Edinburgh planning: Proposals unveiled for 168 new homes at former Caledonian brewery in Shandon

Plans have been unveiled to convert Edinburgh’s last major brewery into flats as part of a 168-home development in Shandon.

The Caledonian brewery closed in 2022 after more than 150 years of operation and regeneration specialists Artisan Real Estate bought the 1.9 acre site in December 2023. After a three-month consultation, they have now submitted a planning application to Edinburgh City Council for a sustainable, low-carbon residential development.

Developers Artisan Real Estate say the new development will respect the history of the Caledonian Brewery

Around 20 per of the new homes will be housed in the existing listed buildings which will be preserved and repurposed. And Artisan said the rest of the development would reflect the original footprint of the brewery, including recreating the skyline of the maltings buildings which were demolished following a fire almost 30 years ago.

The brewery was founded in 1869 by George Lorimer and Robert Clark and its distinctive range of B-listed Victorian buildings provides an important reminder of the city’s once extensive brewing heritage. It was the Capital’s last major operational brewery before Heineken UK ceased production and put the site on the market in 2022.

David Westwater, Artisan’s managing director for Scotland, said: “Artisan’s development proposals intend to respect, preserve and tell the story of the Caledonian Brewery.

“The feedback from our consultation events was overwhelmingly supportive and positive. There was a significant and long-established affinity, amongst local residents especially, for the historic brewery buildings which will be preserved to form the heart of our new development – including the spectacular 130-ft red brick chimney which towers over the local community.

The 168 new homes will includes a mix of housing types

“We intend to maintain and celebrate as much of the brewery’s unique heritage as possible, and this includes marking the site of the two original springs on site which originally provided fresh water for the brewery process.

“There was also significant support for our plans create a much needed sustainable, low carbon residential community on the site, with 168 homes providing a healthy mix of different types of accommodation.”

The development will include a mix of one, two and three-bed family apartments, as well as duplex units and mews houses, together with affordable housing.

Mr Westwater added: “Artisan’s proposals for the Caledonian Brewery have also secured widespread support from the local business community with 75 per-cent of some 30 neighbouring businesses welcoming plans to bring new investment, interest and people into the area, with the brewery site having remained dormant and unused for the past 18 months.”

Most of the listed buildings on the site date from the late 19th to early 20th century and were constructed using distinctive red brick with white brick dressings. The existing brewhouse and maltings were built in 1892 following designs by renowned Edinburgh architect Robert Hamilton Paterson, who also designed the Royal Scots War Memorial in St Giles Cathedral.

The brewery currently houses a vast amount of brewing equipment - including what was the last remaining direct fired ‘coppers’ to be used in the UK, which have been attracting the interest of independent breweries across the world.

As part of the redevelopment plans, Artisan said it intended to ‘upcycle’ as much of the internal equipment as possible, allowing the Caledonian Brewery’s significant technical legacy to continue to play a part in today’s global brewing industry.