A PLANNING and development consultancy firm have submitted an application to demolish a building on Bangor Road to build flats, but locals aren’t happy.
A proposal of application notice was sent through to the council last year, with an application for planning permission being submitted just last week.
Plans include the demolition of the existing building on 52 and 54 Bangor Road in Bonnington, with plans to build student accommodation.
A group called “Save Bangor Road” was created when plans were originally proposed, due to their “negative impact on the character of the area”.
Last year, Scott Hobbs Planning sought consultation from locals on the plan, which involves a mixed-use development consisting of student accommodation, commercial units and landscaping.
The building to be demolished is a light industrial building bounded by Bangor Road, The Quilts, The Water of Leith, and the James Pringle Shopping Warehouse.
Residents have said that these areas will be negatively affected by the plans, which could be “harmful to the visual amenity of our historic neighbourhood”.
“Save Bangor Road” was created by Sam Goldblatt, a resident of The Quilts who said: “We have lived here for 10 years and we love our neighbourhood.
“Currently our children have a view of the sky from their bedroom window. The proposed flats would completely block all sky, and all daylight from our windows.
“Bangor Road, The Quilts and The Bowling Green is a nice residential neighborhood with lots of families. We know most of our neighbours.
“The influx of 166 students in a towering high rise would completely change the dynamic of the neighborhood.
“We think the student flats look very institutional because of all the tiny windows.”
Locals are welcome to comment on the application through the Edinburgh City Council portal, which closes on 11 April.
Where the application was posted online, one user said: “Edinburgh has become a student city. Nothing more.”
Another replied: “Whatever powers that be that give the go ahead for these projects must know full well about the housing crisis in Edinburgh.
“How, by any stretch of the imagination, is providing accommodation for students helping that problem. It seems not a week goes by without these new applications coming in.
“How about they make a stipulation that they can go ahead but a third of it needs to be truly affordable homes included.”
Another commented: “Why are they determined to get students into Leith, it’s social housing we need.”
A report for the Cross-Party Group on Housing released last year showed that there was a shortfall of 13,852 bed spaces for students in Edinburgh in 2022/23.
The Scottish housing crisis announced in May last year continues, as recent data shows that there are more children in temporary accommodation in the city than in the whole of Wales.
