Clean-up plea for £7m 'pigeon coop'

Published on Friday 2 January 2009 09:09

DEVELOPERS are being urged to clean up a landmark hotel which has been closed for five years, leaving it to become a £7 million "pigeon coop".

Edinburgh Council has asked the owners of the rapidly deteriorating 113-year-old Barnton Hotel, on Queensferry Road, to put the site in order.

Footage taken by an amateur filmmaker, available on YouTube, shows pigeons roosting in the bedrooms, leaving the corridors and rooms covered in their waste.

The footage also shows how the hotel has been left with broken windows and has slats coming off the roof. Rotting food can also be seen.

Almond councillor Kate MacKenzie has spoken to the developers frequently about the safety and security on the site.

She said: "I've also spoken to the council's listed building section but they didn't sound too positive that they could do anything about it because they can't afford to buy it off the developers. That's the ultimate sanction that they have at their disposal, but there's just no money for it.

"I'm really disappointed that someone has bought the building and failed to afford it any due care and attention."

She added: "The neighbouring residents are extremely unhappy about this because it's a gateway site, but the council seems to be powerless to deal with it."

Concerned Bughtlin resident Fergus Duncan, 62, a retired banker from Craigmount View, has spoken to the planning department several times about the state of the hotel and is demanding action.

He said: "Since the Barnton was sold to a property developer, it's been entirely neglected.

"Planning permission was secured to turn it into 77 flats but as soon as permission was secured the developers have put it on the market again. The owners are required to keep the building wind and water tight. They have failed to do that."

Edinburgh Council has confirmed that they have been in touch with the developers to ask them to make the building wind and watertight.

A council spokeswoman said: "There's not really much we can do regarding the Barnton Hotel.

"There is a listed building repair law that allows the council to buy it back from the developers but the officials in the planning department said that they've never seen this law used in at least the last 20 years, and because they're asking 7 million for the building we don't want it back.

"The only thing we could do is put a fence around it if it became a danger to the public, but in the meantime all we can do is ask them to make the building wind and watertight."

No one from Barnton Properties Ltd or its affiliated companies was available for comment.