A firm with ties to a cabinet secretary of former US president Donald Trump has submitted its third set of plans in a bid to build a luxury development of flats and townhouses in the grounds of a grand Edinburgh home.
The Rockshiel Trust received dozens of objections from locals in Murrayfield when initial proposals for nine apartments and ten townhouses at 9 Kinellan Road went before city planners in 2019.
They were initially booted out and a further ‘scaled back’ version of nine flats and eight townhouses failed to make it to the City Chambers under vehement opposition from neighbours.
However the company - which counts Edinburgh-born actor Louise Linton, the wife of former US secretary of the treasury Steve Mnuchin - among its beneficiaries has now returned with a further plan for the site, according to documents submitted to the local authority.
In the design statement, architects Staran state the third instalment, this time containing eight townhouses and six apartments, will be “carefully designed to sit comfortably into the landscape” and will contain “naturally sourced sandstone” to fit in with historic tenement blocks within the area.
City of Edinburgh Council archaeologists had also previously aired concerns over the plans due to the potential impact on a 19th century ornamental pond which may have been designed by renowned architect William Playfair.
Ms Linton’s role in the Rockshiel Trust was revealed as part of a list of Mr Mnuchin’s financial interests submitted to the US Office of Government Ethics in August 2020.
Ms Linton, who has appeared in US TV shows CSI: NY and Cold Case, grew up in the Murrayfield area close to Rockshiel, while her family also owns the historic Melville Castle in Midlothian.
According to data from online estate agent RightMove, homes in Kinellan Road have an average selling price of more than £1.4 million over the past 12 months.
According to the design statement: “The townhouses included within the proposals are a contemporary design approach to the traditional terraces found within Murrayfield.
“With close observation of the detailing and proportions of neighbouring properties, and the sourcing of natural sandstone for certain areas of the build, we are providing homes that reflect the enduring qualities of the Victorian Edinburgh Townhouse, but to modern standards of accommodation, low maintenance and low energy use.
“The size, location, orientation and configuration has been carefully designed to sit comfortably into the landscape without excessive shading to windows and gardens.
“The secluded and private nature of the development will undoubtably [sic] attract a premium price.”
