The former chapel of a nursing home run by nuns is to become the centrepiece of a new student accommodation development in Edinburgh.
S1 Developments has been granted planning permission to convert St Joseph’s House at Gilmore Place, Bruntsfield, which it acquired from religious order Little Sisters of the Poor last year.
Edinburgh-based S1 is to retain the C-listed chapel and convert it into communal facilities, while demolishing its outbuildings and replacing them with 29 cluster flats to accommodate 230 students.
S1 Developments said: “We are delighted with the decision taken today by councillors. As an Edinburgh-based family company, we are thrilled to see this exciting project given the green light and look forward to breathing new life into this former nursing home.
“Redevelopment will restore the existing care-home building into high quality student accommodation, allowing the retention of the central chapel in its existing form."
St Joseph's was forced to close in 2018 after it ran short of nuns to run the home, which had been caring for the elderly for 155 years. It turned down offers from other care providers because they did not fit the order's strict criteria.
The student flats will be in three-storey stone and zinc buildings around a landscaped courtyard, with 230 cycle parking spaces.
S1 added: “We look forward to getting these proposals underway and to continue working with council officials and the local community to deliver them.”
