In today’s edition:
Architecture practices showcasing their work;
North Bridge expected to fully re-open next summer;
Tap-on, tap-off on the trams;
Premier Inn plan for Festival Square office block;
Average price of a home in Edinburgh, etc;
Visitor levy for tourism workers’ accommodation?;
Visitor levy forum leader appointed;
Ninety-nine homes plan for Leith;
Final slot for Wee City Nook flat;
Several Edinburgh entries in Scottish Home Awards shortlist;
Regeneration awards competition issues call for entries;
Gardens, parks, etc photography competition;
Closing date announced for Gorgie land;
Architecture festival returns;
Lothian Buses customer survey results;
Artwork for Cables Wynd;
Granton creative and enterprise hub;
Ratcliffe Terrace plans;
Gillespie Crescent plans;
Walking, cycling, etc paths - delay concerns;
Tenements and Net-Zero;
‘Capsule’ hotel plans for St Andrew Square; and
Enjoy!
THE work of Edinburgh’s architectural community is to be showcased on Tuesday evening - in a series of five minute-long presentations.The annual meeting of the Edinburgh chapter of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland is being held in Leith, around the theme of ‘Looking forward / Looking back’.
Book a ticket here; non-members welcome: here.
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NORTH Bridge is expected to be fully re-opened next summer, according to a news story from broadcasters, STV.
Writes reporter, Amie Flett (here), restoration work began on the bridge after debris was spotted falling on to Waverley rail station, below.
That was in 2018 and an estimated repair budget of £22m has since increased to circa £86m.
It is believed the bridge - built in 1897 - will be strong enough to take trams traffic, should it be required.
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A WEEK on Monday sees the introduction of a ‘tap on, tap off’ payment system on Edinburgh’s trams.
It involves using what operators, Edinburgh Trams, describes as existing ‘platform validators’, the machines already located on the tram network’s platforms.
The new service is said to have followed months of testing.
Says Edinburgh Trams, here: “Incomplete journeys where the customer has not ‘tapped off’ will be charged at the standard ‘airport rate’ [of £7.90].”
It also says, here, that anyone with a concessionary pass or ‘Ridacard’ does not need to ‘tap off’.
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PLANNING permission is being applied for an office block in Festival Square, on the other side of Lothian Road from the Usher Hall.
It is to convert the block - ‘Capital House’ - into a Premier Inn hotel, as explained on the city council’s planning applications portal, here (ref 25/02267/FUL).
Read more, here.
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THE average selling price of a house in Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and the Scottish Borders was £285,684 during the three months between February and April this year - according to the Edinburgh Solicitors’ Property Centre (ESPC).
That is up 6.6 per cent on the same timeframe last year.
Adds the ESPC, properties achieved 101.0 per cent of their Home Report valuation on average, down 0.1 percentage points on the same time last year.
Among other findings (here):
New property listings were up 0.7 per cent and sales volumes increased by 7.8 per cent;
The median selling time for property was 34 days, four days slower than the period, February - April 2024; and
17.8 per cent of homes went to a closing date, down from 20.3 per cent last year.
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A ‘VISITOR levy’ - to be charged to tourists staying overnight in Edinburgh - might be used to house workers in the city’s tourism industry.
The levy applies to visitor accommodation only, at a rate of five per cent (before VAT), up to a maximum of five nights (as explained here). It is to be implemented from next year (see the timeline here).
Says a report going to the city council’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work committee (here), which is meeting on Tuesday: “Within the council’s housebuilding programme there are a number of city-centre sites which could accommodate tenants working in industries which support the tourism sector. This would reduce the need for travel, particularly for those working unsociable hours.”
But there is also a recognition that legal advice would be required.
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TALKING of the ‘visitor levy’, the founder and CEO of a leadership consultancy has been appointed leader of a forum advising the city council on the subject.
Says the city council, here: “[Julie Ashworth, of Broadreach, is] an Edinburgh resident, she currently serves as a Public Interest Board trustee for the Institute of Chartered Accountants Scotland, is chair of the board for the University of Aberdeen and has been a long-standing member of the Institute of Directors, where she is chair of the Scotland board.
“She also contributes on a cross-party working group at the Scottish Parliament and is a member of the Scottish Government’s New Deal for Business Group.”
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NINETY-nine homes - of which 35 per cent will be ‘affordable’ - have been earmarked for a site in Leith that has been part-acquired by one of the country’s best-known housebuilders.
Cruden Homes has announced the joint purchase of the land, a former industrial site.
The joint purchase is with property developers, Evantyr Properties.
Says Cruden, here: “Working alongside 7N Architects, the new scheme has been carefully planned to integrate with the existing urban landscape, incorporating a landscaped central courtyard and strong connections to sustainable transport options.
“Many of the new homes will also back onto the adjacent Leith Links, a large public park with an abundance of open green space and lots of mature trees.
“The development will also be designed around and alongside the active travel initiative which will see the inclusion of a segregated cycle path as part of the wider Leith Connections project. This is a major infrastructure initiative designed to improve travel for pedestrians and cyclists throughout the area.”
It adds: “The Leith site is adjacent to the Ropeworks masterplan for over 600 new homes. This latest development on Salamander Street is expected to start later this year, subject to final planning conditions being met.”
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A FIRST-floor flat in Stockbridge has made it to the final of the BBC Scotland series, Scotland’s Home of the Year.
Wee City Nook took the honours in the East (of Scotland) episode - broadcast on Monday - and will compete against five other contenders in the series finale, which will be broadcast on the second of next month.
Take a quick look around the flat, here.
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SEVERAL entries from Edinburgh have made it to the shortlist of a competition celebrating the best of Scotland’s housing.
The Scottish Home Awards will be announcing its winners on the 19th of next month, and among the contenders is Leith-based social landlord, Harbour Homes (formerly Port of Leith Housing Association), which is in the running for Social Housing Development of the Year (over 100 units) and also Housing Regeneration Project of the Year.
Both entries are for its development at Chestnut Street on Granton’s waterfront. The project’s contractor was CCG and the architect was Edinburgh-based Hackland + Dore.
Also shortlisted are:
Show Home
The Leyton, Edinburgh - Miller Homes
The Stewart Garden Room, Edinburgh – Robertson Homes
The Nasmyth Garden Room, Edinburgh – Robertson Homes
The Maxwell, Edinburgh - Taylor Wimpey East Scotland
Social Housing Development
Granton Station View - The City of Edinburgh Council, Anderson Bell + Christie and CCG (Scotland) for the Edinburgh Home Demonstrator
Apartment Development (Private Sale)
Temple Park - S1 Developments
Social Housing Development (over 100 units)
Western Village - The City of Edinburgh Council and CCG
Housing Development (Small, Private Sale)
The Avenue - Cruden Homes
Housing Regeneration Project
St Kentigern's - Lar Housing Trust
Western Villages - The City of Edinburgh Council and CCG (Scotland)
Granton Station View - The City of Edinburgh Council, Anderson Bell + Christie and CCG (Scotland) for the Edinburgh Home Demonstrator
Pennywell Living - Urban Union
Renovation
Village View - AMA Homes
Housing Development (Large, Private Sale)
Shawfair – BELLWAY
West Craigs - Taylor Wimpey East Scotland
House
Pennywell Living - Urban Union
Innovation in Design
Granton Station - The City of Edinburgh Council, Anderson Bell + Christie and CCG for the Edinburgh Home Demonstrator
Western Village - The City of Edinburgh Council and CCG
For more, read the full awards shortlist, here.
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APPLICATIONS are being invited, from the fifth of next month, for a competition recognising the best of Scotland’s regeneration projects.
This is the 27th year of the competition, being run by regeneration forum, SURF - here.
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MEANWHILE, Edinburgh’s parks, gardens and green spaces are the subject of a photography competition being hosted by the archive, Edinburgh Collected, which is managed by Edinburgh Libraries.
The deadline is July 31, as explained here.
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A CLOSING date of June 5 has been set for a two-acre plot of land at the west end of Gorgie Road.
There is a lease currently in operation, expiring in March next year.
Read more, here.
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A SCOTLAND-wide festival of architecture returns this year, after a two-year gap: from the sixth of next month.
Architecture Fringe ends on June 22, with the programme to be found here.
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CLEANLINESS and comfort scored relatively highly in a survey of passenger views of Lothian Buses.
The survey was conducted by students at Edinburgh Napier University, and marks out of five saw cleanliness score 4.2, comfort 4.1 and real-time information 3.3.
It is not clear whether the students were commissioned by the Edinburgh Bus Users Group, which says of the findings, here: “When asked to rate different features of the bus service, most people said they were generally satisfied. The highest scores went to cleanliness and comfort, both averaging just over four on a five-point scale. Buses are seen as physically comfortable, safe, and well-maintained.”
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AN artwork by the street artist only known as ‘Rebel Bear’ is to appear on the side of the A-listed Cables Wynd House (aka the ‘Banana’) block of flats in Leith - pictured.
But the artwork - ‘Falling in Love’ - is expected to be there for just a year, before an estimated £65m retrofit is carried out on the building and nearby Linksview House. A version of ‘Falling in Love’ can be seen for real in Glasgow, on Bell Street.
Says Historic Environment Scotland, here: ““Cables Wynd was the largest block of flats in Edinburgh at the time, and possibly the most accomplished architecturally, characterising the ‘New Brutalism’ in building, which laid bare the essential materials of a building’s construction, using reinforced and in-situ concrete.”
Planning permission for the artwork was granted over a week ago, here.
The retrofit is being overseen by architecture practice, Collective Architecture - here.
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A 55,000 sqft warehouse has opened its doors to “more than 35 enterprising businesses, creatives, service providers and community partners” in Granton.
Say the operators, pioneering street food organisation, The Pitt: “The Pitt Warehouse will provide essential resources, networking opportunities, and a supportive community atmosphere. This nurturing environment will encourage collaboration across sectors, cultivating a rich and diverse ecosystem of talent and ideas. There will be an integration of workshops, events, and shared facilities which will serve as the backbone of this creative hub.”
Granton is the focus of an estimated £1.3bn regeneration programme (here).
Read more, here.
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PLANNING permission is being sought, to demolish buildings on Ratcliffe Terrace and replace them with a ‘mixed-use’ development, mainly student accommodation.
The site address is described, here, as “33-41 Ratcliffe Terrace, adjacent land to the south and 43 Ratcliffe Terrace”.
The planning application (ref 25/02258/FUL) can be found, here.
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AND revised plans are being submitted for approval, involving the recent HQ of the Sight Scotland Veterans (formerly Scottish War Blinded), on Gillespie Crescent.
Reports the Edinburgh Evening News newspaper (here), the re-submission follows a rejection by councillors in November two years ago - which was subsequently supported by a ‘reporter’ at the Scottish Government after an appeal had been lodged.
Says the applicant (here), which is looking to demolish the existing building and replace it with a 131-room student block: “The building has been reduced in height, footprint and volume since the first application, reducing the mass of the scheme and creating increased separation distances from neighbouring properties.”
The street is deemed part of a ‘Conservation area’.
The planning application can be found, here (ref 25/02256/CON).
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MORE than two-thirds of dedicated walking, wheeling and cycling projects in Edinburgh have allegedly been “delayed by years, sometimes decades”, according to the Scottish Greens political party, which says it is going to “continue to push for strong action”.
As explained by city councillor, Chas Booth, here.
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THE poor state of many of Scotland’s tenements (inevitably including those in Edinburgh) will make it “harder for us to reach our Net Zero carbon emissions targets by 2045” - according to a leading light in the sector.
Begins Mike Heffron, chief executive of the charity, Under One Roof, some 53 per cent of tenement renters and owners wish more was being done to maintain their building (as noted, here).
Writing on the website of Built Environment Scotland, here, he says: “The Scottish Parliamentary Working Group on Tenements (here) has made several recommendations to the Scottish Government on how they could create a supportive environment for tenement maintenance and repair.
He continues: “We have endorsed mandatory homeowners’ associations as a solution for poor communication between owners, as they lead to improved communication and faster decision-making in discussions about maintenance and repair.
“Making owners’ associations compulsory for tenements will bring Scotland in line with most of the rest of the world, and will make it easier for owners to keep their buildings in good repair. We also endorse mandatory building reserve funds, which would oblige homeowners to save together, in small, regular increments, for important repairs.”
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WORK has begun converting a vacant office building, on South St Andrew Street (just off St Andrew Square), into a so-called ‘capsule’ hotel - according to reports.
Says Scottish Construction Now (here) and Insider.co.uk (here) - among others - the project is being developed by TARKA Hotels in collaboration with architecture firm, Studio LBA.
Say Studio LBA, here: “The existing structure will be fully upgraded with renewable technologies and fit-out with over 240 bespoke bed capsules providing a unique guest experience. A retail presence at ground floor will remain, adjacent to the main entrance to the hostel.”
Capsule hotels are routinely described as ‘Japanese-inspired’, because of their highly efficient use of space.
Image details: Cables Wynd House, Leith; copyright Mike Wilson (editor too of TheHousingDebate.Substack.com)