A decision on whether to transform an old Edinburgh bingo hall into student flats has been pushed back by councillors.
Plans to convert the Club 3000 Bingo Hall at 26 Manderson Street in Leith into a student housing complex with 200 beds were first filed in March 2024.
But at a meeting of the council’s Development Management Sub-Committee on Tuesday, councillors voted to delay a decision until a public hearing can be held on the application.
This will give the public, and interested groups, an opportunity to comment on the application, which has drawn criticism from locals.
Officers recommended that councillors approve the application, saying it would ‘not have a detrimental impact’ on the conservation area the site is in.
Councillors also had questions for officers on some facts of the development, which will see parts of the current structure retained.
SNP councillor Amy McNeese-Meechan asked a council officer whether the building, which was built sometime before 1930, could end up being listed by Historic Environment Scotland (HES).
The officer said: “A new provision was brought into HES which allowed a developer or owner of a building to seek confirmation if a building was worthy of listing.
“The issued a certificate in 2021 which said they would not be interested in listing the building.”
They continued to explain that the certificate would not expire until May 2026.
Before becoming the Club 3000 bingo hall, the space was known as the Mecca Bingo Hall. Prior to this, it was the Leith Capitol Theatre and Cinema, with the change of use happening in 1961.
Labour councillor Tim Pogson asked if the developer may have made their structure artificially small to get around a requirement to fund or provide affordable housing.
The same officer replied to explain that, while the planning office sometimes sees this happen, it does not appear to be the case with this development.
Closing the discussion, the committee convener and Liberal Democrat councillor Hal Osler said: “This is really complicated, and really difficult.
“I think it is important that we hear from the community. We need to have that balance and understanding.”
The date of the hearing is not yet clear. The next meeting of the Development Management Sub-Committee will be after the council’s July recess, on Wednesday, 6 March.
By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter
