Hotel 'will ruin airport's beauty'

The Cockburn Association labelled the designs for the building, on Eastfield Road, as "poor quality" and said that hotels should be provided elsewhere.

Designers laughed off the comments about the impact on the airport, saying that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

The plans, which have been backed by airport operator BAA, are for a 168-bedroom four-star hotel, which is to be managed by an as yet unnamed international hotel group.

Council officials have recommended that the scheme, by Glasgow-based Vinanian Developments, gets the go-ahead.

But Marion Williams, director of the Cockburn Association, said: "If a hotel is to be created at the airport we would prefer that it be part of the terminal building, such as at Stockholm Airport.

"We are most concerned by the poor quality of this proposal in such a prominent location - the key entry point into Scotland for most tourists - where it will detract from the singular beauty of the control tower and well-proportioned terminal building."

The hotel would include a series of conference venues, from "intimate syndicate rooms" to a huge banqueting hall with space for 700 delegates. A swimming pool and spa are also part of the designs.

Vincent Stewart, managing director of consulting engineers Rennie & Kirkwood, hit back at the criticism of the design.

He said: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is a high- quality building and should be a very good development.

"There is an urgent need for hotels at Edinburgh Airport and there was an independent report two years ago that showed that need for more hotel bedrooms."

The new hotel will be five storeys tall and developers say that it will be a "flagship" scheme.

As well as serving the airport, it is also anticipated that the hotel would prove popular with visitors to Edinburgh Park, the Royal Highland Showground and the headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland.

The Cockburn Association said that a number of hotels have been built in the surrounding area in recent years, including at Edinburgh Park.

John Bury, the council's head of planning, said: "The proposals are an appropriate scale and design and, provided appropriate materials are used, it will accord with the principles of the West Edinburgh Strategic Design Framework."