DEVELOPERS have lodged plans to transform a series of under-used buildings in central Edinburgh into a luxury hotel while reviving a historic city tea room.
A site on the corner of Hanover Street and Princes Street, spanning five under-used buildings, would be turned into a mixed-use development under plans submitted to City of Edinburgh Council by developer RRH Hanover A Limited.
The plans envision the creation of a luxury hotel, with associated guest amenities and ancillary accommodation.
RRH said the hotel will be designed to operate as a bespoke apartment style destination, with each room and suite unique and individually styled. It noted that the 60 bedrooms would be accommodated within existing and proposed buildings which “carefully knit together the fabric of the site, respecting the historical context”.
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The plans would consolidate the unused space above several commercial units into a series of interlinked properties, with ground floor units reorganised made available for lease by businesses.
A tearoom will be reintroduced on Hanover Street to restore the building’s traditional charm, a move harking back to historical occupant Crawford’s Tearooms.
William Crawford set out to create an “oasis of calm” in the city centre when he founded the tearooms in the 1920s. The rooms were decorated and furnished by the artist Robert Burns, a key figure in the Scottish Art Nouveau scene in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Rooftop terraces, providing “dramatic skyline views”, a fitness studio and guest lounge overlooking the Mound and Princes Street Gardens also feature in the plans.
RRH said the new development will complement the 27 luxury serviced apartments units which it is currently developing in a refurbished category-A listed at 71 George Street and will be operated under the RÌGH Properties brand. The company also plans to refurbish 73-75 George Street into luxury managed serviced apartments.
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David Grieve of RRH said: “We are incredibly excited to be submitting a planning application for this development, which includes the delivery of 60 unique and individually styled flexible stay hotel suites and luxury bedrooms, as well as returning the fabulous Crawford’s Tea Rooms to their former glory.
“It is anticipated that guests will be discerning and experienced travellers, looking for a boutique stay in a prime location, but without the fuss of a busy city centre hotel. Offering a calm, flexible and luxurious stay, they will have the opportunity to enjoy unique views across the New and Old Towns of Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth beyond the capital’s skyline.
“Delivering a highly sustainable development, this will consolidate unused space above the retail units into a series of linked properties, and conscious of its location, we have been highly sensitive to retaining all buildings and features considered to be of architectural and historic merit.”
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