Two banners proposed for Old College columns on South Bridge

Two banners could be added to the columns at Old College on South Bridge, creating a small but highly visible change to one of Edinburgh’s best-known historic university buildings.

The University of Edinburgh has applied for listed building consent for the installation at Old College, 68 South Bridge, in the Old Town. The proposal concerns the east elevation of the building, where banners would be hung on columns facing one of the city centre’s busiest streets.

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

What is proposed

The proposal is for the installation of two banners on the columns at Old College.

The planning description is brief, but the application is categorised as shopfront and signage and sits alongside a related advertisement consent application for banners on the same elevation. The current listed building consent application is needed because Old College is a protected historic building, and changes affecting its fabric or appearance require closer scrutiny.

In practical terms, the proposal would mean a modest signage update to the South Bridge side of the building rather than a wider redevelopment or permanent alteration to the site.

Where the banners would go

Old College stands at 68 South Bridge, EH8 9YL, between the city centre and the Southside. The building is a major University of Edinburgh landmark and one of the most prominent institutional frontages in the Old Town.

The banners are proposed for columns on the east elevation. That places the change on the public-facing South Bridge side of the building, where it would be seen by pedestrians, bus passengers, cyclists and drivers moving through the city centre.

South Bridge is a key route through the Old Town, linking the Royal Mile area with Nicolson Street, the Festival Theatre, the University of Edinburgh’s central campus and the wider Southside. Even small signage changes on this frontage can be noticeable because of the building’s scale, setting and footfall.

Why it matters

This is a small application, but the location makes it worth watching.

Old College is a Category A listed building within the Old Town Conservation Area and the UNESCO World Heritage Site. That means proposals affecting its appearance are assessed in a sensitive heritage context.

Temporary banners are common on major cultural, civic and university buildings, particularly where they advertise exhibitions, events or institutional activity. The planning question is usually less about the principle of a banner and more about how it sits on the building: its position, method of fixing, visual impact, duration and relationship with the architecture.

Here, the columns are part of a landmark frontage. Any banner installation would be seen against the stonework and formal composition of Old College, rather than on a modern shopfront or commercial fascia. That is why a relatively modest signage proposal still requires listed building consent.

For neighbours and regular users of South Bridge, the visible change would be limited but direct: banners on the columns at one of the main public elevations of the building.

Recent applications at Old College

The current proposal follows several recent planning and listed building applications at Old College.

Recent related applications include:

• advertisement consent for banners on Old College’s east elevation, reference 26/01599/ADV, currently awaiting assessment;
• listed building consent and advertisement consent granted in 2025 for temporary banners on columns at Old College for an art exhibition;
• listed building consent granted for external wireless access point units in the Old College courtyard;
• listed building consent granted for new handrails at main external entrance steps in the Old College Quadrangle;
• a decision that permission was not required for minor internal basement alterations.

Taken together, these records show continuing small-scale works and signage activity at the building, rather than a single large redevelopment scheme.

The planning status

The listed building consent application was received on 15 April 2026 and validated on 22 April 2026. It is currently marked as awaiting assessment.

A site notice was posted on 1 May 2026 and the application was advertised on the same date. Public comments are listed as due by 22 May 2026.

The council will assess the proposal through the listed building consent process, taking account of the building’s special architectural and historic interest and its sensitive Old Town setting.

How to find the application

Residents, businesses and other interested parties can search the City of Edinburgh Council planning portal using the address Old College, 68 South Bridge, Edinburgh EH8 9YL.

The listed building consent reference is 26/01598/LBC.

A related advertisement consent application for banners on the same elevation is listed under 26/01599/ADV.