A planning application for nine new homes in a city car park has been refused.
The bid to build a four-storey apartment block would have âa negative impactâ on the character of its conservation area setting, planners said.
A planning statement for developer Dogma Square Properties Ltd with architect Comprehensive Design Architects put forward proposals for the new homes in the 41-space car park of an aparthotel in Edinburgh.
The building on the site of the current Canon Court Aparthotel car park would have provided flats over three storeys with a commercial unit and ancillary space on the ground floor under the plan.
The application statement read: âA pre-application discussion has been held with Edinburgh City Councilâs planning department, and subsequent written feedback has been provided ...
âThis confirmed that the principle of residential and small-scale commercial uses is generally supported on the site.â
The developer statement also noted: âHistorically this part of Canonmills was predominantly industrial use and the site was formerly part of the Edinburgh marble, granite and stone works. This was owned by the sculptor Stewart McGlashan who was responsible for first creating machines capable of creating highly polished granite.
âThe area sits between two parts of the New Town and has a history of infill development, with buildings developing in an adhoc manner.
âThe site previously housed a number of buildings of varying shapes and sizes, before it was cleared in the second half of the 20th century, and has since become a car park for the aparthotel.â
The council said in its decision notice that the plan âwould have a negative impact [on] the character of the conservation area by virtue of its size, height, form and positioning on the site in relation to neighbouring propertiesâ.
It added: Â âThe proposed development would have a detrimental impact on neighbouring amenity and would fail to provide adequate amenity for future occupiers.â
It also cited flood risk and overdevelopment issues.
Airline chief executive to quit
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Shares in easyJet fell sharply this morning after the airline announced the departure of its chief executive.
Johan Lundgren will have helmed easyJet for seven years when he steps down in 2025, have steered its recovery from the pandemic. He will be succeeded by Kent Jarvis, the companyâs chief financial officer. easyJet announced the succession as the company reported first-half losses had narrowed amid capacity growth and growing profits at its holidays business, with summer demand shaping up strongly as consumers continue to prioritise travel.Â
Graduates struggle to find workÂ
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Nearly two-thirds of all recent graduates are struggling to find relevant work amid signs that employers are continuing to cut back on recruitment in this area.
In a new poll from specialist recruitment firm Robert Walters, 62% of graduates surveyed said they were struggling to find a relevant professional position in their field. When asked how long it took to find a job, 18% said more than six months while 44% reported they still hadn't secured one at all. Habiba Khatoon, director of Robert Walters UK, said graduates are experiencing "considerable roadblocks" as employers cut back on their intake in response to difficult economic conditions.
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