Proposals for over 130 student flats at the site of a Scottish football hero’s former pub have been approved on appeal.

The Scottish Government supported the appeal over the proposals for student flats at the site of the pub of one of the most famous players in the city’s football history.

The site is where The Right Wing, one of Hibernian Football Club’s Famous Five legends Gordon Smith’s pub, later called the Radical Road, once stood.

The proposals for 138 student flats are for a site at Willowbrae Road in Edinburgh that had earlier consent for 48 homes.

Images show the site as it was and the new proposals.

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New elite golf event to bolster tourism

 

A new invitation-only trade event is being launched next month to help bring more high-value North American golf tourists to Ireland, Scotland and other parts of the UK.

Tom Lovering says the Elevate Golf event will connect the sport's elite operatorsTom Lovering says the Elevate Golf event will connect the sport's elite operators (Image: Elevate Golf)

Elevate Golf is being put together by industry veteran Tom Lovering, a former director of Bunkered magazine owner PSP Media Group. Glasgow-based PSP, which was sold to DC Thomson in 2019, also organised the annual Scottish Golf Show.

Mr Lovering said up to 50 high-quality international tour operators will be available for bespoke appointments with more than 100 suppliers. Open Championship rota venues such as Royal Birkdale, Royal Troon, Carnoustie, Muirfield, and Royal Portrush are among the invited suppliers that have already signed up for the four-day event at the Old Course Hotel in St Andrews.

Read Kristy Dorsey's story here


Scottish financial firm buys sector stablemate

 

AAB Wealth, a tailored financial planning and wealth management services provider, this week announced it has acquired Scottish sector stablemate WealthFlow.

Duncan Glassey, Helen Learmonth, and Andrew Dines (Image: Duncan Glassey, Helen Learmonth, and Andrew Dines (Image: (Image: AAB Wealth)

Aberdeen-based AAB hailed the acquisition as a "significant milestone" in its "growth journey", bringing total assets under advice to more than £1 billion.

It declared that "WealthFlow directors Duncan Glassey [and] Helen Learmonth and their team have built an outstanding reputation within the financial planning profession, particularly in the niche area of financial medical negligence and injury settlements". AAB said: "We look forward to integrating their expertise into our operations. Edinburgh-based WealthFlow’s experience in managing the intricacies of financial planning for clients with financial settlements complements AAB Wealth's holistic approach to financial advice, ensuring clients continue to receive expert, personalised guidance."

Read Ian McConnell's story here


BUSINESS HQ MONTHLY

'Brexit has resulted in £100m a year in lost sales'

 

It is one of Scotland’s most celebrated and economically important industries, generating exports worth more than £6 billion, and employing around 120,000 people across the country.

Catch up with this month's Big ReadCatch up with this month's Big Read (Image: Newsquest/ Damian Shields)

But while our finest food and drink is known the world over, savoured in high-end restaurants and found in shops and markets in many countries, it faces considerable headwinds on the home and international fronts.

High costs, labour shortages, climate change and an enduring Brexit hangover are among the headline challenges producers face as they bid to ensure the industry can prosper in the generations to come.

Industry figures say more should be done to ensure Scotland makes more of the food it needs and relies less on cheaper imports from abroad. They are also calling for investment in logistics and transportation to ensure Scottish food and drink reaches markets more quickly and efficiently, and help the industry realise its net-zero aspirations.