A site on the corner of Edinburgh’s Havover Street and Princes Street is set for a potential new lease of life following the launch of plans for a mixed-use development.
Submitted to the City of Edinburgh Council by RRH Hanover A Limited, the series of five ‘under-used’ buildings on Hanover Street and Rose Street would be ‘carefully’ repurposed into a luxury hotel, with associated guest amenities and ancillary accommodation.
The hotel is designed to operate as a bespoke apartment-style destination, with each room and suite ‘unique’ and ‘individually’ styled. The 60 bedrooms have been designed to be accommodated within the existing and proposed buildings which carefully knit together the fabric of the site, respecting the historical context, the developer added.
The development would serve to consolidate the unused space above several commercial units into a series of interlinked properties, with ground floor units reorganised to make the most of their central location – giving opportunities to businesses leasing the ground floor retail units.
The key concept of adaptive re-use of existing properties is to be reinforced by new build additions at Rose Street and Rose Street Lane. The developer explained that these elements knit together the five blocks of accommodation while improving ‘neglected’ rear portions of the site and improving the overall universal value of the site.
The hotel development would be operated by RÌGH Properties. The development includes the reintroduction of a tearoom on Hanover Street, of benefit to both the local community and visitors. These were once occupied by Crawford’s Tearooms, and the project would look to return these to their former glory.
Other offers include rooftop terraces, a fitness studio, and guest lounge overlooking the Mound and Princes Street Gardens.
David Grieve, of RRH, commented, “We are incredibly excited to be submitting a planning application for this development, which includes the delivery of 60 unique and individually styled flexible stay hotel suites and luxury bedrooms, as well as returning the fabulous Crawford’s Tea Rooms to their former glory.
“It is anticipated that guests will be discerning and experienced travellers, looking for a boutique stay in a prime location, but without the fuss of a busy city centre hotel. Offering a calm, flexible and luxurious stay, they will have the opportunity to enjoy unique views across the New and Old Towns of Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth beyond the capital’s skyline.
“Delivering a highly sustainable development, this will consolidate unused space above the retail units into a series of linked properties, and conscious of its location, we have been highly sensitive to retaining all buildings and features considered to be of architectural and historic merit.”
