Plans for a major student housing development in the New Town have been unveiled.
A pre-planning application to demolish a former builders’ merchants in Canonmills to make way for “purpose-built student accommodation” was received by council planners this week.
Although it is not yet known how many students the proposed accommodation will hold, developers CA Student Living (CASL) have submitted their plans as a major application, which means it is a “large housing proposal”.
CASL are also behind the recently-completed Silk Mill student halls on Dundee Street, which comprises 225 bedrooms on five floors.
If approved, Eyre Place will be home to the fourth set of student halls within a one-mile radius, joining flats at Beaverbank Place, McDonald Road and Haddington Place.
The number of people in higher education in the capital is currently around 130 per 1000 people — the second highest rate of any UK city — with this figure expected to rise over the next decade.
A slew of applications for new student flats across Edinburgh are currently under review by the council, including a 235-bed block at the former Leith Tramway depot and a 120-bed block in Haymarket.
CASL are required to carry out a pre-application consultation with the local community at least 12 weeks before planning officials can accept and begin reviewing more detailed blueprints for the latest development on Eyre Place.
They have proposed to hold an online consultation from February 15 to March 9 and a “virtual feedback event” on February 23.
So far, ward councillors for Inverleith, New Town and Broughton Community Council, and Friends of King George V and Scotland Yard Parks have received notification of the pre-planning application, which was validated by the council on Tuesday.
The developers have said that flyers with information about the upcoming consultation will be distributed to residents living near the proposed development site in February.
by Donald Turvill Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency: funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector, and used by qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
