The campaigners who are fighting against a planning application for a hostel in Atholl Crescent have issued a warning that Edinburgh’s UNESCO World Heritage status is being undermined, and concerns about overtourism are being ignored.
The group has raised its concerns as a decision from the Government Reporter is imminent on the proposed development, saying this planning application for the 544 bed hostel typifies the pressures on living in the city centre.
A ten-year World Heritage Site Management Plan was recently published by Edinburgh World Heritage (EWH), written in partnership with City of Edinburgh Council and Historic Environment Scotland. The plan is produced to identify the way the Site “will be managed over the next ten years by identifying a series of key issues and devising specific objectives or actions to address these issues”.
Campaigners say major, publicly-funded consultation responses in the document reveal concerns of city centre residents about the impact of tourism, particularly the loss of housing and the erosion of communities.
And they say the World Heritage Site Partners charged with protecting the UNESCO status are failing to address these concerns, with confusion and delay in publishing an effective Action Plan based on agreed management policies.
Feedback in the consultation indicates that people in Edinburgh do not feel that they have a say in what happens in the city and are negatively impacted by plans approved by the city council, while it is considered a priority that the World Heritage Site works for people living here.
Conservation architect, Philip Flockhart, who is leading the Atholl Crescent campaign, said: “The public consultation by JRS Research published within the Management Plan clearly show citizens are concerned that residential life is being eroded by short-stay development and overtourism. It was reassuring to find that we are not alone in holding these views.
“Despite the documented concerns of citizens, the Plan insists that tourism is a core strategic priority for the city. There is a fundamental problem here. Public money has been spent on research into what citizens want for the future of the city, then that research appears to be ignored.
“The Plan recognises that people want Edinburgh to be protected as a place to live and work. Yet an effective Action Plan that may deliver that outcome is long delayed. This is not what residents have asked for and it raises serious questions about accountability and purpose in relation to publicly-funded research.”
The campaign group says the Atholl Crescent hostel case represents a critical test of whether existing policies are robust enough to protect Edinburgh’s Outstanding Universal Value as a living city. The concerns have been backed by two local political representatives, Green councillor, Claire Miller and Conservative councillor, Jo Mowat.
Cllr Miller said: “Edinburgh’s World Heritage status depends on it being a living city, not just a destination. Residents are telling us clearly that the balance is shifting too far, particularly in terms of housing and quality of life. We need to take that seriously.
“Developments of this scale raise important questions about what kind of city we want to be, and whether we are doing enough to ensure that local communities remain at its heart.”
Cllr Mowat added: ““This case highlights the wider challenge we face in balancing a successful visitor economy with protecting Edinburgh as a place where people can live and thrive.
“We have heard consistently from residents about concerns over the loss of housing and the cumulative impact of large-scale developments in the city centre. Those concerns need to be properly reflected in decision-making.
“It is essential that policies designed to safeguard the World Heritage Site are applied in a way that genuinely protects communities, not just in principle but in practice.”
Campaigners point to a host of contradictions and weaknesses in the 182-page management report by the World Heritage Site Partners which is intended to shape policy to 2035. It claims to be underpinned by the findings of extensive public consultation, which repeatedly showed that people living in the city centre are concerned about the impact of overtourism, including the loss of housing to Airbnbs, hotels and student housing developments.
The consultation also revealed major fears about the impact of tourism on infrastructure, with residents feeling ignored or pushed out of the city centre to allow for tourism, spurring demands for clear limits on tourist numbers.
Recent international commentary has reinforced those concerns. UNESCO has warned that overtourism can displace residents, erode local character and make everyday life increasingly difficult in historic cities.
Mr Flockhart added: “The evidence shows clearly that residents across the World Heritage Site are deeply concerned about the cumulative impact of tourism, particularly the loss of homes and the hollowing out of communities.
“Those concerns have been recognised in policy documents, but recognition is not enough. We now need to see clear, measurable action from all the organisations responsible for managing the site.
“Tourism is vital to Edinburgh, but the World Heritage designation is rooted in the city being a place where people live and work. If that balance is lost, the qualities that make Edinburgh special are put at risk.”
The Atholl Crescent hostel proposals have been opposed by local residents, community groups and heritage organisations, with concerns focusing on scale, intensification of visitor use, and the precedent such a development could set for the wider city centre. EWH were an outlier in unilaterally supporting the proposals.
Campaigners are now calling on councillors and decision-makers to ensure that the outcome of the case reflects both the evidence gathered through public consultation, and the long-term objectives of preserving Edinburgh as a living, sustainable World Heritage city.
A decision from the Scottish Government’s Planning and Environmental Appeals Division is expected later this month.
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