The residents’ interest group Grange Prestonfield Community Council (GPCC) is urging the Edinburgh Council (EC) to preserve a dilapidated building intended for redevelopment, sparking debate about housing scarcity among students.
The site, halfway between George Square and the King’s Buildings, once housed the Causewayside Lads Institute. It was built in 1907 and served as a place of shelter, education, and socialisation for young men.
The building now stands abandoned apart from a small workshop on the ground floor. Its owner said that “the University [of Edinburgh] offered to buy up the place,” but that it abandoned talks because the site lacked planning permission from the EC. Instead, the firm SDR Property Development Ltd. stepped in and applied to construct private student accommodation (PSA).
The EC refused this application on 3 October, and the developer has now asked to demolish the building. In response, the GPCC now urges the government to list the building for historic preservation.
The Historic Environment Scotland, in charge of building preservation, only allows developers to demolish listed buildings if “there’s no viable alternative.” This not only renders the planned demolition, but also the redevelopment of the site by other actors difficult.
The GPCC’s arguments have frustrated local students and residents, who face high rents and long commutes due to housing scarcity. Biology student, Adele called the area “the perfect location, a short distance from other students and not too far from the King’s Buildings,” without many alternatives.
A Committee member of Slurp, a student society campaigning for housing justice, stated that while it generally opposes PSA over university-managed accommodation, “any opportunity for student housing is still a good opportunity, and it’s sad that that’s not a priority for the council.”
She revealed further that while the EC is usually eager to listen, its actions often fall short of its assurances.
Image by Kami Aksel