An Edinburgh developer is seeking permission to demolish a derelict 19th century warehouse in a conservation zone before building housing on the site.
In January, the City of Edinburgh Council approved the development of 19 flats at a derelict warehouse on John’s Lane in Leith.
During an inspection, project engineer, Harley Haddow, found the 19th century derelict building “to be out of plumbness” and “not for conversion and requiring to be rebuilt.”
“We believe that it is not in a good enough condition to be retained for safety reasons,” he said.
“Therefore we are recommending the internal structural and front façade be taken down simultaneously. The front façade can then be rebuilt using the existing stonework alongside the new internal structure to ensure it is fully restrained.”
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Harley found that the walls of 18-24 John’s Lane are “off vertical plumbness” or out of alignment by up to 32.4cm which the planning and conservation statement called “clearly unacceptable in terms of future stability.”
18-24 John’s Lane is a derelict two storey property with an attic warehouse located on a narrow lane in Leith. The warehouse was originally constructed as stables between 1849 and 1876, and it is currently a C-listed property.
However, the property has been derelict for almost four decades, and it has been on the Buildings at Risk Register since 2012. There is evidence that historically the building was at least one storey higher.
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“The building has been the subject of several planning applications over the past decades and most recently permissions were granted to change the use of the building to 19 residential units,” the planning and conservation statement from Covell Matthews Architects said.
“However, access inside the building is now not possible for health and safety reasons due to unstable masonry walls and timber floors, and the amount of wet rot that is within the building.”
The newest application regarding the old warehouse seeks to demolish portions of 18-24 John’s Lane and rebuild the property with salvaged original stonework to match the design, patterns and appearance of the old building.
“The proposed [demolition, while] involving complete removal and rebuild of the existing façade will be carried out using original salvaged stone and traditional building techniques,” the planning and conservation statement said.
“The building will therefore be fully refurbished and returned to its original pattern of fenestration, openings and appearance.
“The impact can and should be regarded as positive for the building and the conservation area.”
Covell Matthews Architects Ltd submitted the demolition planning application to the City of Edinburgh Council on behalf of K&S Mir Ltd earlier this month, and they are hopeful that the council will approve the demolition plans to allow the housing development to proceed.
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