The Edinburgh Reporter April 2024

2 NEWS

Editorial

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Editor: Phyllis Stephen

Designer: Tammy Kerr

Photos: Martin P McAdam

I BELIEVE there is still a sign on

Queensferry Road heralding your arrival

into Edinburgh - The Festival City. And that

means much more than the Edinburgh

International Festival or The Fringe

(Although Lìam Rudden already has a

couple of Fringe suggestions for you on

18-19). It was a wee bit of a surprise to hear

of Pomegranates Festival and also obvious to

put them our front page to draw them to

your attention. The festival takes place later

this month.

Edinburgh the royal burgh is 900 years

old this year and it has also been surprising

how little has yet been organised to celebrate

it. The council allocated £500,000 to the

festivities, but there has so far only been one

meeting of the steering committee in March

to draft what sound like vague plans for

events. I hope I am proved wrong and that

the celebrations get underway soon. It is also

(and quite separately) the 900th anniversary

of St Giles’ Cathedral. Founded as the High

Kirk in 1124 the 1124 Society of St Giles’ has

been founded to encourage financial

support for the cathedral to ensure it is still

in existence for the next 900 years. If you

join with a donation of £1,124 you will

receive a medal and plaque with your name

on it.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is

one organisation which does have cash. It

received £7 million from the UK

Government Levelling Up Fund in April

2023 for a capital project. It decided along

with council officers to set its sights on the

South Bridge Resource Centre on Infirmary

Street. Read more about the recent

emotional committee meeting on Page 4.

Tourist tax legislation is making its way

through the Scottish Parliament - we bring

you up to date on Pages 4 and 5.

Thank you for reading The Edinburgh

Reporter - if you can please support us by

taking out a subscription or by making a

donation - many of you do and I am grateful

to everyone who does.

Phyllis Stephen, Editor

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Planning News

PLANNING PERMISSION has been granted

for the conversion of the former Scottish

Equitable Life Assurance Company offices at

28 St Andrew Square into a 167 Clayton Hotel

by Hawkins/Brown. Later additions to the A

listed building will be removed as part of the

redevelopment. 21/04284/FUL

A 1930s villa on Cammo Road will be

replaced by eight semi-detached homes if

planning permission is granted. 24/01279/FUL

Plans have been submitted for Purpose Built

Student Accommodation (PBSA) on Ratcliffe

Terrace replacing Causewayside Garage and

the former Causewayside Lads’ Institute 1907

currently used as offices. 24/01092/FUL

Steven Robb who is a historian and

“heritage watchdog” said on X that this would

be a sad loss of an interesting building. He

pointed out that the institute was for

“wholesome recreation and amusement to

keep boys off the street and improve their

religious and moral principles”.

Forth Ports has lodged an application to

create Harbour 31 “an exciting new housing,

commercial and retail development” on a 4.

acre waterfront site in the Port of Leith.

The new neighbourhood will include 337

new homes - one, two and three bedroom

apartments, in line with the council’s

affordable homes policy. There will also be 244

square metres of commercial space.

The flats will be in four plots and will range

from five to eight storeys high along with

communal green spaces and “integrated

sustainable travel options”. Given the proximity

to public transport the car parking provision

will be 20%, will include accessible spaces and

the development will be EV ready. At this

stage the planning is an application for

Planning Permission in Principle (PPP) right

next to the FirstStage film studio, perhaps the

perfect spot for some star spotting. Listed

building consent will also be required to

improve surface drainage in the historic port.

There are already several new and newish

hotels on St Andrew Square and now there

will be a 167-bed Clayton Hotel (Image above)

following a grant of planning permission. The

A-listed number 28 formerly housed Scottish

Equitable Life Assurance Company for almost

one hundred years.

Leith Walk view

This is an image supplied by the Living Memory Association of The

Kirkgate at the Foot of Leith Walk and was taken in April 1951. Queen

Victoria is in place along with at least one phone box and The Gaiety

Theatre. See more on Edinburgh Collected the online community

photo archive which is managed by Edinburgh City Libraries.

Foot of the

Walk 1951