EDINBURGH could be set for more student accommodation after a public consultation was launched for a proposed redevelopment of an industrial site in the city.
The consultation for the site in Bangor Road, Bonnington, began on Wednesday, with a planning application due to be submitted in early 2025.
The plans involve demolishing existing buildings and replacing them with a mixed-use development including student flats, commercial units and landscaping.
Locals will be able to attend a consultation on 11 December, but many unimpressed residents have already been quick to share their negative views on the proposal, citing the ongoing shortage of affordable housing in the city.
The area around the site boasts an industrial history, with enterprises including foundries, iron works, timber sawmill, steam mills and marble and slate works all present during the 19th and 20th centuries.
A shift towards residential developments in the area began around 1960 with the closure of the Bonnington Goods Railway Yard.
The nearby listed former tannery building has since been converted into office units.
The proposed layout of the six-storey building has an industrial unit on the ground floor, with a combination of 7% studio and 93% cluster flat accommodation occupying the upper floors.
While the total number of flats is unspecified, the plans emphasise a focus on offering an “extremely high quality of life” for residents.
Research has found that Edinburgh has a 51% graduate retention rate, the joint-highest in the UK, meaning that students are likely to continue living in the city.
Discussions are currently ongoing with the City of Edinburgh Council, with the planning application due to be submitted in the first quarter of 2025 and available to view publicly.
All comments made during the consultation stage will be taken into account and incorporated into the proposals.
News of the consultation was shared to social media on Wednesday with the caption: “A consultation has been launched for Flow Design Architects’ PBSA-focused redevelopment of the warehouse site on Bangor Road.
“The plans include an unspecified number of student accommodation units and a commercial unit on the ground floor. A planning submission is expected in early 2025.”
It has since received a slew of likes and comments from bemused locals sharing their thoughts.
One wrote: “When we have a dire shortage of affordable housing why do we have yet another application for student flats?
“Is it because student accommodation developers don’t need to provide as much car parking and don’t need to provide any affordable units compared to a residential developer?
“If so the planning policies should be changed.”
A second replied: “There’s more money in student accommodation. You can fit more student rooms than flats into a given area, and they are all let out for a substantial sum.”
Another commented: “There needs to be heavy local restrictions on the building of new student accommodation. We need residential housing to be built, and nothing else.”
A fourth said: “Can we get a public inquiry in the council awarding student accommodation against affordable housing and where the money is going into their pockets, as it reeks to high heaven of corruption.
“There is no other logical reason, this happens time after time.”
Another added: “If residential [space] is built, the developer needs to contribute to infrastructure such as schools and doctors whereas with student accommodation they don’t.”
