Party on: Edinburgh's hosts to celebrities set to pop corks

Published on Sunday 13 December 2009 21:52

A COUPLE who hire out a £1 million townhouse in the heart of the Scottish capital for exclusive parties are set to win a six-year battle with neighbours and council chiefs.

Michael and Susan Gordon have fought for six years for the right to let out their Georgian townhouse in Edinburgh's New Town – despite only having permission to run it as a private home.

Private investigators were hired by residents who claimed they were being disturbed by illegal soirees at 1 Royal Circus and more than 100,000 in taxpayers' money is thought to have been spent by the council pursuing enforcement action through the courts.

Council officials wanted the couple banned even from allowing cocktail and dinner parties for commercial purposes.

However, the couple are set to win backing from the council after officials conceded they were running a guest house and not "an entertainment venue".

Author JK Rowling, funnymen David Walliams and Jimmy Carr, TV presenters Melvyn Bragg and Kirsty Wark, and politician Tessa Jowell are among those said to have partied at the venue over the years.

The A-listed property, which dates back to 1820, was designed by one of Edinburgh's most celebrated architects, William Playfair. It has hosted events at the city's television and film festivals, and was also used in a short film starring Ewan McGregor.

Mr Gordon, an architect, told one hearing that it was his "prerogative" to "sprinkle a little celebrity stardust" on his home to make it more appealing to prospective clients. He admitted "name-dropping" in a bid to drum up business, but insisted he had not been breaking planning regulations through the hire of the property, even though the Gordons have another home in the New Town, at nearby Circus Lane.

The couple won an appeal against enforcement action from the council four years ago but the decision was overturned on appeal, the Court of Session ordering that a fresh hearing be held.

However, it has now emerged that the council decided to drop the case after admitting the Gordons were not running the building as an "entertainment venue" as the local authority had claimed.

A new report for the council's planning committee states that 1 Royal Circus is available for hire in three ways – as an "exclusive-use venue" for parties, as a bed and breakfast establishment or as a private home for the applicant.

The three-storey property, which is part of the city's world heritage site, has 14 separate bedrooms, and currently has a five-star rating as a guest house from VisitScotland.

Councillors are due to discuss a "change of use" application on Wednesday. However, officials say they are happy with the plans for the building on condition that strict limits are put in place to protect neighbours from loud music.

John Bury, the council's head of planning, said: "The property will continue to have the physical characteristics of a house, which limits the number of guests that can be reasonably accommodated. It will continue to be used at times as a residential dwelling-house by the applicant's family.

"The level of on-street disturbance when operating as a guest house will be similar to that if it was a fully occupied dwelling-house and the proposal will not significantly increase disturbance beyond what is normally expected at this location."

Mr Gordon said he was unwilling to comment until after Wednesday's council meeting.