Ugly offices set for makeover

A REVAMP of one of Edinburgh's ugliest buildings is set to get the go-ahead from the city council.

The multi-million-pound overhaul of the office block on Osborne Terrace will see the 1970s building given a new facade and an extra storey.

Developers plan to create a larger, more modern office building, which they hope will act as a landmark in Haymarket.

A new restaurant complex and cafe-bar will be created on the ground floor, while major landscaping work will be completed on the main road at West Coates.

The restaurant would look out onto a terraced garden area rising up to street level, and the building would also have a number of environmental features, such as rainwater harvesting and heat exchangers.

Alan Henderson, the council's head of planning and strategy, said: "The existing office building is an example of its time."

Council officials have recommended the plans be approved by the planning committee when they meet on Wednesday.