Plans unveiled for £20m waterfront hotel

Published on Tuesday 7 July 2009 21:41

PLANS for the first new hotel to be created on Edinburgh's waterfront for almost ten years have been unveiled – next door to the offices of Scotland's national tourism agency.

The 20 million complex has been proposed for a gap site in Leith, opposite the Ocean Terminal shopping centre.

It is thought up to 200 jobs would be created in the nine-storey hotel, which would be similar in design to the Ocean Point complex in Ocean Drive, which is occupied by VisitScotland.

If it gets the go-ahead, it will be the first major development to be completed in the area since the tourism body's offices were completed in 2005. The last hotel to be built in the area, the Holiday Inn at Commercial Quay, was completed in 2000.

Plans for the new hotel have been lodged with Edinburgh city council by the developer AWG. It was behind the original Ocean Point building, which was built after the Ocean Terminal shopping and leisure complex opened in 2001.

A spokeswoman said: "The building has been designed to fit in with the existing Ocean Point complex, although as a hotel it will obviously be a bit different. The company is keen to get work under way as soon as possible once planning permission has been approved."