Dundas House rooftop telecoms plan proposed for Brandon Street

A prominent rooftop in Edinburgh’s New Town could gain a new cluster of mobile phone equipment under a planning application for 20 Brandon Street.

The proposal is for telecommunications infrastructure on the roof of Dundas House, close to the junctions and streets linking Brandon Street with the Canonmills and New Town area. If taken forward, the change would put new antennas, dishes and equipment cabinets on steel frames above the existing building.

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

What is proposed

The scheme seeks permission for rooftop telecoms equipment serving Vodafone and Three.

The proposed works include:

• 8 Vodafone Three antennas
• 8 further antennas fixed to 4 street tripods
• 2 dishes mounted on tripods
• 6 equipment cabinets set on steel grillage
• ancillary rooftop development associated with the installation

The equipment would be installed on the roof rather than at street level. That makes the visual impact a roofline issue, particularly for people who live, work or pass through the surrounding New Town and Canonmills streets.

Telecoms installations of this kind are usually designed to improve mobile coverage or network capacity, although the planning application description focuses on the physical works rather than service claims.

The site: 20 Brandon Street

The address is 20 Brandon Street, Edinburgh EH3 5DX. The site is identified as Dundas House in the application summary.

Brandon Street sits on the northern side of the city centre, between the Georgian New Town and the routes running down towards Canonmills. The area includes residential streets, offices, local services and routes used by pedestrians and cyclists moving between the city centre, Stockbridge, Broughton and northern neighbourhoods.

Because the proposal is on a rooftop, the main public-facing change would not be a new shopfront or building extension at pavement level. Instead, the issue is whether the added antennas, dishes, cabinets and support frames would be visible from surrounding streets, nearby upper-floor windows or longer views across the area.

Why it matters

Mobile infrastructure is a routine but often sensitive part of city planning. Residents and businesses rely on strong mobile signals, but telecoms equipment can also change the appearance of rooftops, especially in central Edinburgh where rooflines form part of the character of many streets.

This application is worth watching for three reasons.

First, it is a relatively substantial rooftop installation. The proposal involves 16 antennas in total, plus two dishes and six cabinets. Even where equipment is grouped together, the number of components can affect how noticeable the installation becomes.

Second, it is in a central and visually sensitive part of the city. Rooftop plant can be more or less prominent depending on parapets, existing equipment, building height and surrounding viewpoints. The application will be assessed against planning considerations including siting, appearance and local impact.

Third, telecoms schemes can raise different concerns from conventional development. Neighbours may focus on visual effects, equipment design, access for maintenance, and how the installation sits with the existing roofscape. The planning process is the route for those comments to be made and considered.

Who is behind the application

The applicant is Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Ltd, represented by WHP Telecoms, according to the planning information available for the case.

Cornerstone is associated with mobile network infrastructure, and the proposal names Vodafone and Three equipment. The planning case is therefore about physical infrastructure at the Brandon Street site, rather than a consumer-facing shop, office move or residential development.

What happens next

The application was received and validated on 24 March 2026. It is listed as awaiting assessment.

Comments were due by 15 May 2026, according to the council weekly list entry for the application. The council will assess the proposal through its planning process before issuing a decision.

People who want to understand the detail should look at the drawings and documents on the City of Edinburgh Council planning portal. The key points to check are likely to include the roof layout, the height and position of the antennas and dishes, the equipment cabinet arrangement, and any visual information showing how the installation would appear from nearby streets.

The planning reference is 26/01209/PABTEL. The address is 20 Brandon Street, Edinburgh EH3 5DX.