Following an appeal by property developer S Harrison, planning permission has been granted for a new student accommodation scheme with 64 studio apartments in Edinburgh.
Planning consultants Turley managed the appeal process that resulted in a decision being issued just three months after submission.
The appeal was lodged after members of the development management sub-committee refused the initial application, going against their planning officer’s recommendation that it should be approved.
Designed by CDA, the scheme just off Newington Road will see a disused commercial unit demolished and the site redeveloped into a four storey building with on-site management.
East Newington Place is located close to the main city centre campus of the University of Edinburgh. As well as the 64 units, the development has separate study rooms, a multimedia room, gym, cycle storage and a courtyard garden.
David Clancy, director at S Harrison, said: “As the universities continue to successfully attract increasing student numbers, the provision of purpose-built student accommodation like this will help to relieve the pressure on family housing stock, which is very much in line with the council’s own guidance.
“City of Edinburgh Council planning officers considered there to be no material planning reasons to justify refusal and that our designs will preserve the character and appearance of the conservation area - they also stated that the development will not result in excessive concentration of students in the locality, and the planning inspector agreed with these conclusions.”
The development will have full LED lighting, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, air source heat pumps and solar panels.
Clancy added: “The scheme has excellent energy efficient credentials and the high-quality building materials will reflect and be sympathetic to the surrounding buildings.
“Its height is also more in keeping with other buildings in the local area and it’s a positive result that will see a disused brownfield site get a fresh new future.”
Demolition work will start next month, and work is due to start on site in spring 2023, with studios being ready for occupation by September 2024.
As well as developing several schemes in the north of England, East Newington Place represents S Harrison's fourth scheme in Edinburgh, with further developments in the pipeline in the city, as well as in Glasgow.
In 2019, the company also delivered a £25m scheme for Malmaison, turning the Grade A listed Buchan House on St Andrew Square into a 72-bedroom hotel, as well as Chez Mal Bar and Brasserie.
S Harrison also has planning permission for a new hotel on Osborne Terrace. The scheme will see Osborne House, an old 1970s office building within the Wester Coates area, converted into a new 157-bedroom hotel, with a restaurant and bar on the ground floor.
The developer is also exploring opportunities for its 0.6 hectare site on Ocean Drive in Leith.
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