It has been an up-and-down sort of week for Sojourn Hotels LLD – owners of the Osbourne Hotel – who received a mixed decision on their application to install a platform lift between ground and basement levels at Category A-listed 51–9 York Place (Ref. 11/02398/FUL). Mostly down.
City planners are of course in favour of disabled access, but wanted to see more detailed specifications for the lift mechanism, and rejected proposed alterations to the basement, door frame and siting of the control box. These would, they decided, 'fail to respect' and have an 'adverse effect' on 'the character and appearance of the conservation area'
'Basement areas are important features of listed buildings and the New Town and the modification to incorporate a new access ramp, including the modification of the existing door and internal floor level is considered to be an incongruous alteration having an adverse impact on the character and appearance of the conservation area. The architectural integrity and composition of the building would be compromised by such an alteration and would set a dangerous precedent for further inappropriate alterations within basements in the New Town and elsewhere in Edinburgh. The applicants were asked to amend the application accordingly but have failed to do so.
'As such, a mixed decision is recommended approving the disabled access lift, in principle, and the modifications to the existing railings but refusing the alterations to the basement, door frame, floor level and the control post.'
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Logie Green Developments Ltd have been given the go-ahead to change 389sqm of proposed Class 4 offfice accommodation to student housing, and to make minor alterations to the north-western elevation at their 11 Logie Green Road and 26, 28a, 29, 32, 33 Beaverbank Place development (Ref. 11/00475/FUL; Breaking news 2.3.11; 29.6.11).
The Planning Committee found that '[t]he proposal fails to accord with the development plan but the occupation of vacant units with active uses and the availability of other commercial premises within the area outweigh policy considerations on this occasion'.
As developers AMA (New Town) Ltd found, letting office space in Edinburgh at the moment is very hard (Breaking news 1.3.10).
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Numerous telecommunication broadband cabinets are about to appear across Broughton (Breaking news 8.8.11). Planning permission has been granted for Openreach's undesirable but apparently necessary street-coffins outside: 14 Eyre Place, 10 Gayfield Street, 61 Dublin Street, 35 and 41 Cumberland Street, 36 and 70 East Claremont Street. Vendors of spray-paint are already laying in extra stock.
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