THE developer behind the “ribbon” hotel planned for the Scottish capital has defended the shopping district revamp after a petition was set up in opposition.
The team behind the £850 million rebuild of the St James Centre, due to begin next year and be completed by 2020, said it will help push Edinburgh into the top 10 UK shopping destinations.
More than 600 people have signed the petition calling on MSPs to intervene after the centrepiece received planning approval this month.
The new St James quarter will create 5,000 jobs during construction and 3,000 permanent jobs.
It will mean the removal of the brutalist former office block that crowned the shopping centre.
TH Real Estate has received “a great deal of positive interest” from international hotel operators who have been attracted by the landmark design, a source said.
The developer believes the approval will support and bolster Edinburgh’s tourist industry and support various conferences and events taking place in the city.
It will contribute millions of pounds to the local economy and attract new brands to Edinburgh, with research based on the development taking place finding that the city's tourist retail spend potential will rise from £278 million to £397m by 2030.
Edinburgh will jump from 13th to eighth in overall UK retail rankings after the development, although it will still be some way behind Glasgow in second place to London, the company has said.
John Lewis will remain open during the rebuild and the new development will envelope the store area's flagship department store, with others expected to relocate and return along with new firms.
Some will temporarily relocate to other shopping centres. The Post Office has already moved from the St James Centre to the Princes Mall.
Martin Perry, director of development at London-based TH Real Estate, said: “We are really pleased with the hotel design our architects have developed.
“It is an exciting piece of modern architecture which makes a bold statement and will ultimately become a destination in its own right.
“The (city council planning) decision has allowed us to take one step closer to delivering this major regeneration project which will reinforce and elevate Edinburgh’s reputation as an international destination.”
Campaigner Lynsey Macfadyen, who set up the online petition, said: "This design does not fit in with Edinburgh's historical and beautiful look and would be better suited elsewhere."
She is calling on Holyrood to "overturn the decision and ask it either be replaced with a more suitable design or moved elsewhere where it will fit in".
The central hotel application marked the last major planning decision to be taken by the council in one of largest regeneration projects currently under way in the UK.
Architecture practice Jestico and Whiles has designed the hotel as a bundle of "coiled ribbons, creating a free-flowing design which will complement the development’s elegantly understated masterplan".
Its backers say it will create a new landmark venue for the city and will include up to 210 beds, restaurants, bars and a rooftop terrace at uppermost levels, providing new panoramic views across the city.
The redevelopment will see the brutalist 1970s shopping centre currently on site replaced with new precincts and up to 250 new homes, 30 restaurants and a multi-screen cinema as well as the five star hotel.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel