Simpson & Marwick Solicitors seeks planning permission for 9 illuminated advertising signs and 2 television screens at their corner office at 58 Albany Street (Ref. 13/01131/ADV).
The display would be visible through the building's windows for the edification of property-hungry passers-by on Broughton Street.
What has prompted this mooted move into the world of broadcasting we don't know. Nor is the reason clear for the firm's proposed removal of an ESPC sign on the Broughton Street elevation and its replacement by one for Simpson & Marwick alone.
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The Ballantrae Hotel Group (based on Albany Street) already has permission for a 2-storey extension to the rear at 11–13 York Place Lane (Ref. 12/02683/FUL).
Now, though, it is applying for consent to build another floor on top (Ref. 13/01020/FUL) which would add 7 bedrooms to the hotel. It is doing so despite being decisively knocked back in March last year for a different upwardly mobile proposal (Breaking news, 13.3.12).
The proposed new addition is motivated by profit. Extra rooms would make better economic sense for the Ballantrae's current business plan and its wish to expand in future.
'The proposal is to increase the height of the approved plan, in conjunction with Mill Design, with a design incorporating the original elevational treatment and materials (a mix of traditional and contemporary design and materials). This will introduce an additional storey, which will not be a full height storey but will incorporate a coomb reflecting the pitch of the roof and adding some character to the bedrooms. The depth of the proposal has also been increased by 450mm, while not a significant addition, this will make a big difference to the spatial arrangements to the bedrooms.'
This time around, Ballantrae argues that:
- Although buildings to the lane were not part of the original street plan, many have grown up over the years with varying styles and heights.
- While the proposal does not meet all the non-statutory guidelines for mews houses, it does meet many of them. Given that there were no mews buildings on this site, they feel that the non-statutory policy should not be applied too stringently here.
- The proposal will distract attention from the overshadowing, overlooking and dwarfing presence of the former HM Revenue and Customs building on York Place.
- The proposed development would in some ways match a modern 3-storey building on Dublin Street Lane South.
- In fact, the proposal would enhance the listed hotel's setting.
Spurtle is not wholly convinced by such special pleading. We also wonder whether the Ballantrae may return with a proposal for yet another floor in 2014 and in the year after that and the year after that. Is this, in fact, a cautious, incremental approach to building the Edinburgh equivalent of the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai (pictured above-right)?
Unfortunately, so few of the relevant documents are currently available online that we are unable to answer that question.
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Tesco at 7 Broughton Road wants to replace its 5 existing steel trolley shelters at ground level with new timber ones (Ref. 13/01173/FUL). We look forward to the introduction of timber trolleys.
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Stac Polly's application for new paintwork and signage in Dublin Street has been approved (Ref. 13/00851/LBC; see Breaking news, 2.4.13).