A LEADING urban conservationist is calling on Unesco to strip Scotland's capital of its world heritage status over a series of "architectural blunders".

David Black, a writer and the first chair of Edinburgh's Southside Association, a group originally formed in the 1970s to resist the expansion of Edinburgh University, is compiling a report on what he describes as the misguided and in some cases illegal planning decisions which are destroying Edinburgh's historic cityscape, particularly listed buildings.

He plans to submit his findings to Unesco headquarters in New York next month in a bid to persuade them to overturn the city's prestigious World Heritage Site status, which the capital has held since 1995.

"At the time [of the award in 1995], Edinburgh was seen as a prime example of an old town and new town co-existing well," said Mr Black. "But since then we have seen one poor planning decision after another, from St Andrews Square to the parliament building and Princes Street."

Mr Black, who said he was in talks with "people who don't wish to be identified" within organisations including Edinburgh City Council and the Royal Heritage Trust, as well as academics, to compile his dossier.

He said it was still "in the very early stages" but he intended to hand it in directly to the Unesco offices in New York on March 20, when he is already due in the city on business.

Mr Black, author of 'All the First Minister's Men', which told the story behind the construction of the controversial Scottish Parliament building, said he had previously tried contacting Unesco officials in Paris and subsequently New York in a bid to highlight his concerns but had had no response. He now feels the UN body is not doing enough to make sure cities preserved and restored their award-winning heritage.

He said that the latest architectural catastrophe to hit the city is the decision to transform the 190-year-old Royal High School on Edinburgh's Calton Hill into a five-star hotel.

Three of the world's leading luxury hotel chains, none of which currently operate in Scotland, have been shortlisted to run the venture which would offer accommodation on a par with Claridges and The Connaught in London or The Ritz in Paris, bringing an estimated £27 million a year to the Edinburgh economy.

"It is one of the three most important neo-classical Greek buildings in the world," he said. "Its style was hugely influential on American architecture. It is an A-list building. This isn't just poor decision-making, it is actually illegal. It is in breach of European environmental regulations."

He added that other high-profile architectural and planning errors include the Primark store, which became the first concrete building on Princes Street when it opened at Christmas 2011, the £35 million revamp of the A-listed Usher Hall, and a series of demolitions of B-listed buildings in St Andrews Square which he has dubbed "urbicide".

Mr Black said: "This is not just some old fogey talking who doesn't like anything modern. I like the Festival Theatre, for example. But I think there is a balance to be struck between preserving the best of what we have and welcoming the best of the new - and what we're getting, generally, is not the best."

There is precedent for cities being stripped of the prestigious Unesco title. Dresden in Germany was a long time on the danger list before it was finally booted off altogether in 2009 following the construction of a "hideous" concrete traffic bridge over the Elbe Valley, which had been a major component in earning the site its Outstanding Universal Value.

At the time, the feeling was that the move would send a clear signal to other sites around the world that they could not just do what they liked and ignore Unesco.

Planning Convener, Councillor Ian Perry, said: "Our UNESCO World Heritage Status is something the Council takes very seriously, and we will continue to support and work closely with Historic Scotland and Edinburgh World Heritage to maintain this. Every World Heritage Site has a management plan which sets out how changes are assessed and this is an important tool in guiding the Council's activities in the area.

"Being a capital city encompassing a living and working World Heritage site, it is inevitable that new developments will be attracted to the centre, and this is important for the city to evolve. However, we are committed to managing this process carefully and ensuring that the greatest consideration is given to its historic environment."