Controversial plans to knock down two Edinburgh pubs and a takeaway for student flats are set to get the go ahead despite over 1,000 objections.
A final plea has been made by campaigners to "give the community a chance to develop and grow" ahead of a council meeting where the future of Jock's Lodge will be decided.
Developers said the units are dilapidated and beyond repair and have promised to retain the area's 'local centre' which is feared would be lost if planning permission is granted.
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Edinburgh Council planners have backed the proposals, which they argued would make a "positive contribution to the city's accommodation provision".
If councillors follow their recommendation to approve plans, the six units - three of which currently lie empty - will be demolished and replaced with a 191-bed student accommodation block. The ground floor would become a new bar and restaurant run by owners of Limelite, one of the existing pubs on the site.
Tenants of The Willow bar and grill, which is owned by Heineken, are set to move to new premises in Musselburgh whilst takeaway Chennai's Marina would also look to relocate.
Blueprints were revised following a public consultation to reduce the height of the seven-storey building by 4.75 metres in response to concerns raised.
David Campbell, chief executive of developers Alumno said they would deliver a "high-quality new and sustainable space" which will "help keep London Road and Wolseley Place vibrant and attractive".
Many local residents have blasted the plans and have called for them to be thrown out, as it's feared the development would result in the loss of a sense of community and Jock's Lodge's local centre. The council has received 1,325 objections and 565 letters of support in relation to the proposals.
Kirsty Pattison, from the Save Jock's Lodge campaign, said: "We're losing a piece of our history and a place that has the potential to be reinvigorated by new young businesses coming in and serving the community."
She said the community's views had not been listened to and that new businesses weren't given the opportunity to move in before the site was sold.
Ms Pattison, 41, said: "We've never seen a 'for sale' sign or a 'to let' sign on those sites for years, so where's the opportunity for businesses to come in? There's opportunity there.
"One of the things we're most worried about is the impact on our health services because at the moment so many residents can't even register with a doctor in the area."
She said the new student flats would "devalue the area," adding: "At the moment there's three hospitality businesses on that stretch and they're replacing it with one - anyone that's worked in hospitality - which I have for several years - knows that you can't roll everything into one, it doesn't work.
"[Developers] are saying there is no other option, this is the only thing they can do for the area but we've seen areas that have had amazing rejuvenation - and Jock's Lodge is basically told 'you're not allowed that'.
"Give the community a chance to develop and grow. We just want that opportunity to allow ourselves to have a community and something we can be proud of."
However Limelite's owners said the existing units, while being "much-loved", are "past their best and simply can’t meet modern standards".
Andy Currie from Orion Pub Company said: "This new development offers us the facilities to transform our business and provide a food and drink venue for the whole community."
He said the new "quality, family friendly food and drinks venue" would "sit at the heart of the community and ensure that the local ‘High Street’ feel is retained and enhanced"
He added: "This new development offers us the facilities to transform our business and provide a food and drink venue for the whole community.”
Mr Campbell said: “The commercial space on the ground floor is key element of our scheme, and it replaces a number of vacant units and buildings which currently suffer from dilapidation and maintenance issues."
Alumno is also backing calls to re-open the nearby abandoned Piershill to Powderhall railway line as an active travel route and has offered to help the council with the scheme.
“We are very conscious of the need to support cycling and active travel, as a ‘car free’ development it is a critical part of our plans," Mr Campbell added.
"This could be of great benefit to the local area, and given the closeness of the route to our proposed development it would seem natural for us to offer our support to the council to help move this plan forward.”
Local councillor Danny Aston, who last month criticised Network Rail for "dragging their feet" over plans for the old train line, has called on councillors to reject the planning application when it goes before the development management sub-committee on Wednesday (June 21).
He said: "In my time as a councillor and my years working for an MP before that, I’ve never seen an application in this area that’s attracted anything like that number of comments. That shows pretty clearly the depth and breadth of concern that there is in the local community about this application.
"There are many reasons why this is a poor proposal and should be refused.
"But for me, most importantly, it’s about local areas having local services for use by local people. Jock’s Lodge is supposed to be protected in our planning rules as a ‘local centre’, where folk in the local area can come to use shops or for a bite to eat and a quiet drink – it’s the closest thing this community has to a high street.
"This student accommodation development would seriously weaken the viability of this stretch of road as a shopping and leisure location, adding to the many commercial units that have already been turned into flats."
Council planning officials said: "The proposal will make a positive contribution to the city's accommodation provision for those undertaking further and higher education and is acceptable in this location. The development plan encourages well-designed, compact urban growth that is sustainable and allows for 20 minute neighbourhood principles to be delivered. The proposal is compatible with these principles."
