The fascinating life story of the medieval church
Talk by Andy Arthur
Edinburgh’s stories live on — celebrating Intangible Cultural Heritage today
Edinburgh’s stories live on — celebrating Intangible Cultural Heritage today
Proposal harms Old Town’s character and World Heritage Site integrity
Proposal harms Old Town’s character and World Heritage Site integrity
The Cockburn Association objects to the proposed extension of the hostel and the formation of a ground-floor public bar at 37–39 Cowgate. The site lies within the Old Town Conservation Area and at the heart of the Edinburgh World Heritage Site, both of which carry the highest levels of protection under local, national and international policy frameworks. In our view, the proposal fails to preserve or enhance the character of the area and risks causing demonstrable harm to the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site.
The Old Town Conservation Area Character Appraisal identifies the area’s defining qualities as its “unique topography and medieval street pattern, narrow closes, and the dramatic juxtaposition of scale and form.” It emphasises the importance of “the relationship of buildings to topography, their irregular rooflines and the use of traditional materials” as critical to townscape character. Against this benchmark, the proposed extension reads as a rectilinear, modern insertion whose massing, façade treatment and architectural expression sit uneasily with the surrounding historic fabric. Rather than appearing as a sympathetic extension, the design has the character of an entirely new block, eroding the carefully layered grain of the Old Town.
From a wider perspective, the Edinburgh World Heritage Site Management Plan (2022–27) underlines the obligation to safeguard the city’s historic urban landscape, noting that “new development must protect and, where possible, enhance the qualities of the World Heritage Site that contribute to its Outstanding Universal Value.” The plan further warns against incremental harm, stressing that even modest interventions can have a cumulative impact on the authenticity and integrity of the World Heritage Site. The current proposal, visible from Greyfriars Kirkyard and key approaches to the Cowgate, would intrude upon significant historic views and diminish the setting of one of Edinburgh’s most iconic monuments.
City Plan 2030 reinforces these obligations. Policy DES 1 (Design Quality and Context) requires new development to “draw upon positive characteristics of the surrounding area,” while DES 3 (Heritage) stipulates that proposals affecting listed buildings, conservation areas, or the World Heritage Site must be “sympathetic to their special interest, character and setting.” Policy ENV 9 requires development to “preserve or enhance the character or appearance of conservation areas.” In all of these respects, the present scheme falls short.
There are also concerns about amenity and liveability. The introduction of a public bar in this location risks exacerbating the already intense pressures of noise, congestion, and crowding within the Cowgate and Candlemaker Row. The Conservation Area Character Appraisal explicitly identifies pedestrian movement, narrow streets, and conflicts between vehicles and footfall as ongoing vulnerabilities. Without a credible transport and servicing strategy, the scheme risks compounding these problems, contrary to City Plan 2030’s objectives for sustainable movement and improved urban liveability.
Taken together, the proposal conflicts with statutory duties under Sections 14 and 64 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997, fails to satisfy the conservation and design policies of City Plan 2030, and undermines the commitments of the World Heritage Site Management Plan. In this highly sensitive location, the city deserves a building of distinction that strengthens, rather than diminishes, its heritage value.
For these reasons, the Cockburn Association urges the Council to refuse both planning and listed building consent for the scheme in its current form. We remain open to constructive engagement with the applicant should a revised design be brought forward that respects the character of the Old Town Conservation Area, safeguards the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site, and meets the high standards rightly expected for development in Edinburgh’s historic core.
Balance festive celebrations with safeguarding Princes Street Gardens’ quiet enjoyment
Balance festive celebrations with safeguarding Princes Street Gardens’ quiet enjoyment
The Cockburn Association recognises the popularity of Edinburgh’s Christmas Festival and the contribution it makes to the city’s seasonal life. The event attracts many visitors and creates a lively festive atmosphere in the city centre. At the same time, Princes Street Gardens are of exceptional significance, being part of the Inventory-listed New Town Gardens and central to the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site. They are valued not only as a setting for events but as an historic landscape and a much-loved civic green space, offering opportunities for quiet enjoyment in the heart of the city.
This year’s applications (25/04656/FUL and 25/04660/FUL) are timely and provide fuller detail than in previous years, which we welcome as a positive step towards greater transparency and planning certainty. The proposals involve temporary installations across Princes Street Gardens, and the Mound precinct, from late October until mid-January. While these activities can enhance the festive offer, they also limit general access for several months of the year and affect the quiet enjoyment of the gardens as a greenspace. Every effort should therefore be made to minimise these impacts, and to ensure that any damage to trees, surfaces, or planting is quickly and fully reinstated. The proposal for a two-year recurring consent in the West Gardens also raises questions about how impacts will be reviewed and managed over time, making ongoing monitoring and evaluation especially important.
The Cockburn Association believes that these issues can best be addressed through open dialogue and careful planning. We would encourage the City of Edinburgh Council, event operators, heritage bodies, community groups, and garden users to work together in shaping how the gardens are used during the festive season. With such collaboration, it should be possible to find a balance that safeguards the historic and ecological value of Princes Street Gardens while also enabling appropriate cultural activity.
A significant aesthetic intervention altering the sense of place locally
A significant aesthetic intervention altering the sense of place locally
The Cockburn Association recognises the creative contribution that public art can make to Edinburgh’s streetscape and notes the University of Edinburgh’s ambition to commission murals by the artist .EPOD for its KM Hotel on Richmond Place. However, this proposal represents a significant aesthetic intervention in a sensitive historic environment and has the potential to alter the sense of place of the local area. It is therefore essential that local residents and community stakeholders are fully consulted and given an opportunity to have a say in such a substantial change to their neighbourhood.
Given the listed status of the building, the integrity of the historic fabric must remain paramount. Any preparatory works, fixings, or surface treatments should be demonstrably reversible and leave no permanent impact on masonry or architectural detailing. Clear conditions around reversibility and long-term maintenance are also vital, since the visual quality of murals can deteriorate over time if subject to fading, weathering or graffiti.
The introduction of murals on a listed building also raises wider questions of precedent. Approval here could be interpreted as an endorsement of painted interventions on historic structures more generally, and the Council should ensure that decisions are made strictly on a site-specific basis. Richmond Place forms part of a coherent townscape, and any intervention must be judged carefully in terms of scale, palette, and thematic content to avoid undermining the wider character. A visual impact assessment would help to demonstrate how the proposed works would be perceived in context, including views within the Southside Conservation Area.
Finally, the long-term management of the murals requires clarification. If this is intended as a one-off commission, that should be clearly stated; if a rotating or evolving series is envisaged, then separate consents should be required to ensure appropriate oversight. A public art management plan, covering maintenance and eventual de-installation, would provide important assurances that the project will enhance rather than compromise the city’s historic environment.
Edinburgh’s green spaces are living heritage, vital for biodiversity, climate resilience and community wellbeing.
Edinburgh’s green spaces are living heritage, vital for biodiversity, climate resilience and community wellbeing.
Edinburgh is renowned for its dramatic stone architecture
