The Herald:

JD WETHERSPOON has lodged a new application to transform a disused “eyesore” building into a courtyard pub-garden at a famous Scottish premises.

Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by nineteen47 Ltd on behalf of pubs giant JD Wetherspoon plc to prepare a heritage statement for the proposed alterations at 15 Duke Street and 183 Constitution Street, Leith.

The proposals include the formation of an enclosed courtyard pub-garden for the adjacent Foot of the Walk Public House, 183 Constitution Street.

The site is situated within the Old Leith and The Shore area of the Leith Conservation Area, and the Foot of the Walk forms part of the category C listed building.

The Herald: The courtyard would provide a use for the dilapidated building which has been vacant for 20 years.The courtyard would provide a use for the dilapidated building which has been vacant for 20 years.

The 15 Duke Street site is non-designated, comprising a late 18th to early 19th-century warehouse building, most latterly functioning as a pub.

The report says the building has been vacant for about 20 years, and has been on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland for over a decade. The building has historic and some architectural interest relating to its age, associations with historic Leith, and its potential to comprise a positive part of the Duke Street streetscape.

It adds: “However, the building is presently unused and in a dilapidated and deteriorating condition.

"Its associated courtyard is also overgrown and unkempt.

"In its present condition the site makes a negative contribution to the streetscape and historic character of the area, and, as demonstrated by a recent petition to fix the site, is considered to be a local ‘eyesore’.

"The proposed development presents an opportunity to repair and repurpose 15 Duke Street, which would enhance its cultural significance, and secure its long-term viable use.”

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