15 Dalkeith Road office building proposed for hotel conversion

An office building on Dalkeith Road, close to Edinburgh’s Southside and the route towards Newington and the Royal Commonwealth Pool, could be turned into a hotel.

The proposal concerns 15 Dalkeith Road, Edinburgh EH16 5BH, where a planning application has been submitted for the change of use of the existing office building to form a hotel. The site sits on one of the city’s key south-side corridors, a busy route used by residents, students, visitors and commuters travelling between the city centre, the university area, the Southside, Newington and the wider south-east of Edinburgh.

The application is currently awaiting assessment by the City of Edinburgh Council.

What is proposed

The application seeks permission to change the use of the existing office building at 15 Dalkeith Road into a hotel, falling within Class 7 use.

The proposal is described as a change of use of the existing office building to form a hotel, with associated works. The planning information also identifies the scheme as involving major remodelling, facade changes and landscaped site upgrades.

A related listed building consent application has also been lodged for “selective demolition and alteration of vacant office building to form hotel”. That related application is also awaiting assessment.

In practical terms, the change would move the building away from office use and into visitor accommodation, with physical works to adapt the property for hotel use. The full detail of the internal layout, external alterations and site treatment will be set out in the submitted plans and documents on the council’s planning portal.

Where the site is

The property is at 15 Dalkeith Road, Edinburgh EH16 5BH.

Dalkeith Road is a prominent route running south-east from the city centre area, passing close to the Southside, the University of Edinburgh’s central and King’s Buildings areas, the Royal Commonwealth Pool, Holyrood Park and the wider Newington corridor.

Because of that location, changes to a sizeable building here are likely to be noticed by a range of people, including nearby residents, local businesses, commuters, visitors, students and people travelling to leisure and university facilities.

The site is not a quiet back-street location. It sits on a road that already carries a mix of residential, institutional, commercial and visitor-related activity. That makes the proposed move from office use to hotel use a notable local planning application, even before the detailed design is assessed.

Why it matters

The application is worth watching for three main reasons: land use, street appearance and visitor activity.

First, it would change an existing office building into a hotel. Edinburgh has seen continued pressure around how buildings are used, especially in areas close to the city centre, university campuses, major attractions and transport corridors. A shift from workspace to visitor accommodation can raise local questions about employment space, footfall, servicing, arrivals and departures, and the wider balance of uses in the neighbourhood.

Second, the proposal includes visible changes to the building. Facade alterations and remodelling can affect how a building sits in the street, particularly on a route such as Dalkeith Road where frontages help shape the character of the corridor. For neighbours and regular passers-by, the most immediate change may be how the building looks and how its entrances, boundaries and surrounding landscaping are handled.

Third, hotel use can bring a different daily rhythm from office use. Offices tend to be busier during the working day, while hotels can generate activity across mornings, evenings and weekends. That does not determine whether a proposal is acceptable, but it is one of the practical differences residents and businesses may look for when reviewing the plans.

The linked listed building consent application

Alongside the main planning application, a related listed building consent application is recorded under reference 26/02724/LBC.

That linked case is for selective demolition and alteration of a vacant office building to form a hotel. Listed building consent is used where works affect a listed building, and it is considered separately from planning permission, although the two applications are often closely connected.

For readers following the scheme, it is worth checking both applications on the council portal. The planning application will deal with the change of use and wider planning issues, while the listed building consent application will focus on the impact of proposed works on the listed building fabric and character.

What to look for in the plans

Anyone reviewing the application may want to focus on the parts of the proposal that are most likely to affect the surrounding area.

Key points to check include:

• how the building would be altered externally;
• what facade changes are proposed on Dalkeith Road and any other visible elevations;
• how hotel access would work for guests, staff and deliveries;
• whether changes are proposed to parking, servicing or landscaping;
• how the works relate to the listed building consent application;
• how the proposal explains the move from office use to hotel use.

The council’s assessment will consider the application against relevant planning policies and consultation responses before a decision is made.

What happens next

The application is awaiting assessment by the City of Edinburgh Council. At this stage, no decision has been issued.

Residents, businesses and other interested parties can view the plans and documents through the City of Edinburgh Council planning portal. Comments on planning applications are normally made through the portal, where users can search by address or application reference.

The main planning reference is 26/02612/FUL. The related listed building consent reference is 26/02724/LBC.