazed facade to create a lightweight feel.

A single storey building on Devon Place will also be replaced with a new extension at the back of Osborne House that will have an aluminium-clad facade, with projecting narrow fins.

Soft landscaping and planting at the front and rear of the hotel will also aim to improve the current street scene, with disabled parking and a cycle storage area provided.

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And the new hotel will be located close to the Haymarket tram stop and is a short walk from the city's Princes Street.

Ann Scott, S Harrison’s managing director, said: "It’s the ideal location for a hotel. Osborne House has a prominent corner position and benefits from excellent transport connections.

"Replacing the dated elements of Osborne House, which has been largely unoccupied for the last three years, with a vibrant new hotel will not only create employment opportunities, but reinvigorate this tired old building and give it a bright new future.

"Our successful track-record for hotel development has been recognised by the local community and planners, and we look forward to bringing the scheme forward."

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S Harrison is currently converting Buchan House, a historic Grade A listed building in St Andrew Square, into a new 72-bedroom hotel with Malmaison Hotel du Vin Group.

The developer also recently submitted planning applications to create two student accommodation schemes in the Capital - 269 rooms on Gorgie Road next to the Water of Leith and 394 bedrooms on the corner of Westfield Road and Westfield Avenue. It is also exploring opportunities for a 0.6 hectare site it owns on Ocean Drive, Leith.

In 2016 S Harrison also completed work on a £23 million, 240-bedroom student accommodation scheme, with retail units on the ground floor, in Haddington Place.