The Howard Hotel (at 34 Great King Street) seeks planning permission to develop 7 new bedrooms in a disused mews building at 16 Cumberland Street South East Lane, a partially derelict one at No. 17, and adjacent garden and car parking (Ref. 12/01165/FUL).
The existing hotel and new accommodation would be linked by a covered walkway, and 6 on-site car parking spaces would be available (a slight reduction of current provision).
As Spurtle understands it, the new accommodation's plumbing would link into the hotel's existing system, although the latter would require some enlargement.
From our reading of the designs, the proposal looks rather attractive. However, neighbours will of course have their own opinions about increased traffic and possible loss of amenity.
Edinburgh's narrow New Town mews lanes have proved very attractive to developers over recent years, resulting in some change to their original appearance and the enlivening of their often somnolent and genteelly tatty character. It is a moot point whether such city-centre development is a useful and welcome process, or the inappropriate consequence of private and commercial greed.
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[img_assist|nid=2899|title=|desc=|link=node|align=right|width=200|height=150]Permission has been granted for Royal Bank of Scotland's demolition of 11–13 Eyre Terrace and single-storey lock-ups to the rear, and their interim replacement by landscaping until such time as work begins on a larger-scale redevelopment (Ref. 11/03575/FUL; Ref. 11/03614/PAN).
Background information on these proposals appears in Breaking news (21.11.11; 12.1.12; Issue 202).
Planning officials concluded that, 'whilst it would be desirable to try and maintain the laundry building, demolition is justified given its structural condition, the cost of repair and the potential for the redevelopment of the site to deliver a scheme of sufficient merit to replace it'. Although the landscaping plans were not of the required standard, they were considered good enough in the short term to preserve the character and appearance of the area and would not badly affect neighbours.
Landscaping is to begin within 2 months of the demolition, and no development may commence until archaeological investigations have been completed and approved. A site survey and approved removal of any contaminants must also be carried out before development starts.
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Permission has been granted to the Council's City Development Department for the construction of flood shutters across windows at 1 Howard Place (Ref. 11/04006/FUL).
The shutters caused controversy earlier this year when objectors to tree felling at Canonmills Bridge claimed inappropriate residential development at the site had created the need for floodworks here (Breaking news, 19.3.12).
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Repairs and improvements to the (soon to be) Gaelic school at 139B Bonnington Road (Ref. 12/00785/FUL) have been given the go ahead.
They have now received planning permission to instal new ramp and step access, to replace an exterior metal stair, and to undertake remedial emergency structural works to three roof towers.
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Free advice on maintaining and repairing properties is on offer from a firm of commercial architects at the ESPC Centre on George Street.
Joanna Parry of Leith-based Hypostyle Architects is available to guide home owners from noon–2pm on the first and third Thursdays of every month.