Hostel Extension

Cockburn Response

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.