Edinburgh planning: JD Wetherspoon submits plans to convert empty offices above Standing Order pub into hotel

Plans submitted to convert listed Edinburgh building

Plans have been submitted to turn empty offices above an Edinburgh city centre pub situated in a listed building into a 25-room hotel.

Standing Order owner JD Wetherspoon has submitted a planning application with JH Architects to convert the offices above the George Street pub into a new Wetherspoon hotel.

The plans, submitted earlier this month to the council, have been made to alter the existing first, second and third floor of the existing Grade-A listed building into 25 hotel bedrooms. This includes the "removal of the modern fabric of the building and some new partition walls which are sensitive to the existing historic fabric".

JD Wetherspoon spokesperson Eddie Gershon said: "The Standing Order is a well established pub in a prime spot in the city. There is an opportunity to develop a 25 bedroom hotel above the pub.

"Wetherspoon already operates nearly 60 pubs in the UK including a number in Scotland and we feel a hotel on the site would be an asset to the pub and the city itself."

The proposals are for a change of use of the first to third floors to create hotel accommodation. This will require lowering the ceiling to a ground floor corridor, as well as first floor reconfiguration to create a reception area, one executive suite, one family suite and five double rooms.

There will also be a second floor reconfiguration to provide seven double rooms and a family suite. As well as a third floor reconfiguration to provide six double rooms, a family room and one executive suite, and the repair and refurbishment of the facades including the repair or replacement of windows to "improve thermal efficiency and user comfort".

Minor works are proposed to repair, restore and upgrade the existing windows throughout this property.

Plans have been submitted to convert the empty offices above the Standing Order pub into a Wetherspoon hotel.

The applicants add that pre-application advice received from the City of Edinburgh Council was "overall positive". Neighbouring businesses and residents have been notified of the plans.

The application also states: "The subdivision of some rooms is proposed on all floors. This is required to create the necessary number of rooms which will make the scheme economically viable. However, whilst a small number of rooms will be subdivided, many will also be largely reinstated or will be unaffected.

"The proposed works have been thoroughly considered to ensure that the least impact is made to the heritage asset, instead the proposal has considered itself as a contribution to the significance of the asset. All works within the building are careful to not intervene with the significant architectural details that make up the character of the building interior."

Adding: "The conversion to hotel accommodation internally will not detrimentally impact on the external appearance of the building, its setting or key views."

Built as the head Edinburgh office of the Glasgow-based Union Bank in 1878, the building was renovated in 1977 and was a bank up until 1995, before the pub took over the ground floor in the late 1990s.

In the heritage impact statement in the planning application, the applicants stated: "The building represents an excellent example of late-19th century Italianate architecture with a high standard of craftmanship and detailing employed throughout. The building makes a strong contribution to the streetscape along George Street with a group value of numerous designated assets."