Achi news desk-
The proposal to convert a vacant or under-used property above the Willow Tea Rooms on Princes Street in Edinburgh originally described the proposal for the future as a sanctuary.
The Council’s papers show that the request for a change of use on the second and third floors from food and drink to 14 serviced apartments is to be operated and managed as one business.
“Given the significance of the issue of short-term installations to the public interest at the moment, the chief planning officer is of the opinion that this application should be decided by the committee,” papers show.
“The proposal is for a change of use from a cafe to 14 serviced apartments. The application is for a change of use only, and listed building consent will be required for any physical changes associated with the change of use.
“The application was originally submitted as a change of use to a flat hotel. However, it was later agreed to change the description to serviced apartments, with this being considered a more accurate description of the intention.
“The terms serviced flat and STL are interchangeable for the purposes of this assessment.”
Thistle Property Holding Company’s plans are due to be discussed on Wednesday. The papers recommend that the application be granted.
Scottish planning processes must be more attractive to investors
One of Scotland’s most successful property developers has criticized Scotland’s planning system, saying it is turning investors away and stifling the economy – warning that those who want to invest will go south. r Border instead of or abroad where the process is much faster.
Urban regeneration expert Chris Stewart said investors may want to come to Scotland but warned that property investment “is very much linked to local and national government and larger policies so there are many other businesses because we rely on local authorities to providing road permissions, planning permissions, building warrants and all those other bits and pieces”.
What are the costs of a comfortable retirement?
This article appears as part of the Money HQ newsletter.
We now have more information, more choices, and more responsibility for our retirement savings. But will the future we want be the future we can have?
The Living Standards for Retirement, launched by the Pensions and Life Savings Association (PLSA), aim to help people picture what kind of lifestyle they could have in the future.
Set at three levels: minimum, moderate and comfortable, the standards are designed to be a practical and meaningful starting point for anyone unsure of how much they need to save.
