Last month a Scottish Government Reporter granted planning permission for a planning application by S1 Developments for the development, overturning a decision by the City of Edinburgh Council to reject the proposal last year.

The Reporter’s decision has been met with an angry reaction from the councillors and community groups opposed to the development who say that community voices and local democracy have been completely ignored.

One community member Ruaraidh Dempster, membership officer of Living Rent, said: “The fact that we can go through the proper processes, win and then still be overruled makes a complete joke of the planning system, and of the idea that the Scottish Government represents our interests.”

In making its decision in September 2022, the council cited strong community concerns and opposition to the development as a prominent reason.

According to Living Rent, Gorgie and the immediate area currently have the fourth highest number of student beds in Scotland and over the past decade, and planning permission has been obtained for over 1000 student units in total with hundreds more approved or under construction. In the same period, the local population has doubled but just 85 affordable homes have been built. Council guidance for a site of this size would usually require at least 50% mainstream residential housing, but environmental issues arising from the site’s proximity to the North British Distillery and Western Approach Road meant that the proposed development did not contain any such housing.

Members of Living Rent, a tenant and community union, have been campaigning against the development since its proposal, saying that the unaffordable student accommodation does not reflect the needs of the community. They point out that the level of student accommodation in Gorgie is already high and that the community really needs more social and actually affordable housing. The union added that it would have been “irresponsible” to house over 400 students on a site deemed unsuitable for mainstream housing due to noise levels from the nearby distillery.

Living Rent stressed that it is not ‘anti-student’ and pointed out that PBSA is often expensive and out-of-reach for many students. It argues that competition for rental properties is high, and that PBSA occupies space that could be used for social housing for all the community and community space. PBSAs also offer students regressive tenancy terms in comparison to the private residential sector, making it difficult for students to end or extend their tenancy, Living Rent said.

Aditi Jehangir, a member of Living Rent, said: “Purpose-built student accommodation is expensive for students and it deprives communities of real affordable, social housing. Gorgie already has an excess of PBSA, we don’t need more.

“This campaign shows the undemocratic and inaccessible nature of planning - even though the community won at the council level, they were overruled by the Scottish Government following a pattern that has been seen time and time again. The community is out today to say enough is enough. No more PBSA, we need social housing.”

Olly Brown, chair of the Gorgie Dalry branch of Living Rent, added: “It is completely undemocratic to ignore the decision at the council sub-committee level and the community. As a branch we have been campaigning against this development for years and it is so clear that public sentiment against it is really strong. Gorgie needs better options - for students and other local residents. We need to prioritise actually affordable housing over expensive PBSA.”

At the time of the Reporter’s decision, Dan Teague, director at S1 Developments, said: “We’re delighted to have received planning permission for this exciting development.

“The original school building has fallen into a sorry state since it ceased being a school over a decade ago. Whilst the redevelopment is challenging, our proposed use brings with it an opportunity to save and renovate the original school building and continue its educational use, benefitting the local community.

“The Reporter also noted that this was a site more suitable for student housing than mainstream housing due to the constraints of the football stadium and North British Distillery.

“We look forward to working constructively with the community in delivering this development.”