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Friday, 18th December 2009 Change Date

We Will Rock You - see it in Edinburgh this Christmas

Haymarket hotel site set for new plans

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Published Date: 05 November 2009
DEVELOPERS behind the rejected 17-storey hotel scheme for Haymarket are expected to produce new plans for the site before the end of the month.
Irish firm Tiger has opened fresh talks with the city council over a new masterplan for the former Morrison Street goods yard, which has lain empty for more than 40 years.

Tiger's £250 million proposals, which also included offices, shops and rest
aurants, were thrown out after ministers accepted the findings of a public inquiry which stated the hotel would spoil Edinburgh's skyline.

There had been speculation the company would pull out of developing the site after the decision.

But a spokesman for Tiger said: "We remain committed to the site. We're now working hard with the council and other stakeholders to find a new way of transforming the derelict site into an exciting part of this historic city."

Architect Richard Murphy has already held initial talks with Tiger about a new scheme.

Senior councillors said they were "optimistic" a new scheme would be viable.

City planning convener Jim Lowrie said: "We still want a five-star hotel to go ahead there and we are in favour of some kind of landmark. The inquiry reporter was not against the whole development; it was the height and bulk that was the major concern.

"We don't think the scheme is dead by any means."





Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 05 November 2009 9:12 AM
  • Source: Edinburgh Evening News
  • Location: Edinburgh
 
1

Rod M,

Edinburgh 05/11/2009 12:32:59
What about including an iconic small sports/entertainment stadium which would be at the heart of this transport hub.

ie a place for bands/theatre productions or even an ice hockey or basketball team to be based.

Edinburgh is supposed to be looking to develop one and this is the best place by far. It would also be of more use to the citizens than just shops and offices.
2

alfonsa pedrosa,

embra 05/11/2009 12:44:31
I dont care what anyone says,you can bet your boots there will be a hotel of some sort built their as well.
3

Randan,

05/11/2009 12:49:06
How about a big glass and steel hotel like you see in every other feckin city in the world.
It was what you had planned for Caltongate, and were quite happy about.
But not for this site, because it needed an iconic building, not a drab square box.
4

,

05/11/2009 12:51:50
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
5

Eugene Fraxby,

Kilbirnie 05/11/2009 12:55:22
Please, knock it off with this "iconic" nonsense. The word means nothing. It's best left to lazy journalists with a limited vocabulary.
6

Incandescent,

05/11/2009 13:04:08
#4 Frothing at the mouth, perhaps even literally.

Why did you join the Jenny McArthur moniker?
7

,

05/11/2009 13:24:20
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
8

Dan.D.Nong,

05/11/2009 13:37:28
#5. Totally agree. Everything appears to be "iconic". Soon it will be come look at my iconic garden shed. It is a complete waste of time. Anyway, these iconic buildings look like k.rap, age quickly and end up looking dull and shabby.
9

Buttress,

05/11/2009 13:40:17
Rather more informed comments on this story over at the Scotsman site.
10

Craigie Boy,

Carluke (ex Edinburgh) 05/11/2009 13:41:01
#4 I would actually like to see the type of building you describe being built in Edinburgh.

A more suitable location for this type of building might be the Waterfront at Leith rather than the city centre.

The fact is, we have no world class, impressive, modern architecture in Edinburgh - anywhere.

Heritage and modern architecture can easily co-exist - cities like Amsterdam do it very successfully. No-one would deny that that city has a very rich architectural heritage - anyone interested should Google ARCAM Amsterdam.
11

Buttress,

05/11/2009 13:41:29
"How about a big glass and steel hotel like you see in every other feckin city in the world.
It was what you had planned for Caltongate, and were quite happy about."

Wrong on both counts.
12

Buttress,

05/11/2009 13:52:08
Amsterdam isn't Edinburgh, and really daft to compare the two. Also, presumably Amsterdam's planning system isn't the same as Scotland's.

The many problems with the Haymarket 17 storey building (adjacent to the World Heritage Site which is partly that because of the skyline) are detailed on the Scotsman story comments.

Those who would have to live in its shadow are delighted it ha been refused.

The entire report is here

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/planning/decisions-appeals/decisions-appeals/Proposals/NA-EDB-026
13

dba,

Edinburgh 05/11/2009 14:09:13
NOTE TO TIGER DEVELOPMENTS:
1: The site is one of the 'gateways' to a world Heritage site - I respectfully suggest that you take this into serious consideration when calculating your financial structure for the site.
2: I suggest that you select an architect who has the ability to
(a) Come up with a suitable 'vision' that complies with the heritage specifications.
(b) Is modest and unassuming.
(c) LISTENS TO THE LOCAL RESIDENTS AND HERITAGE BODIES.
(d) Has NO 'prestigious' awards to his name!
(e) Does NOT create monstrous designs to justify his monstrous fees.

NOTE TO MR. MURPHY:
I hear 17 story high monsters are in fashion in the FAR EAST - suggest you move without further winging to Shanghai!

NOT TO PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Please remember YOU are supposed to work on behalf of the citizens of the City!
Planning Department employees who fail in their duty can be fired.
Councillors who fail to protect the fabric of the city WILL be held accountable at the next elections.
14

Buttress,

05/11/2009 14:27:13
Well, some architects have awards and are modest too.

http://www.hughpearman.com/2006/31.html



15

Buttress,

05/11/2009 14:50:47
Peter Wilson Urban Realm

"Murphy’s Low
It’s been a bit of a week for Richard Murphy, what with his practice partying in celebration of its 18th birthday last Friday and the news that his carefully-knitted scheme for Haymarket had completely unravelled in the hands of the Planning Reporter tasked with running the Inquiry into the project To make matters worse, Lord McCluskey, the former judge and Solicitor general of Scotland gave our hero the kind of toasting in the pages of the Scotsman that entirely disproves the notion that all publicity is good publicity. Certainly, Richard’s lack of humility over his plans and his subsequent and widely-publicised ire at the knock-back of his project wasn’t likely to make him many friends, especially as he seemed determined to confuse the objectives of the developers, the City Council and their friendly flunkies in the Chamber of Commerce with the interests of the actual city itself (sorry Richard, but “for once Edinburgh is on my side” doesn’t quite sit on the side of accuracy)."

The various business interests in town have also been beside themselves at the thought of the site continuing to remain undeveloped and have generally prostrated themselves in front of the Irish developers in the hope that they won’t withdraw completely. This seems unlikely: they got the land for a song after all and are unlikely to find a more complicit planning department anywhere else in the UK. Trouble is, trust with the public has pretty much broken down on this one and small variations on the previous plans are unlikely to cut the mustard. It does give Richard a second chance to show that he hasn’t entirely lost it and that he can, when pushed, still produce intelligent architecture.
16

Buttress,

05/11/2009 15:17:33
Letters
November 4 2009
Far from passing the buck (Editorial, 2 November), architectural competitions are regarded in most other parts of Europe as a fundamental aspect of the democratic process. In cities such as Helsinki, the use to which major sites are to be put is publicly debated to form the brief for competitions, a process that ensures citizens are not only engaged in the development of their capital, but that political differences are generally settled before any competition is launched. Almost always, the competition-winning design is constructed, funding having been put in place before the competition takes place.

Contrast this with Edinburgh, where design competitions have all too often been used as a substitute for serious political debate and for which neither financial nor planning matters are ever settled in advance. The net result is stasis: nothing is resolved and little of genuine merit gets built.

In the past 20 years we have seen a series of excellent international competitions for projects including a major extension to the Central Library, the upgrading of Waverley Station and the redevelopment of Morrison Street goods yard, but not a single one of the winners has been erected and each of the sites remains blighted to this day.

Malcolm Fraser is nevertheless correct to suggest that well-run design competitions can make a significant contribution to the improvement of architectural quality in Edinburgh, and the city's councillors – if they genuinely aspire to European capital status – would do well to examine the competition systems in place in other countries. These are well-established processes (more than 100 years old in the case of Helsinki) which, with their consistent rules and judging, completely transcend the kind of tiresome and hopelessly myopic debate that exists here about whether the old should be replicated or the new embraced.

The Haymarket debacle makes abundantly clear that the continuing application of 20th
17

Buttress,

05/11/2009 15:17:56
cont

20th-century town planning and development attitudes to the Edinburgh of the 21st century is only producing homogeneous mediocrity.

The city urgently needs to engage in the search for a new and distinctive indigenous architecture that is not only world-class but is also empathetic to the urban design qualities that have given it an enduring international reputation.

New paradigms are needed and the creation of a coherent, city-wide policy for architectural competitions would be an intelligent and highly encouraging beginning.

PETER WILSON

Edinburgh Napier University

 

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