Edinburgh student flats rejected due to potentially ‘harmful impact’ on local area

Plans for new student flats in Edinburgh have been rejected after planners claimed they would harm “the character and visual amenity” of the surrounding area.

The proposed student accommodation blocks, planned for Pitt Street in Leith, were submitted to the City of Edinburgh Council for approval earlier this year.

Several industrial buildings were set aside for demolition in order to make way for the two developments, with each block planned to comprise 80 flats including seven studios.

Councillors were warned  that the accommodation’s architectural style “fails to draw upon positive characteristics”, among other concerns.

The ground floor of the accommodation was set to include a “student lounge area” with games and a study zone, in addition to a “plant room”, reception, and two cycle stores.

The Council is under pressure to provide housing for students, as a city-wide housing shortage leaves many living in temporary accommodation – variously attributed to an increase in university enrollments, rising property prices, and a lack of student-specific accommodations.

Edinburgh has been ranked as one of the most expensive places to be a student in the UK, placing sixth out of the 50 listed with the average rent sitting at £1,776 per month, compared to an average of £1,349 outside of London.

A poll by The Edinburgh Tab last year found one in four students yet to secure accommodation by the start of the academic year, with many living in converted common rooms.

The original planning statement claimed the student flats would contribute positively towards the Scottish Government’s “National Planning Framework”, a national strategy which supports the delivery of “sustainable, liveable, and productive places”.

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The buildings would have been within the Leith Conservation Area, one of several zones within the city protected by the council for their “special architectural or historical interest”.

Pitt Street, the quiet cobbled road proposed as the location of the flats, currently hosts a range of both residential and commercial buildings and is the former home to a year-round outdoor street food market.

Planners rejected the proposals on account of the suggested “negative impact” on the Conservation Area, as well as concerns for a lack of access for bin workers. They contended that the flats would “not preserve, but instead, harm” the local area.

City of Edinburgh Council has previously recognised the importance of providing purpose-built student accommodation, as a means of reducing the “potential anti-social aspects” of locating significant numbers of students within a given community.

Councillors are set to discuss the applications on Wednesday 20th November.

Features image via Google Maps