PLANNING officers have recommended for approval plans for the homes-led transformation of the former Caledonian Brewery in Shandon, in advance of a meeting of City of Edinburgh Council’s development sub committee next week.
Artisan Real Estate has submitted proposals to develop the historic site into a low-carbon residential development delivering 168 new private and affordable homes.
Sitting at the western edge of Edinburgh’s city centre, the Caledonian Brewery was the capital’s last major brewery prior to the ceasing of operations in 2022. The brewery was founded in 1869 by George Lorimer and Robert Clark and its range of B-listed Victorian buildings provide a reminder of the city’s brewing heritage.
Artisan’s MD for Scotland, David Westwater said, “Artisan is committed to delivering this new, sustainable residential neighbourhood in a complex and historically important city centre site, providing a healthy mix of new homes and affordable housing in line with the Council’s policy to help tackle the city’s housing emergency. Building high-quality, sustainable homes in sensitive and unique urban sites such as the brewery site is a lengthy, complex and expensive process – but we are confident that our comprehensive proposals will set new standards for the homes-led regeneration for this historically important city centre site.
“Artisan is committed to delivering high quality urban living for everyone in well-connected central areas bringing interest, investment and life back into the heart of our cities, rather than seeing city centre sites just being delivered for student accommodation and build-to-rent properties. Whilst we support a vibrant mix of residential tenures, including student accommodation and build-to-rent, we believe there should be a place for mainstream housing in our city centres too.”
Artisan explained that the Caledonian Brewery’s heritage and character will govern the development approach. Around a fifth of the homes will be housed in the existing listed buildings which will be preserved and repurposed. Additional proposals are said to respect and reflect the original footprint of the brewery – including recreating the skyline of the maltings building, which was demolished following a fire almost 30 years ago.
Most of the listed buildings on the site date from the late 19th to early 20th century and were constructed using red brick with white brick dressings. The existing brewhouse and maltings were built in 1892 following designs by Edinburgh architect Robert Hamilton Paterson, who also designed the Royal Scots War Memorial in the city’s 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. As part of the redevelopment plans, Artisan intends to ‘upcycle’ as much of the internal equipment as possible.
Mr Westwater added, “Artisan’s expertise as a regeneration specialist is being channelled to deliver proposals that respect, preserve and enhance the rich history of the Caledonian Brewery. Working closely with our heritage experts, we have unravelled the different layers of history and development which have governed the evolution of the site.
“This has been a model design approach to a very complex and challenging site bringing together a mix of buildings developed at different stages during the last 150 years. From the very start, Artisan placed the preservation of the site’s unique heritage right at the heart of our approach, creating a distinctive footprint which both reflects the brewery’s historical legacy whilst also delivering new homes in an attractive, sustainable and accessible twenty-minute neighbourhood.”
The previous operators of the brewery, Heineken UK, invited bids for the site in 2022. A spokesperson for Heineken UK added, “The Caledonian Brewery has been an integral part of Edinburgh’s brewing history and the local community for more than 150 years. We were keen that the legacy of the brewery was maintained and contributed positively to the local community. Having received a number of bids, we believed that Artisan’s plans to deliver a 100% residential scheme delivered the best outcome for the community as well as meeting the Council’s ambitions in terms of delivering sustainable housing. We are pleased that the planning officers have recommended this proposal which preserves the brewery’s legacy for future generations.”
