It's decision time on soCo vision for Old Town site

NEARLY six years after a major fire ripped through the heart of the Old Town, plans for the future of the derelict Cowgate site have been submitted to the city council.

A 200-bedroom hotel, a festival venue and glass walkways all feature in the £40 million scheme, which will create a link between South Bridge and the Cowgate.

Developer Whiteburn Projects today also announced a deal with Hoxton Urban Lodge to run the "funky budget boutique" hotel – the first foray outside London for the firm led by Pret a Manger co-founder Sinclair Beecham.

As expected, there are no plans for any housing, but the scheme – dubbed SoCo – also includes a shop, a main restaurant and bar, a cafe, a business centre, a new home for the former La Belle Angele nightclub, an extension to the Chambers Street jazz cellar, and two new pends and courtyards. Around 200 jobs would be created on the site, plus another 100 during the construction.

Councillors will shortly be asked to vote on the plans, and work could start as soon as next year – with the project finished two years later.

City architect Allan Murray, who designed the scheme, said he wanted to produce a "contemporary interpretation" of existing buildings.

"SoCo will be a collection of buildings in sympathy with the contrasting urban grains of Chambers Street, South Bridge and the Cowgate, complemented by a network of closes and vennels," he said.

"A series of courts, terraces and entrance spaces at different levels, with different uses will bring vibrancy to the area."

London's Hoxton Urban Lodge opened in September 2006 and is designed to be both "up-market" and "low cost".

John Shepherd, chief executive of Whiteburn, said: "We had a great response from a number of leading hotel operators, however, the Hoxton philosophy epitomised our own approach to the site.

"With its funky budget boutique approach, this hotel hit the ground running when it opened in Shoreditch, one of London's hippest districts, last year – and I am certain Hoxton will absolutely hit the mark on South Bridge too. It will become the destination for people to stay, work and relax, within a vastly improved environment – providing jobs and kick-starting the regeneration of the whole South Bridge/Cowgate area – a very positive event in these uncertain times."

He added: "Whiteburn Projects has also worked hard to meet the City of Edinburgh Council's planning brief for this site, at the same time addressing Edinburgh's shortage of hotel bedrooms."

Sinclair Beecham MBE, who co-founded sandwich chain Pret a Manger in 1986 with friend Julian Metcalfe, said: "I'm delighted to have the opportunity to build our second hotel in the UK in Scotland's first destination city.

"Whiteburn and Allan Murray Architects have done a terrific job in accommodating our demanding requirements for an efficient, modern hotel operation into a sensitive World Heritage site such as this one in Edinburgh's Old Town."

The developers said discussions have already taken place with various stakeholders, including Edinburgh World Heritage, Historic Scotland, business leaders, councillors and community groups.

However, some elements of the scheme are likely to prove controversial – including the absence of any homes.

Backers will also need to secure alcohol licences for the restaurant, festival venue and nightclub – which could lead to a repeat of the problems that affected the nearby Hotel du Vin chain. Councillors initially refused to make an exception to a ban on new licences in the Cowgate area, which is designed to cut down on antisocial behaviour, but performed a U-turn earlier this year.

Whiteburn today said its venues would require fewer licences than were in place before the fire.

In December 2002, the Cowgate blaze – blamed on a faulty fuse box – took 150 fire crews 52 hours to extinguish, and caused millions of pounds of damage.

Whiteburn investigated a variety of different options – including housing and student residences – before settling on the plans submitted today.

In the final design, the development is mainly accessed from South Bridge, but also the Cowgate.

The 10,000 square metre site also includes the upper levels of the existing former Edinburgh University corner building on Chambers Street, and a small annex building of the neighbouring Faith nightclub.

The family-owned Whiteburn Group is behind Cafe Rouge on Frederick Street, and built the award-winning Tun building in Holyrood.

David Shepherd started the Edinburgh-based company 23 years ago, and stood down as chairman earlier this year.

John Shepherd and his brother Sam took over the day-to-day running of the business with the establishment of Whiteburn Projects Ltd as the development arm in 1992.


THE PLANS IN DETAIL:
Boutique hotel with 200-to-220 bedrooms, run by Hoxton Urban Lodge, accessed from South Bridge.

• Atrium space inside the hotel, with lobby and bar area, opening on to rear courtyard.

• Lower level restaurant, open to the public, accessed through the hotel or from the Cowgate.

• A "tower" rising up from the Cowgate, housing hotel bedrooms, linked to the rest of the hotel on South Bridge via glass walkways.

• Two new courtyards, linked to South Bridge and Chambers Street via two new pends, and down to the Cowgate via new public steps.

• Existing steps down from Guthrie Street retained, and Hastie's Close repaired and repaved.

• One large shop on South Bridge, with potential for cafe.

• Business centre on the Cowgate for conferences.

• Potential festival venue, to replace the Gilded Balloon.

• Rebuilt nightclub on the site of La Belle Angele.

• Views of the Old College dome from Hunter Square.