The recent spate of conversions on Albany Street continues with Roxburgh Investment Ltd's application for listed building consent to create four residential flats and a townhouse at 26–8 Albany Street (Ref. 10/03518/LBC). The work would be handled by Edinburgh-based Format Building Design. No plans or other documents are available yet online, but when they are here is where to find them. This is the latest turn in a Hokey Cokey planning process last reported in Breaking news 22.11.10.
The Osbourne Hotel has now been granted listed building consent to demolish a rear extension and make external and internal alterations at 51–9 York Place (Ref. 10/02385/LBC). See our earlier coverage in Breaking news 25.10.10.
Waverley Care has won listed building consent for a new external stair lift and front door at 1–3 Mansfield Place (Ref. 10/03097/LBC). Recognising Waverley Care's special circumstances, the decision notice stated: 'This permission is for the benefit of the applicant only and the external stair lift hereby approved shall be removed within one month of the end of the applicant's occupation of the premises.'
At the New Town and Broughton Community Council's meeting on 20 December, Planning Convenor John Knight noted a pre-application notification to vary plans for the rear block in the development adjacent to Beaverbank Place. Additional student accommodation is proposed instead of office space. It is unclear whether neighbours will see this as a dangerous precedent, or welcome less traffic entering and leaving via Logie Green Road. A public meeting to discuss the issue will be held on 26 January, 4:00–8:00pm in St Philip's Church. Knight will attend. Names and proposals have changed bewilderingly since Spurtle first reported the development in July 2008 (Issue 159) and last reported it in Breaking news 22.11.10. Neighbours will need to pay close attention.
NTBCC's Planning Subcommittee have serious misgivings about draft legislation concerning Householder Permitted Development Rights (see Issue 189). Spurtle will report further once a full response has been lodged (before 14 January 2011).