A HOSTEL in Edinburgh’s go-to night out destination, Cowgate, has revealed plans to ditch its beer garden and build new guest accommodation.
Kick Ass Hostels has run the beer garden on its site since lockdown but now plans to ditch the open-air bar in a bid to meet rising demand and “secure” the future of the hostel.
The development does include plans for a new bar, however, which will slot in on the ground floor.
Kick Ass Hostels, and the architects, claim that the new development will fit seamlessly with Cowgate’s narrow streets and medieval architecture.
The proposals would see the hostel add four floors of accommodation on top of the new bar to its hostel.
The planning application also claims that the current beer garden is conspicuously contemporary and flagrantly bucks the trend of old listed buildings in the area.
The site currently occupied by Kick Ass Hostels is a Category C listed building, meaning it has local architectural or historic importance, but not to the same extent as an A or B listed building.
Alterations are frequently allowed to be made to these types of buildings, but there must be careful consideration about their impact, especially if they fall in a heritage site like the Old Town Conservation Area.
The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1997 deems that any developments or planning applications concerning such areas must take into consideration the effect on surrounding buiildings any new development may have.
The design statement posted on the planning application says that the proposals would fill in an “urban gap” and provide a “consistent” building line
The statement reads: “The design approach prioritises the infill of the brownfield urban gap in consistency with the available record of the historic tenement.
“The proposed extension provides a strong consistent building line and a continuous street frontage.
“This is intended to help reinstate the character of the northern part of Candlemaker Row and improve the setting of the listed buildings.”
The design statement also outlines future plans for the hostel to purchase a neighbouring low-walled substation from Scottish Power so the building line may be continued all the way along Candlemaker Row.
The statement continues: “The proposed extension design consists of a bar at ground floor level, largely open onto the street, sleeping accommodation on floors one to four (part of the hostel).
“The proposed frontage is to generally align with the frontage of Livingstone House, whilst only the glazing to the ground floor bar is set back to form a small external and covered seating area.
“The external area is to provide continuity with the existing successful external bar area and to provide an extra level of active street frontage.”
The beer garden at Kick Ass Hostels has proven popular with tourists and locals alike since its opening, but the owners want to seize on the opportunity to expand after an explosion in demand for short-term accommodation in Edinburgh
Kick Ass Hostels has been approached for comment.
