Approval won for conversion of Edinburgh’s India Buildings
June 7 2016
Jansons Property are spearheading the Old Town intervention which will see a number of historic buildings repurposed including the A-Listed India Buildings, B-Listed Cowgatehead Church and other further C-Listed buildings.
These will be complemented by a number of contemporary additions designed to build on work by Jansons to deliver the hotel-led SoCo development further down the Cowgate.
ICA has also just commenced work on a Hampton by Hilton Hotel in Fountainbridge and is due to complete a refurbishment of the Carlton Hotel by the end of the month.
A number of minor alterations, such as new window openings, have been made since the original application was filed
Then B-listed Cowgatehead Church will be converted under the plans
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6 Comments
#1 Posted by Bill S on 7 Jun 2016 at 12:05 PM
Great news for such a key tourist site in the heart of the Old Town. Glad to see that the Council suck to their guns from the original decision in 2012 to identify this site as one of the key sites in the City that could be developed and help transform the local economy as a hotel. Also quite intrigued with the bronze cladding - makes a difference from the ubiquitous "AMAesque" sandstone random barcode facades.
#2 Posted by basho on 7 Jun 2016 at 13:43 PM
Good decision. This area has been neglected for too long. The design is a really interesting blend of old and new, and like Bill S I'm relieved that bland sandstone facades are nowhere to be seen.
#3 Posted by Islands of sanity on 7 Jun 2016 at 16:44 PM
Passed along the Cowgate a few days ago and was saddened by the lost opportunity of the Gilded Balloon site, not helped by the use of that ubiquitous sandstone cladding as noted above. By contrast, this is exciting and the colour balance is far better picking up the hues of the nearby buildings. There will be some who bemone yet another hotel and this with student accommodation are the drivers for change.
#4 Posted by Terra on 8 Jun 2016 at 00:21 AM
I'm down there a lot and every time I see that old church and associated buildings in the state they're in at the moment I get sad. This is great news! Right next to the eye candy that us the grass market as well!
#5 Posted by Thomas on 9 Jun 2016 at 13:14 PM
Also glad that sandstone has taken a holiday - however i'm not convinced by the proposal. What's it going to look like once it goes through technical design? I can see those 6m high pieces of glass framed out with nice chunky transoms. This prominent facade looks too unresolved to me - gagging to get a bit of trace out and work it over a few times.
Also not convinced by the overall strategy - mirroring the church seems a bit gimmicky, not to mention creating a bit of a phallic gesture.
Also not convinced by the overall strategy - mirroring the church seems a bit gimmicky, not to mention creating a bit of a phallic gesture.
#6 Posted by Terra on 9 Jun 2016 at 16:08 PM
#5 "phallic gesture" or symmetry?
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