Gable mural

Cockburn Response

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.