Controversial 544-bed hostel in Edinburgh's West End crescent approved on appeal

Plans for a 544-bed super-hostel in a prestigious Georgian Crescent at Edinburgh’s West End have been given the go-ahead on appeal.

The proposal to convert the four Category A-listed townhouses at 14-17 Atholl Crescent, previously the headquarters of law firm Brodies, into a hotel with “capsule pods” drew more than 280 objections. But now it has been approved by a Scottish Government planning reporter.

Campaigners who fought against the plans said the decision set a dangerous precedent for the future of the Capital and risked opening the door for major corporate-backed developers to use planning loopholes to force high-density tourist accommodation into some of Edinburgh’s most sensitive heritage sites.

Applicants Atholl Crescent Propco Ltd appealed to the Scottish Government before the application had reached Edinburgh’s planning committee, removing the decision from the hands of locally elected councillors.

Philip Flockhart, conservation architect and spokesperson for the campaigners, said the outcome had disappointed residents who were failed by the planning process.

He said: “This decision will heighten concern among communities across Edinburgh who are already worried about overtourism and the loss of residential character within the city.

“Residents resisted inappropriate high-density tourist accommodation becoming their neighbour within an important part of the World Heritage Site, but their voices have not been heard.

“There will now be understandable concern that this creates a roadmap for other heavily financed developers to pursue similarly intensive schemes while bypassing meaningful local democratic scrutiny.

“It should alarm people that an application condemned by residents, conservation organisations, all four local ward councillors and the local MP has nevertheless been approved through a process removed from local determination.”

Mr Flockhart said residents would review the decision carefully and consider what options might still be available to them.

The Cockburn Association had warned the development would cause “substantial and irreversible harm” to the buildings, while the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland repeatedly raised concerns over the “scale and intensity” of the proposed use.

Edinburgh South West MP Scott Arthur said: “I am disappointed by the decision to approve the application despite the significant and sustained concerns raised by local residents.

“Throughout this process, residents have been clear about the likely impact on a quiet, established residential neighbourhood, including loss of amenity and increased noise, pressures on narrow streets and concerns about safety and security arising from such a large, 24-hour operation.

“While I respect the planning process and the role of the Reporter, I believe this decision will be difficult for many in the community to accept given the scale of the proposal and its location in a sensitive residential setting.

“I will continue to stand with residents as we work to understand the implications of this decision and ensure their concerns are addressed as far as possible in its implementation.”

Claire Miller, Green councillor for City Centre ward, said: “It’s really disappointing that the wealth of evidence provided by the residential community in the West End has been set to the side in this case. It goes to show that the voice of communities needs far more power, and I will be raising this with MSPs as a textbook example for the need for planning reforms.”

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