Edinburgh College of Art
Posted on: August 9, 2023
The Cockburn supports the need to reconfigure the internal spaces within the ECA’s buildings
Address: Edinburgh College Of Art 76 – 78 Lauriston Place Edinburgh EH3 9DE
Proposal: Alterations to basement /ground floor retail units to incorporate into the existing hotel use, with addition of Class 3 to allow restaurant and bar use etc
Reference No: 23/02267/FUL
Closing date for comments: Fri 18 Aug 2023
Determination date: Fri 18 Sep 2023
Cockburn Response
Overall the Cockburn is very supportive of this high-profile redevelopment within the World Heritage Site and Old Town Conservation Area. Three listed buildings are directly impacted, and significant changes are proposed to the public realm.
The Cockburn supports the need to reconfigure the internal spaces within the ECA’s buildings to suit contemporary usage, the needs and expectations of academic staff and current students and to facilitate barrier free access, as far as possible, within and around the buildings of the campus. We do not consider that impacts on the built heritage associated with this development are either significant or negative.
However, the landscaping proposals are disappointing. Overall, we considered that there is too much hard landscaping and that an insufficient attempt has been made to adapt the refreshed and new landscaped areas to the challenges of a changing local climate.
An attempt could also have been made to link several pockets of private/ public greenspace which exist around the ECA to promote urban biodiversity and climate adaptation goals.
The reduction of car parking facilities across the site is welcomed. But again this could have gone further with softer, greener landscaping proposals rather than the areas of hard landscape which are currently proposed.