RESIDENTS of a posh Edinburgh postcode have expressed anger after a 544-bed hostel was approved on their street.
The Scottish Government Reporter has approved the pod-style accommodation in Atholl Crescent in the city's west end, where property prices range up to £2 million, according to Rightmove records.
Campaigners say the approval risks opening the door for more corporate-backed developers to use planning loopholes to bring hotels and hostels and to the city's heritage areas.
Nearly 300 objections were lodged against the plans to turn four of the Category A-listed Georgian townhouses on the street – which is the city's Unesco World Heritage Site – with all ward councillors and the local MP, Dr Scott Arthur, condemning the proposals too.
Philip Flockhart, conservation architect and spokesperson for the campaigners, said: “This decision will heighten concern among communities across Edinburgh who are already worried about overtourism and the loss of residential character within the city.
“Residents resisted inappropriate high-density tourist accommodation becoming their neighbour within an important part of the world heritage site, but their voices have not been heard.
“There will now be understandable concern that this creates a roadmap for other heavily financed developers to pursue similarly intensive schemes while bypassing meaningful local democratic scrutiny.
“It should alarm people that an application condemned by residents, conservation organisations, all four local ward councillors and the local MP has nevertheless been approved through a process removed from local determination.”
Flockhart said residents will now be considering their next steps.
The Cockburn Association has previously warned that the development would mean "substantial and irreversible harm" to the Georgian buildings, while the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland raised concerns over the “scale and intensity” of the proposed use.
Campaigners have now also hit out at Edinburgh World Heritage (EWH), which supported the proposals despite widespread opposition from residents, conservation organisations and local politicians.
Flockhart said: “We repeatedly asked EWH to clarify their position to the Reporter and their refusal to do so preserved their ill-judged position of support. They have failed to offer the protection to residential life in the World Heritage Site that is their prime purpose.”
Meanwhile, Dr Scott Arthur MP (below) added: “I am disappointed by the Reporter’s decision to approve the application for a 544-bed hostel at Atholl Crescent, despite the significant and sustained concerns raised by local residents.
“Throughout this process, residents have been clear about the likely impact on a quiet, established residential neighbourhood, including loss of amenity and increased noise, pressures on narrow streets and concerns about safety and security arising from such a large, 24-hour operation.
“While I respect the planning process and the role of the Reporter, I believe this decision will be difficult for many in the community to accept given the scale of the proposal and its location in a sensitive residential setting.
“I will continue to stand with residents as we work to understand the implications of this decision and ensure their concerns are addressed as far as possible in its implementation.”
And Green councillor Claire Miller said the move was "really disappointing".
"It goes to show that the voice of communities needs far more power, and I will be raising this with MSPs as a textbook example for the need for planning reforms.”
