Plans for Edinburgh student flats to be rejected due to 'negative impact' on area

Plans for two separate blocks of student accommodation on a quiet Edinburgh street are set to be rejected.

Council planners have recommended two separate proposals forming a major development on Pitt Street be turned down after plans were submitted earlier this year.

A selection of industrial buildings on the cobbled street between 117-129 were previously earmarked for demolition to make way for 80 student beds and a further 140 flats after the land owner decided to submit two separate proposals.

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However, planners have recommended to councillors permission is refused as it would "harm the character and visual amenity of the area" among other concerning factors.

In July we reported how two light industrial warehouses were to be bulldozed to make way for one of the two developments comprising a five-storey block of flats.

The proposal included a provision for 80 student apartments with a mix of seven studio and 73 beds accommodated in 16 cluster units with associated amenity space, cycle parking and landscaping.

A planning statement provided at the time stated: "The proposed development will deliver 80 units of high-quality PBSA in the form of cluster and studio units, in a central, accessible, highly sustainable location.

"The delivery of a student accommodation development on this site will contribute to meeting the objectives of NPF4 and the ELDP, helping to contribute towards a sustainable community."

Further down the road, buildings 137-145 were also earmarked for redevelopment comprising another five-storey building with a ground floor commercial unit. Of the 140 beds, 30 would be cluster units and 15 would be studio-type rooms.

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The cluster units would range from two-five bedroom units and the ground floor of the student accommodation included a reception, student lounge area with a games and study area, studio and cluster units, a plant room, a bin store and two cycle stores.

Loss of commercial space, lack of access for refuse workers and a negative impact on the setting of the conservation area were all referenced as reasons to refuse both developments, with councillors set to discuss the applications on Wednesday.

Planners wrote: "The architectural style fails to draw upon positive characteristics, including the rich architectural styles within the locality. Therefore, the proposed building would harm the character and visual amenity of the area and would not preserve, but instead, would harm the setting of Leith Conservation Area.

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"Moreover, for the same reasons it would not result in a development that achieves the quality of being a pleasant or distinctive place. No commercial floor space is proposed in the application to meet the policy aims of City Plan 2030 to help meet the needs of small businesses and to compensate for this loss.

"The absence of suitable waste management arrangements for the student accommodation would be to the detriment of the amenity of the future occupiers of the development and the amenity of the area. The proposal would remove the only communal outdoor amenity space for the consented flats on Trafalgar Lane the subject of planning permission, the majority of which flats would not have access to a private garden, to the detriment of the residential amenity of the future occupants of those flats."