Popular Edinburgh chippy could be bulldozed for student flats on site of Hibs legend's old pub
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Plans to redevelop the fenced-off plot on the corner of Willowbrae Road – where Hibs legend Gordon Smith's old pub The Right Wing (latterly the Radical Road) once stood – were approved by the Scottish Government in August 2024. Now, new plans which would see 13 bedrooms added to controversial development, have been submitted.
If given the go-ahead, the much-loved Northfield Fry takeaway on Northfield Drive, which sits adjacent to the cleared site, would be demolished and replaced by the five-storey development.
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Hide AdBoth projects are being brought forward by architects One Foot Square on behalf of separate applicants.
In a planning statement, One Foot Square wrote: "The planning permission will allow the delivery of independent student accommodation adjacent to the recently consented student accommodation development located at 229 Willowbrae Road. The two schemes are completely compatible with each other, and could equally be delivered in tandem subject to agreement between the applicants.
"The site presents a real opportunity to continue and complete the crescent form of the Willowbrae Road PBSA building on this prominent corner plot."
The site, which has sat empty for six years, had earlier planning consent for 48 homes, but there was a change of direction towards student accommodation. The application received nearly 130 objections from locals, while local councillor Danny Aston said it was a “mistake” to give the plans the green light.
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Hide AdCllr Aston said: “This decision is a mistake by the Reporter. Planning applications are not determined by public opinion, rightly. But it’s telling that you won’t find a single person in the local area who wants student accommodation there rather than the mixture of ordinary private and affordable housing that the developer already has permission for.
“Folk know there’s a housing crisis in Edinburgh and decisions like this make it worse.”
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