369 High Street flat off Advocates Close could become a coffee house

A flat off Advocates Close on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile could be turned into a small coffee house, under a new planning application now before the City of Edinburgh Council.

The proposal concerns Flat 2, 369 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1PW, a prominent Old Town address close to Parliament Square and the network of closes running between the Royal Mile and the Waverley valley.

The change would move the property from a commercial let flat to a Class 3 coffee house, with no cooking proposed. The application is notable because it would introduce a more public-facing food and drink use in a heavily visited part of the city centre, where small changes of use can affect neighbours, footfall, local business mix and the character of historic closes.

What is proposed

The application seeks planning permission for a change of use from a commercial let flat to a Class 3 coffee house.

The description specifies “no cooking”, meaning the proposed use is framed around coffee and café-style service rather than a full restaurant kitchen. The proposal is described as including front and rear seating, a servery and modest internal works.

In practical terms, the change could bring a publicly accessible café use into a property that is currently identified as a commercial let flat. The applicant named on the council’s weekly list is Astrid & Miyu Ltd., with Mark Kidgell listed as the contact.

The planning category is change of use and conversions. The application does not have a decision at this stage and is marked as awaiting assessment.

The site

Flat 2, 369 High Street sits in one of Edinburgh’s most sensitive and visible urban settings: the Old Town section of the Royal Mile.

The wider location is part of the Old Town Conservation Area and the property is recorded in public planning reporting as a Category B listed building. That heritage context matters because changes to the use and operation of premises in the Old Town are often considered not only for their direct effect on a unit, but also for how they sit within the character of closes, historic buildings and busy pedestrian routes.

Advocates Close is a distinctive route linking the High Street area with lower parts of the city centre. It is close to major visitor destinations, civic buildings, shops, cafés, bars, offices and short-stay accommodation. A new coffee house in this location would therefore be visible to both residents and visitors, even if the physical works are modest.

Why it matters

This is not a large redevelopment, but it is the sort of application that can matter locally because it changes how a property is used day to day.

A commercial let flat is a relatively contained use. A coffee house would be more public, with customers coming and going, seating, serving activity and potential effects on the immediate close and neighbouring properties.

For nearby residents and businesses, the points of interest are likely to include:

• how customer access would work from the High Street and Advocates Close;
• where front and rear seating would be located;
• whether the no-cooking model limits odour and extraction issues;
• how servicing, refuse and deliveries would be managed;
• whether the use would add to the area’s café and visitor economy offer;
• how the change fits with the character of a listed building in the Old Town.

The “no cooking” element is important because full food preparation can raise different planning considerations, particularly in dense historic buildings where ventilation, flues and smells can be sensitive. A coffee house without cooking may still generate activity, but the operational profile is different from a hot-food restaurant or takeaway.

A small change in a high-profile setting

Edinburgh’s High Street has long been a place where residential, commercial, visitor and cultural uses overlap. That mix is part of the Old Town’s appeal, but it also means that even relatively small applications can attract scrutiny.

A new coffee house at 369 High Street would sit within an area already shaped by tourism, local footfall and heritage constraints. The question for the planning process is not whether the Royal Mile can support another café in principle, but whether this particular change of use is acceptable for this particular property and setting.

Because the application is still awaiting assessment, the council has not issued a decision. The public planning record lists the application as received on 16 April 2026 and validated on 4 May 2026. Public reporting of the weekly list gives a comments deadline of 5 June 2026.

What happens next

The City of Edinburgh Council will assess the proposal against relevant planning policies and site-specific considerations, including the Old Town location and the effect of changing the premises from a commercial let flat to a Class 3 coffee house.

Residents, businesses and other interested parties can search the council’s planning portal using the reference number to view the application and any published drawings or documents.

The planning reference is 26/01619/FUL. The address is Flat 2, 369 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1PW.