Plans for £40m Edinburgh hotel development revealed
A £40m hotel development is being planned in Edinburgh on a site ravaged by fire in 2002.
Located in South Bridge/Cowgate, the site was previously host to the J&R Allan department store – home to the Gilded Balloon comedy venue, Bridge Jazz Bar and La Belle Angele nightclub – which was destroyed by a major blaze that attracted worldwide attention.
The new scheme – called SoCo – is the brainchild of Whiteburn developers, and will feature shops, cafés and restaurants as well as the hotel.
John Shepherd, chief executive of Whiteburn, said: “We appreciate the significant public interest in the site, and have been encouraged by the discussions we’ve had with local councillors, community groups and local businesses over our proposals.
“SoCo will become a destination for people to stay, work and relax within a vastly improved environment, providing jobs and hopefully kick-starting the regeneration of the area.”
Whiteburn had explored a range of options for the SoCo scheme – including housing, a concert hall, cinema and a gallery – but have since ruled them out.
The company is now close to choosing a preferred hotel operator to occupy the upper levels of the 10,000sq m (107,640sq ft) development, which was designed by Edinburgh architect Allan Murray.
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Aman sister brand Janu launching in Tokyo in 2024 with design by Denniston's Jean-Michel Gathy
The Peninsula London unveils Peter Marino-designed spa inspired by London’s famous parks
First glimpses revealed of Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair's subterranean spa retreat
"Architecture is alive" says Ma Yansong, as Shenzhen art museum opens exhibition showcasing work of MAD Architects
SHA Mexico to debut in January 2024 with genome-inspired design by Sordo Madaleno
Why shouldn’t sports facilities be beautiful? Across Asia, architects are creating landmark buildings for the public, discovers Christopher de Wolf
Tom Walker exploresthe storybehind TottenhamHotspur’sgroundbreakingnew footballstadium