Leith Walk campaigners vow to fight fresh student housing plans - directly opposite rejected site

Developers CW Properties wants to demolish or refurbish NHS Lothian’s Inchkeith House base, currently used for community psychiatric care at 139 Leith Walk, and build student halls, residential flats, a hotel and spaces for commercial business.

The property sits opposite from the 106-162 Leith Walk Steads Place site where separate contested developments of a similar nature were rejected unanimously last week by councillors following a long-running community based campaign.

The developers of the rejected plans, Drum Property Group, faced significant opposition and backlash to their proposals led by the Save Leith Walk campaign.

In the wake of a fresh development application for the walk, the campaign is urging planners to rethink their bid.

Andy Richardson, local resident and Save Leith Walk supporter, said: “I’d like them to have a rethink, the message that came through yesterday is that these developments aren’t appropriate for Leith. We’d much rather they went back to the drawing board.

“The message is clear. This community will not accept ill-conceived plans from developers who clearly have no idea what this community wants or needs. Leith deserves better.”

CW Properties has said it intends to hold a public engagement exercise in which there will be two days of exhibition to be held at McDonald Road Library.

In a letter to Leith Links Community Council, the firm’s architests, Manson Architects, said that members of the design team will be in attendance in order to work with the community before submitting detailed plans. The dates of the exhibition are yet to be announced.

Ross Manson, associate director of Manson Architects said: “A variety of development options are currently under consideration and will be presented at the public exhibition events and community council meetings in the coming months. We look forward to engaging in meaningful discussions with the Leith community that will inform the planning application.

“In terms of the Steads Place planning application, we are aware of the outcome and are reviewing the views expressed by the local community.”

Leith Walk councillor Susan Rae has also encouraged developers to go back and revise the fresh proposals.

“I would imagine after the decision they may want to go and rethink their plans given there is a clear demand, need and want for housing in leith and more community-based development”, she said. “The plans seem to be in the same spirit as Drum’s, I was opposed to them for specific reasons that are still there, so I would oppose the new plans too”.

Meanwhile, Graeme Bone, managing director of Drum Property said the developers are considering appealing their plans to the Scottish Government.