Residents object to 544-bed 'super hostel' in prestigious Edinburgh crescent
Residents of a prestigious Edinburgh crescent are fighting plans to create what they call a 544-bed "super hostel" out of four Category A-listed Georgian townhouses and associated mews buildings.
Developers are appealing to the Scottish Government for permission to convert the properties at 14-17 Atholl Crescent, in the Capital's West End, which were previously the headquarters of law firm Brodies.
Applicants Atholl Crescent Propco Ltd say the accommodation will be targeted at Gen Z travellers but insist it will be a hotel, not a hostel, and describe the project as "a new hospitality concept" with "capsule pods".
Residents say the proposed development is unsuitable for the area, arguing it would erode the quiet environment, put pressure on narrow streets and lanes from servicing, deliveries and guest drop-offs, as well as bringing safety and security risks associated with transient, large-scale accommodation.
They say it would also mean increased noise and disturbance from a 24-hour, high-occupancy operation and impact on neighbouring private gardens.
Conservation architect Philip Flockhart, spokesman for the residents, said the applicants had wrongly claimed Atholl Crescent was predominantly commercial. "We did an audit and there are 88 residential properties in Atholl Crescent and Atholl Crescent Lane versus 16 offices.
"There is an established residential community who enjoy the fact this has been a crescent established 200 years ago for a quiet, residential way of life. And suddenly people who have bought a nice apartment to retire to and like the fact they can be in the city centre but still have a garden and a sense of quiet, find on their doorstep they have a Gen Z hostel for 540 young travellers who clearly want to go out and enjoy themselves.
"It's not that the residents would be against hostels or good value accommodation for young travellers, but does it really have to be in one of the finest residential crescents in Edinburgh?
“To introduce a 544-bed dormitory-style hostel into four interconnected townhouses would represent an intensity of occupation completely at odds with the scale, layout and spirit of these buildings.”
Resident Michael Atkinson said the proposed development was “incredible” and “inappropriate”. He said there had been 280 objections, but claimed the developer seemed to be bypassing local decision-making.
He said: “It was going to the planning committee but there was a delay because the council was looking for more information. The developer, I think, got an inkling it wasn’t going well for them and they jumped the process and went straight to the government and that’s where we are now. It’s a loss of democratic control.”
The West End Community Council has objected to the scheme “in both principle and detail,” citing transport impact, infrastructure intrusions and the effect on neighbours.
And heritage bodies have also criticised the plans.
The Cockburn Association warned the development would cause “substantial and irreversible harm” to the listed buildings.
And the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland raised serious concerns about compatibility with the architectural character of Category A-listed Georgian townhouses.
Permission has previously been granted to convert the four townhouses into 34 apartments.
The campaigners say the decision on the current appeal will set an important precedent – not just for Atholl Crescent, but for residential streets across the New Town and West End – and signal whether “residential life is to be prioritised over transient tourism”.
Atholl Crescent Propco Ltd has been approached for comment.