Commercial Property News

Our magazines are published bi-monthly with in-depth features and news for the commercial property industry. On this page we have the latest news to keep you constantly updated on the market. On the left hand side of the page you can search our archived news which is stored monthly.



Wednesday, December 21, 2023

EDI's Haymarket arcade development approved by Scottish ministers

Scottish Ministers have approved a major new office development and spectacular public arcade by EDI that is set to breathe new life into a derelict site in Edinburgh's city centre following an extensive Public Inquiry.

The development is located in one of the last major gap sites in Edinburgh's centre at the site of the former Morrison Street goods yard. The scheme is set to regenerate a site that has lain almost derelict for 40 years. The developement will offer offices, shops, bars and cafés ranged around a spectacular, European-style, 5-storey public arcade and square.

Designed by the award winning firm of Edinburgh architects, Reiach and Hall, Phase 1 of the development will offer 32,487 sq m of offices, retail, leisure, licensed premises and car parking on a 1.767 ha site close to Haymarket Station. There will be a "city-store" style supermarket accessed from the arcade via the new square.

The Haymarket arcade, which will extend to the roof of the building and will be lit by a glass roof, will be lined by shops and cafes on two levels. In developing their proposals, Reiach and Hall studied arcades across the UK and Europe, incorporating into their design the elements that give famous European arcades their special qualities.

The scheme sits on a prominent corner site alongside two conservation areas and the World Heritage Site of Edinburgh's city centre. It was approved by The City of Edinburgh Council's Planning Committee in August 2004, but subsequently called in for Public Inquiry by the Scottish Ministers.

The developers plan that the first phase will eventually be complemented by two further phases, to be designed by Page and Park and Alan Murray Architects respectively. Ian White Associates are acting as landscape architects on all phases and sustainability consultants Third Wave are employed to ensure that the building anticipates best environmental practice on issues such as waste and energy use.