PLANS for a student accommodation development near Holyrood Palace and the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh have been approved.
Glencairn Properties said it has won clearance from Edinburgh City Council to build a 141-bed complex on the site of a former petrol station on Montrose Terrace in the Abbeyhill area.
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The development planned will include accommodation arranged in studio apartments and flats, common areas and a gym.
Glencairn’s managing director, Daryl Teague, said the company had won strong community support for its planning application.
He said the company’s proposals would redevelop a vital location in the heart of the capital and help to meet strong demand for student accommodation in Edinburgh without removing available properties from housing stock.
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Glencairn noted that works to remediate the site and clean the ground started in 2012 but significant contamination remains.
The application was approved subject to all 141 cycle parking spaces provided being in a form approved by the council.
However, Sarah Boyack, Lothians MSP and shadow spokesperson for Local Government, said: “The pandemic is an opportunity to reassess what residents want for the city.
“We should be looking at developing more affordable housing, sustainable and community-led development for Edinburgh and identifying a ‘new normal’. Instead, it appears we are simply returning to ‘business as usual’.
She added: "Only a few weeks ago Edinburgh University expressed serious concerns about the projected massive drop in student numbers in the city. It would therefore seem premature to be approving more student accommodation."
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