July 22 2022

An Edinburgh scrapyard is to be replaced by purpose-built student accommodation under new plans filed with the city planning authority.

A project team led by the landowner and Fletcher Joseph Associates propose to demolish all existing buildings and structures to permit development with publicly accessible routes from both Yeaman Place and Dundee Street to the Union Canal - the latter requiring a stair-bike ramp.

Fronting the canal and extending deep through a tenement backcourt to the rear the site is to accommodate four bedroom blocks fronting an active travel route to the towpath.

As part of the work a small section of the Union Canal wall, a scheduled monument, will be removed for access. In a statement, Fletcher Joseph wrote: "The proposal will look to integrate the remaining sections of the wall into the facade design for the blocks which sit adjacent to it. This is done sensitively on the ground floor by building the structure behind the wall. Above it, the floor structure will cantilever over the wall with a clerestory between to ensure the original wall is clearly defined and highlighted. These sections of the wall will also be cleaned to remove the graffiti and it will be repaired/re-pointed where required following a survey.

"To further integrate the proposal into the context of the canal, it will look to reclaim where possible the removed section of the wall and integrate it into the adjacent blocks by returning it into the site on the ground floor, to create a seamless connection along the canal and through the site."

The development will centre on two-tenement scale blocks by the canal responding to the existing tenement district with two smaller staggered blocks framing a 'mews courtyard' to the rear.  

8 Comments

#1 Posted by Ben on 22 Jul 2022 at 15:55 PM

Totally bleak. Why are all new buildings in Edinburgh so grim?

#2 Posted by town planner on 22 Jul 2022 at 17:49 PM

Safe to say, that is not a thing of beauty.

#3 Posted by Jonathan on 22 Jul 2022 at 20:14 PM

#2, indeed.
Also, and this applies to more than this example, I am all for a spot of architectural dialogue but, for the love of god, please at least attempt to reflect the imagery in the wording. ''Seamlessly'', really ?
You do however score some points for the first use of ''Clerestory'' since James Smith hung up his set square.

#4 Posted by Cateran on 22 Jul 2022 at 22:55 PM

More 'here today, gone tomorrow' student flats unforgivingly lacking in imagination with a staccato ridge line at odds with the rest of Yeaman Place. The trendy "existing tenement district" fair rips my knitting too. What's wrong with "existing tenements"? Mangling the existing rhythm by creating "two smaller staggered blocks" completely at odds with everything else.

#5 Posted by TheFakeArchitect on 25 Jul 2022 at 10:11 AM

Oh look, another box. Fair to say its a very constrained site, but just feel those "feature" elevations could be that bit better.

#6 Posted by Daniel on 25 Jul 2022 at 16:23 PM

Used to live in one of the tenements here - the site at the back is not huge and I'd be a bit surprised if this doesn't get knocked back on privacy grounds. The shared gardens are a few metres deep at most.

#7 Posted by Cath on 26 Jul 2022 at 15:11 PM

Total over development of a small space.

#8 Posted by A structural engineer on 3 Aug 2022 at 11:06 AM

Is it pretty? No. But it's much-needed density in a highly sought-after area and it's better than the scrap yard in place now.

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