Author leads fight against £40m hotel for the Cowgate

Published on Monday 8 December 2008 08:41

AUTHOR Alexander McCall Smith and seven other eminent figures today attacked proposals for a £40 million SoCo hotel development in the Cowgate.

The Edinburgh-based author is one of eight signatories to a letter which describes the proposed development as "yet another dose of the sort of international modernism which should have no place in Edinburgh's fragile Old Town".

The others who signed the letter include former director general of the National Galleries of Scotland, Sir Timothy Clifford, filmmaker Douglas Rae and sculptor Alexander Stoddart.

The controversial scheme, which has already come under fire from conservation groups, would link Cowgate with South Bridge, filling the gap left by the 2002 Cowgate blaze.

The plan includes a 200-bedroom hotel, festival venue and shop. It has yet to receive planning permission from Edinburgh City Council.

In their letter, the group write that the building would "destroy the integrity of one of the great monuments of the classical world".

They say the site is a critical part of Robert Adam's masterplan for a southern approach to Edinburgh, with a grand vista stretching from the University to Register House, and that the new design pays no respect to the "rhythm and elegance" of his designs.

Following the fire, they say, "The developers intend to replace the lost corner of Adam's masterpiece with a hotel which on the Cowgate elevation pays only the most grudging respect to Adam's gable ends, and which on the bridges pays absolutely none at all."

The plans for the hotel were unveiled by developer Whiteburn Projects in September. The company has done a deal with Hoxton Urban Lodge to run SoCo as a "funky budget boutique hotel". The site would also include a main restaurant and bar, a cafe and a business centre. The former La Belle Angele nightclub would also get a new venue, and the Chambers Street jazz cellar would be extended.

Managing director of Whiteburn, John Shepherd, dismissed the criticisms. He said Adam's scheme had never been completed and that he would have been "very proud" of the design.

He added: "What we have designed is a bold scheme which does respect the architectural heritage of the area and will produce something that will provide accommodation for visitors, jobs, and above all life."

The 2002 blaze, which destroyed the buildings formerly on the site was blamed on a faulty fuse box. It took 150 fire crews 52 hours to extinguish, causing millions of pounds of damage.