Vision of old and new for Donaldson's

Sixty-three luxury flats are set to be created inside the 153-year-old A-listed building with a further 72 futuristic homes planned in a "crescent" shape behind it.

The developers, Cala Homes, also hope to breathe new life into the building’s internal courtyard, which has lain unused for many years, restore the former chapel into a private cinema and create an underground car park.

The distinctive grounds at the front of the stunning building will remain, although landscape improvements will be carried out below the plinth surrounding the college, which was completed in 1851. Two original gate houses at the West Coates entrance to the 19th-century building - designed by William Henry Playfair, will also be restored into modern flats.

The proposal marks the end of an era for teachers and pupils at Donaldson’s School for the Deaf, which is expected to move to a new building in Linlithgow by 2007.

But a leading heritage watchdog today said flats should not be built at Donaldson’s and called for the college to be used by an institution.

Many of the new homes to be built in the historic Roseburn landmark are expected to command stunning views southwards over the city. The flats in the main Playfair building and the contemporary new "low-rise" homes to the rear, which will be built from stone and glass, are expected to fetch more than 400,000.

Cala Homes hopes to start work on the project within three years, subject to planning permission.

The scheme has been drawn up by the award-winning architect Richard Murphy, whose firm designed buildings such as the Dundee Contemporary Arts centre, the Tolbooth Arts Centre in Stirling and Eastgate Centre in Peebles.

Gerry More, managing director of Cala Homes East, said the project would preserve and maintain one of Scotland’s finest buildings.

"In considering how the Playfair building might be converted and safeguarded, we have had constructive discussions with the main bodies with interests in the architecture and heritage of Scotland," he said.

"We have ensured that our plans are both appropriate and practical for a building of this nature. Every important architectural element of the Playfair building will be preserved. Even at this early stage we have received substantial interest from potential homebuyers."

Donaldson’s College, which was built with a legacy from the estate of publisher Sir James Donaldson’s, was intended to educate poor children, although it was agreed to encourage deaf children.

But the board of trustees at Donaldson’s College agreed to sell the landmark building to Cala Homes last year for a reported 15m.

Plans have been now lodged to relocate the college for deaf children to a new building on a former industrial site in Linlithgow.

The Rev John Chalmers, chairman of the board of trustees at Donaldson’s, said: "We are delighted with the plans being submitted to the council, which show how this historic building will be restored and preserved for future generations.

"The upkeep of the buildings has been an immense drain on our resources. The arrangement with Cala has enabled us to look for facilities that will be more efficient, effective and affordable and will allow Donaldson’s to flourish.

"We want Scotland to have some of the best facilities and resources in the UK for teaching the deaf and those with special communications difficulties."

Mr Murphy, whose firm is based in Old Fishmarket Close in Edinburgh, said: "The conversion is organised to ensure that there are no external alterations, yet internally have a great variety of contemporary living designs. New housing to the rear is complementary in design - an elliptical crescent broken in the centre to allow views to and from the former chapel.

"The overall effect will be to create a simple continuous faade acting as a foil to the complexities of Playfair’s design.

"We have worked closely with Edinburgh City Council’s planning department and Historic Scotland in creating our proposals."

But David McDonald, director of the Cockburn Association, said he was not convinced the plan for flats on the site was the right option.

He said: "An institutional or corporate use for Donaldson’s would be much more appropriate and not require such extensive surgery. I am not convinced that all avenues for converting Donaldson’s into a hotel or even another school have been explored. Obviously the developers will be looking to maximise their profit but in the interest of the city we should be looking to conserve the historic setting of the building, which includes the green space to the rear of the building."

Peter Wilson, director of the Manifesto foundation for architecture at Napier University, described the design of the new flats as "extremely conservative".

He said: "It is a very safe solution. It is an Edinburgh solution. Most people will not have a problem with it because it is something familiar.

"It is surprising and not an innovative response from a leading architect who has argued passionately that more commissions should be given to Scottish architects that give them an opportunity to show what they can do. It is extremely conservative. It seems very un-Richard Murphy. It is a safe option."

A detailed planning application for the scheme is expected to be lodged in the next few days. A decision could be made by councillors within a matter of months.