Bottom of Bath St -> Change of Use

[wangi]

Ooops, didn't look far enough down on the planning portal page... Right enough is was allowed...

Anyway, it's not in the ESPC...

[Porty]

Don't think they use the ESPC to sell their stuff. Cant remember who tho'?

[ras]

you could try:

sales@gregor.co.uk
0131 539 7799

that info. is from their website but it doesn't mention the ground floor units

[Pal of Porty]

Noticed that sign's been up for about a week now, but I can't find any info...

Yes I noticed that too Wangi but there was an extra sign up today, which prompted my memory.

[Carol]

From Lawrence Marshall:

Dear All

I'm very sorry to have to let you know that the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters Unit (SEIRU) has allowed the appeal by Gregor Properties Limited against the refusal by the City of Edinburgh Council of planning permission to convert the ground floor of 28 and 28a Promenade into two flats. The ground floor had previously been granted permission by SEIRU for office and cafe use. This latest SEIRU decision can be accessed at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/planning/sei ... 30_739.pdf

Given that the original appeal decision by SEIRU http://www.scotland.gov.uk/planning/sei ... 30_388.pdf - again against the decision of the City of Edinburgh Council - allowing this building to go ahead in the first place made specific mention of the contribution that a coffee kiosk at "this key location" could in particular make to the regeneration of the Promenade (see paras. 21 and 24 especially), I find this decision somewhat inconsistent! This is indeed a "key location", a corner site located at the junction of the Promenade with the primary street leading to anf from it. While conversion of shops to flats a little further up Bath Street has proved uncontroversial and indeed of benefit in townscape terms, I did not think that those arguments applied to a new building on this most prominent of Promenade locations - and with commercial uses directly opposite which a cafe and office would have, in a modern idiom, mirrored. I argued thus at the meeting of the Development Quality Sub-Committee of the Planning Committee held on 2nd February this year and was grateful for the Committee's unanimous support for refusal - despite the officer recommendation to grant planning permission for this change of use.

Moreover, I do think - having had some inquiries regarding premises available in Portobello in recent weeks - that it may well have been possible to lease these premises, if not for cafe use then at least for retail/meeting space. Granting permission for flats is in effect irreversible and will, in my view, produce a dead frontage with no public interaction whatsoever - indeed, any such interaction, even if merely visual, will surely be detrimental to the use of these premises for residential purposes.

I am really dismayed by this decision. We in effect can do little more than note it but I have discussed this with Councillor Trevor Davies, Convener of the Planning Committee, and he will add it to the issues he regularly now raises with the Scottish Executive regarding SEIRU decision-making. I disagreed with the original SEIRU grant of planning permission for this new block but I could at least understand the arguments made. For another Reporter subsequently to even in part undermine that reasoning I find disturbing and especially so given the controversial nature of the original grant at appeal. It only adds insult to injury.

I am also copying this to Susan Deacon MSP as I know that she takes an especial interest in the workings of the planning system.

Finally, please find pasted in below a copy of the Council's written submission to SEIRU on this matter.

Lawrence