Hundreds of homes planned for mail sorting office site

A planning application has been submitted in a bid to market the Brunswick Road depot, which closed last June, to potential developers as a site for 200 homes.

A Royal Mail spokeswoman confirmed that a public consultation would be held on the potential change of use, with plans going on display at the former sorting office building later this month.

She said: "The Brunswick Road site is now surplus to Royal Mail's operational requirements. Royal Mail Group has made a standard application to Edinburgh City Council for change of use of the site before any sale takes place."

Stewart Blaik, chairman of the Leith Central Community Council, said plans for so many extra homes would be likely to receive a mixed reaction.

He said: "The closure was neither uniformly lamented nor welcomed. A lot of mail came from there which now comes from Portobello so it arrives here a little bit later, but it hasn't proved to be too much of an inconvenience. The noise from the office went on 24 hours a day so some locals will probably tell you that they're glad that it's away, but we'll see how long that lasts if it's replaced by housing and they can't find a parking space any more.

"We definitely need more housing but it will all come down to what kind of housing will be built on the site. It remains to be seen whether it will be more much-needed social housing, or housing for sale to the highest bidder.

"Until the full plans are released and fully discussed by the community council it's difficult to give a definitive position on whether this development will be welcomed."

Royal Mail has applied for permission to build up to 200 flats and townhouses, with associated business space, car parking, landscaping and access.

Edinburgh North MP Mark Lazarowicz, who was critical of the decision to close the sorting office, has suggested that Royal Mail open a new sorting office in one of the proposed business units.

He said: "One reason Royal Mail moved from Brunswick Road was that they said it was too big for their current needs.

"If they redevelop the site, they could use what would only need to be a relatively small part of the area to bring the sorting office back into a site much nearer the centre of the city.

"Royal Mail told me when they moved out to Portobello they would look at moving back into the Leith Walk area if the chance came up. Here is such a chance, which would still allow them to redevelop part of the site for other uses."