Think we've been here before...
Would make a difference if this happened!
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Compulsory purchase orders and “right to buy” legislation could be used to snap up land for regeneration.
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CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh
"13 Edinburgh sites to be transformed in ambitious redevelopment plans"
(11 posts)-
Posted 7 years ago #
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The latest move comes on the back of the successful Edinburgh 12 initiative, which saw massive, multi-million pound projects kick-started at Edinburgh St James, the India Buildings on Victoria Street, King’s Stables Road, New Waverley, the Quartermile and South St Andrew Square.
The chipwrapper has an odd definition of "success", namely the one that the proponent of the schemes tells them to use
Let's take a quick look over the vaunted "Edinburgh 12";
- Donaldson’s. Luxury flats, more of which crept in as the planning progressed and required cycle route through the scheme quietly dropped.
- Edinburgh St James. Multrees Walk on steroids with a giant copper-plated jobby as the centrepiece, blotting the Edinburgh skyline and casting the "new" St. James Square into a permanent shadow.
- Fountainbridge. Long stalled development. Currently what they've mainly managed to achieve is a lot of student housing and a few blocks of high-end flats.
- The Haymarket Edinburgh. Offices, chain hotels, chain shops and underfloor parking. Lots of the above. Scaled down in height and scale a number of times due to visual impact.
- India Buildings. Controversy is it's middle name. Controversy over the legal shenanigans pulled to dispose of the council-owned lands on terms that appear to be very preferential to the developer. Controversy over developing a gap site previously reserved for expansion of the Central Library. Controversy over size and scale of the new wing, which will block the light for the library reading rooms. Controversy over requirement of another high-end hotel and controversy over the impact on vehicular traffic through the Cowgate.
- King’s Stables Road. Controversial plans to build up the area with student housing, a chain hotel and a block of "apartments" (riff-raff need not apply).
- New Waverley. Endlessly controversial, especially around common good land. A mix of chain hotels, supermarkets, restaurants and offices. Maybe a few houses thrown in for good measure.
- Quartermile. High-end housing and office space. Original Infirmary buildings largely neglected and mainly lie empty. Probably waiting for them to decay to the point of being uneconomic to redevelop and get permission to pull some of it down.
- Royal High School. Controversial luxury hotel development rejected by planning. Appealing to the Scottish Ministers.
- Shrubhill. Student housing, chain supermarket and chain coffee shop. Work ongoing to develop bulk of the site as affordable housing. Both parts of the development now subject to "scope creep" as original plans are modified to reduce amounts of housing and increase numbers of students.
- South St Andrew Square. Controversial development demolishing existing buildings (including highly-regarded B-listed modernist office). Providing office space and a mix of high end restaurant and shopping. Scale and style and finish of the new development controversial in architecture and conservation circles.
- Dewar Place. Redevelopment of Scottish Power substation largely completed. Planning beginning on the usual mix of office space / student housing / chain hotel / chain supermarket.So Edinburgh's doing a grade A job at providing hotels, student housing, high-end apartments and office space. And not much else. So let's not yet get too excited about the next 13 sites.
Posted 7 years ago # -
You forgot the identikit chain retailers and coffee shops. Oh and restaurants.
I mean, there's definitely a shortage of all of these in the city.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Kaputnik - Fountainbridge. Long stalled development. Currently what they've mainly managed to achieve is a lot of student housing and a few blocks of high-end flats.
But things are looking up as Laid Back Bikes are moving into that area. Once we're established other businesses will follow :-) We managed to increase the rent value of our current Marchmont shop unit by 23%!
Posted 7 years ago # -
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The pace of change can be dizzying. The benefits in terms of the new job opportunities alone that come with more than £1 billion of investment in our city are enormous. Our quality of life will be all the better too for the kind of shopping and leisure opportunities that the new St James will bring.
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Posted 7 years ago # -
Our quality of life will be all the better too for the kind of shopping and leisure opportunities that the new St James will bring
Aye right. Just like Multrees walk has.
Posted 7 years ago # -
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A series of disused buildings in the Capital’s Old Town will be transformed after councillors approved a controversial development.
They paved the way for the project on King’s Stables Road, near the Grassmarket, following a lengthy meeting on Thursday.
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Posted 7 years ago # -
Quartermile - old royal infirmary buildings
Edinburgh Uni have bought the older buildings
Posted 7 years ago # -
Canongate "Venchie" to be converted into hotel and holiday apartments. This end of town rapidly turning into the "Hotel Quarter".
Posted 7 years ago # -
There's a drop in this afternoon, 13:00-19:00 at the Marriott hotel, to look at plans for quartermile. https://twitter.com/SpokesLothian/status/790921347048337410 .
Possibly with free crisps.
Posted 7 years ago # -
I went along for five minutes. It wasn't very interesting. There was nothing about the path Porter's Way, just north of Starbucks, which is currently marked cyclists dismount. I argued a bit with them that this should be made shared use, the guy basically disagreed (in an 'I'm just here to listen and don't have any opinions myself' kind of way).
There were no free crisps.
Posted 7 years ago #
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