The development will regenerate a site that has currently lain vacant for over a decade and fallen into a state of disrepair. A full assessment has been undertaken by S1 and due to a number of constraints, the best use of the site is judged to be for car free student development, with the original category B-listed school building on McLeod Street retained and restored.
Proximity to North British Distillery, who previously owned the site, Tynecastle Stadium and the Western Approach, with issues around light, smell, noise and traffic make student accommodation a more effective use of the site than residential accommodation.
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A single user operator, such a student one, is able introduce control measures that will ensure that amenity and safety can be maintained with issues such as noise, smells and air quality easier to mitigate through a single point of control eg through the ventilation system and acoustic design.
It also affords opportunities to install site-wide green energy provision under the control of a Building Energy Management System (BEMS) to minimise energy consumption and improve sustainability.
Council guidance also points to the benefits of purpose-built student accommodation in freeing up flats for families with children and reducing issues of antisocial behaviour.
The developer submitted a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) to the City of Edinburgh Council, in February informing that it intends to submit a planning application for the redevelopment of the site following a public consultation event.
The Scottish Government has suspended in-person public consultation events due to COVID-19. Full details about the proposals will be made available to the public at 9 am on Tuesday 18 May on the project website: www.oldtynecastlehigh.com.
An online consultation will take place between 3 pm and 7pm on the same day. Consultants will be available during those hours to answer any questions and receive feedback through a two-way chat system.
