'Haymarket Horror Dead'

As our friends in the Canongate so nicely put it. So, one in the eye from the 'conservation mafia' for Richard Murphy and Tiger developers. Also, of course, for City of Edinburgh planners, and the councillors who passed the damned thing, and Historic Scotland, who thought it fine. UNESCO didn't.

http://independentrepublicofthecanongate.blogspot.com/2009/10/haymarket-horror-dead.html


Yay!

Previously:

http://nemesisrepublic.blogspot.com/2009/06/unesco-slams-caltongate-and-demands.html

More news when I have it.

UNESCO mission, draft report (which was adopted in the summer by the World Heritage Committee)

http://www.culture.gov.uk/ukwhportal/documents/Edinburgh_mission_report.pdf

UPDATE 29th October

AJ report: and pictures

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/richard-murphys-edinburgh-hotel-blocked/5210184.article

Scottish ministers have rejected plans to build a luxury hotel designed by Richard Murphy Architects as part of a £250m project in Edinburgh

The 17-storey building had been approved by councillors but the Scottish Government said the site would affect views of the city’s world-famous castle.


The hotel was planned as the centrepiece of a £250 million overhaul of a four-acre site next to Haymarket railway station in Edinburgh that has been derelict for 40 years. The scheme had faced repeated criticism from Architecture and Design Scotland during its troubled history.


A report said: ‘In urban design terms, the landmark five-star hotel would fail to respect the grain and scale of the surrounding townscape, dominating the Haymarket space to the detriment of its neighbours.’


It added: ‘The impact on the city skyline would not preserve the setting of the world heritage site or prominent listed buildings which are landmark features within it.’

More via the link.


UPDATE

Planning report, setting out the case and reasons for refusal

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/212607/0088605.pdf


Nem