Heritage under Pressure: Purpose-Built Student Accommodation and the Future of Edinburgh’s Neighbourhoods

Across Edinburgh, the continued proliferation of Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) is reshaping both the physical character of neighbourhoods and the daily life of the communities within them. From the tightly packed crescents of Marchmont and the Southside to the narrow streets of the Old Town and city fringe, developers are increasingly targeting former commercial premises, brownfield sites, and even viable historic buildings as opportunities for large-scale student accommodation. Recent applications in areas such as Gillespie Crescent, Ratcliffe Terrace, and the former site of the Scottish Law Commission have brought this issue into sharp public focus.

In Gillespie Crescent, concerns are growing about a proposed redevelopment that would transform a historic gap site into a large PBSA complex. The existing streetscape, defined by its 19th-century tenements and leafy setting, risks losing much of its distinctive local character should the proposal continue. Meanwhile, on Ratcliffe Terrace, plans have been submitted to redevelop a site currently occupied by a Georgian barber’s shop and a former creative learning centre, Orcadia. The new scheme would retain only a partial façade of the Georgian structure while delivering 115 student beds and a ground-floor commercial unit, under designs by 56three Architects. Residents have questioned whether such developments genuinely contribute to a balanced community or reinforce the monocultural dominance of transient student populations.

A similar story unfolds at the former Craigmillar Bowling Club, where developers hope to erect another student housing block in an open green space with deep community associations. Further north, the proposed demolition of the Scottish Law Commission’s previous headquarters—an elegant Georgian townhouse—has been met with alarm. Suggesting that such a structure should be sacrificed for PBSA highlights the pressures facing Edinburgh’s built heritage. Once gone, these places and their meanings cannot be recovered.

The pressures extend beyond heritage and streetscape. Edinburgh’s communities are increasingly concerned that high concentrations of PBSA risk hollowing out established neighbourhoods. These developments often come with higher rents, fewer permanent residents, and limited contributions to the city’s long-term housing needs. Many of the schemes approved in recent years cater not to the average student, but to those who can afford premium rates, offering gyms, cinemas, and concierge services rather than affordability and community integration.

The rapid expansion of student housing in Edinburgh was placed firmly under the microscope at the Cockburn Association’s 2023 Student Housing Crisis Conference. Bringing together campaigners, planners, academics, and residents, the event opened up a much-needed space to reflect on the scale and impact of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) across the city. The resulting report called for a clearer national strategy, raising urgent concerns about the cumulative strain that unchecked PBSA development places on local infrastructure, housing supply, and civic life. It also questioned the widespread assumption that market-led growth alone can deliver appropriate, affordable housing for students without eroding the social fabric of established communities.

These concerns have begun to shape political discourse. In a notable development, the Scottish Parliament has since voted to include PBSA within the scope of forthcoming rent control legislation. The decision, backed by cross-party support, acknowledged that during a housing emergency, such developments should not remain exempt from wider efforts to curb spiralling rents and safeguard local neighbourhoods from displacement.

The PBSA sector’s assertive pushback against this move, framing it as a threat to inward investment, raises questions about its sensitivity to what many see as reasonable, proportionate regulation.

It’s difficult to ignore the impression that some developers remain more attuned to shareholder returns than to the long-term well-being of Edinburgh’s built environment and the people who live in it. The language of regeneration is often used to justify demolition or overdevelopment, even when existing structures could be reused or sympathetically adapted. As schemes continue to emerge, such as the speculative reconfiguration of David Chipperfield’s St Andrew Square Concert Hall by Richard Murphy Architects, questions arise about how design integrity, civic purpose, and heritage protection are balanced against commercial pressures.

These debates show a growing sense that the market is not delivering the necessary solution. The student housing sector’s sensitivity to modest, reasonable regulatory interventions during a nationally declared housing crisis strengthens the case for more robust public oversight. Rather than relying on speculative delivery and developer-led policy formation, it may be time to reassert a civic-led approach that places the needs of communities, students, and heritage on equal footing. The Cockburn Association will continue to advocate for such an approach, working to ensure that Edinburgh remains not just a city to study in, but a place to live in, belong to, and protect.

Read More:

Student Housing: Crisis and Opportunity? – A Cockburn Association ‘Open Edinburgh’ event

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