Edinburgh Tynecastle High developers face growing opposition to student flats

Published date23 June 2022
Labour's Ross McKenzie has called on fellow Sighthill/Gorgie ward councillors to publicly object to proposals for new purpose built student accommodation (PBSA) on the McLeod Street site when they go before the planning committee later this year

He said the overprovision of student housing in the area was the "biggest issue on the doorstep" in the run up to the local election and criticised S1 Development, which is behind the project, for 'repeatedly lobbying' councillors but not fully engaging with the local community.

But the Edinburgh-based developer argued planning constraints associated with the site mean delivering private or social housing is not possible – and said the 468 student beds would 'free up 170 local properties for family homes'.

It comes after protestors turned up to a tour of the derelict school given to Councillor McKenzie and members of the local community council this week. Members of Living Rent Gorgie/Dalry attended the site inspection to challenge S1 Development over a 'lack of community involvement' and highlight that, as the area with the fourth highest number of student beds in Scotland, more BPSA 'is not wanted locally'.

Ruaraidh Dempster, local Living Rent member, said: "Everyone I've spoken to in Gorgie-Dalry is absolutely dead set against this proposal. Again and again, the community has objected to and stood against this proposal and the broad support Living Rent has garnered on this issue is testament to that.

"Students, just like anyone else, need genuinely affordable homes that are energy efficient - not cramped, over expensive student accommodation that caters more to the needs of greedy property developers rather than residents."

If given the go ahead by the council's planning committee in August, the main B-listed building, which served as the high school for nearly 100 years before staff and pupils relocated across the road in 2009, would be retained and 'sensitively refurbished' to make way for student accommodation, according to plans.

Two new blocks would be built in a 'car free environment with generous outdoor amenity space' with the construction of a 'community facility' and urban farm to be operated by LOVE Gorgie Farm also proposed on the site. S1 Development said there are a number of factors impacting its ability to "create high-quality private or social housing".

A spokesperson for the developer said: "The constraints at Tynecastle include a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Consultation Zone to the...

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