AN office block directly opposite Haymarket station is being torn down despite a number of objections.
Roseberry House on Haymarket Terrace directly opposite the busy station in the West End of the capital’s Princes Street is undergoing demolition.
The office block is being torn down in line with plans approved last year by the city council, with it set to be replaced by a larger net-zero equivalent.
Planning officers recommended the plans be approved ahead of a council meeting on the plans in March 2023.
Plans were refused by councillors on 28 March 2024, but the decision was overturned subject to seven conditions in May.
Cranes and demolition equipment were spotted at the office block yesterday with the building in the first stages of demolition.
The plans received a massive 200 letters of objections from locals but have gone ahead with the plans, which outline the proposed replacement of the building with a newer, modern and net zero office block.
The building under demolition is currently five storeys high and was built in the 1970s, whilst the replacement building is planned to be eight storeys high with parking spaces for bikes and cars.
Planning permission was granted on the condition that a payment of £761,000 be made to Edinburgh Trams.
This was to be a “developer contribution” to the, at the time, still under construction tram lines across the capital.
The council and the developers, Aviva Life and Pensions UK Ltd, reached an agreement on 15 April last year.
Speaking today a city council spokesperson said: “The Council confirms necessary planning permissions are in place for the demolition and replacement of Rosebery House, having been granted by the Scottish Government at appeal.”
