Hotel will ruin famous views of city, inquiry told

Published on Wednesday 3 June 2009 22:04

BUILDING a 17-storey hotel on the outskirts of Edinburgh's World Heritage Site will have a huge impact on famous views of the city and set a precedent for future developments, a public inquiry was told yesterday.

A key witness called by the heritage group fighting the five-star hotel development by Irish developer Tiger said it would "significantly" affect views of the likes of Edinburgh Castle and the Pentland Hills.

Mark Steele, a landscape planning and design expert hired by the Cockburn Association, said studies commissioned by the council established key views "fundamental to the city's image and of high sensitivity".

He said he disagreed with previous evidence from council officials that views were ranked in importance based on what people were doing at each viewpoint.

Mr Steele quoted from a council review of high buildings, which said: "If the essential qualities of the skylines of the World Heritage Site are to remain visible from around the city, any further upward creep of roof-top height will need to be prevented."

He added: "It is of particularly concern that the proposed (Haymarket] hotel tower block would not only breach the Edinburgh skyline, but would set a precedent for further tall buildings."

The inquiry continues.