Gentrification in Edinburgh: ‘this is not development, it is suicide’

Cities change, but is Auld Reekie changing for the better? No, says STUART McKENZIE: he fears for our city’s future …

When one thinks of a Scot ‘selling-out’, the oft-quoted Robbie Burns poem, Such a Parcel of Rogues in a Nation, is called to mind. Tyrants buying off the poor for a little heap of coins to eliminate their competition by satiating our greed at the cost of our integrity. History tells us that every man has his price; or, at least, lesser men do.

But under recent circumstances, we should reassess this song’s relevance. The common man is not as easily bought as the iron giants behind council office desks. We are no longer simply ‘bought and sold for English gold’, but we ‘open the doors to hotel floors’. One might say that Edinburgh has been gripped by a glorified trend of gentrification for some time, but the effects have become frighteningly real within the last decade. I no longer fear the long arm of Westminster; I fear the City of Edinburgh Council. I fear for the future of Edinburgh.

It is no secret that the Scottish Government and the City of Edinburgh Council have always had strong aspirations for Edinburgh to become a major European city on par with the likes of Munich, Copenhagen, Amsterdam or Prague. This imagined need for bettering itself has been realised in several forms: cleaner transport systems such as trams (albeit with only one line); upper market shopping; an abundance of high end hotel chains at every corner; and new, overpriced urban hipster cafes and bars, replacing established community venues that have stood for decades. In the latter’s case, the recent closure of the historic Waverley Bar off the Royal Mile (above), and the longstanding Ale House on Clerk Street serves to remind us of the loss of historic communities within the city centre.

With these changes, Edinburgh’s architecture now differs drastically from what it was 20 years ago. It goes without saying that modern buildings should be designed to be aesthetically in keeping with their surroundings. But the concerns raised by historic groups have been largely ignored. The much despised ‘Turd’ building (below)is an example of the council’s reckless disregard for our cultural history despite threats from UNESCO to rescind the city’s prized heritage status.

The much despised ‘Turd’ will impact the city’s skyline.

Worse yet is the proposal for a hotel in place of the Class A-listed Old Royal High School on Calton Hill. These proposals, initially rejected in 2015, are now back on the table[1]. Chief planner, David Orr, has attempted to defend these proposals by comparing it to the much despised Scottish Parliament building. If this is his reasoning, then he has clearly failed to notice the longstanding popular public opinion. And if we don’t wish to see more of our skyline destroyed then we must stand in solidarity against this.

Elevating Edinburgh to metropolis level is a process we are already undergoing. The first step was the farcical tram project. Now, we are in stage two: the creation of hundreds of hotels and student flats to accommodate investors in the form of tourists or students.

Edinburgh is the financial capital of the UK behind London, but with this we are now witnessing the sordid gentrification of our beloved city, with listed buildings being sold off left, right and centre[2][3]. Even Murrayfield Ice rink is now under threat by hotel developers[4]. But this is not simply limited to Edinburgh’s architecture. There is an intrinsic value put upon the merit of students as a commodity, who deliver millions of pounds to the universities and central establishments, at the expense of rising costs elsewhere.

A second bid has been put forward for converting the old Royal High School into a controversial hotel

Indeed, Edinburgh has become an established student city within the last 25 years, with four universities, an esteemed art college and four campus’ for the Edinburgh College. The University of Edinburgh, currently ranked 27^th in the world, dominates the competition with various buildings scattered throughout the Old Town, complementing its large campus adjacent to the Meadows.

No wonder then, that Edinburgh is considered a popular choice for those down south who fail the entry requirements for Oxbridge, that remains a primary cause for Scottish students being a minority in their own capital. And with free education, the university is far less interested in permanent residents than the money that can be made off RUK (rest of UK) students and EU students which it charges at the maximum level[5].

According to the University of Edinburgh’s Fact Sheet, there were a total of 33,609 students in 2014, which increased to 37,510 in 2016. That is an increase of 11.6% within a two-year gap. Understandably, this has created an immense demand for flats in a city with an already fiercely competitive rental market, hampered by the colonisation of local communities by students in areas such as Marchmont, Bruntsfield, Morningside and Newington.

The increased student population is a growing concern amongst residents who feel their community is gradually eroding

But this issue regarding overcrowding from students is not merely isolated to Edinburgh’s Old Town nor the Southside anymore. Just take a look at Fountainbridge and Abbeyhill. Look at Leith Walk. Student accommodation is squeezed into any available gap, coated in cheap acrylic and given superficial titles such as ‘Liberty Village’[6]. With the 30% student population limit set to be raised to 40-50% in some residential areas[7], the problem will only worsen. The centre of town is already extortionate for dining and drinking[8], so don’t fool yourself into thinking places like Leith are safe: it is already starting to spread the further down you go.

‘Liberty Village’ on Leith Walk, complete with a Sainsbury’s and Starbucks

The final consequence of this gentrification process will affect the most deprived residents. Poorer families will be forced to relocate to suburban areas on the city outskirts, which is already happening with the planned new towns cutting into the greenbelt in the east and west[9]. And if we didn’t learn our lesson from Muirhouse, Pilton or Niddrie, why should we have any reason to believe these places will be any different?

One of many new housing developments planned in the greenbelt

These stories are not isolated incidents; they are widespread and will only get worse without rapid intervention. Make no mistake, this is not development: it is suicide. The council is killing our beloved city from the inside by allowing private housing and hotel companies to saturate our historic town with bloated expansionist projects that threaten our communities. And if you think it gets busy come festival time, imagine how much worse it’ll get.

This is by no means to say that Edinburgh should not be developed to meet modern demands, nor that tourism is inherently flawed. In fact, it annually accounts for roughly £1.32 billion[10]. But to blindly sell off our neighbourhoods for want of hotels is to turn our backs on our own residents, who, feeling both neglected and angry, bear the brunt of these unbridled changes.

New plans to transform the India Buildings and part of the Cowgate into another Hotel[11]

If we continue to sell our city’s soul for vulgar trinkets, the cosy winding lanes of the Old Town, the cryptic gothic spires of the mystic skyline, and the sprawling green of our many green spaces will become nought but memory, and a far cry to the city we fell in love with. But when all integrity is lost to greed, and all that is left is the collective shame of a city’s guilty conscience, at least we can sleep in our hotel beds with the knowledge that Burns’ legacy is:

Fareweel to a’ our Scottish fame,

Fareweel our ancient glory;

Fareweel ev’n to the Scottish name,

Sae fam’d in martial story.

http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/opinion/frank-ross-now-is-the-time-to-invest-in-our-city-1-4263953

http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/capital-planning-decisions-lagging-behind-rest-of-uk-1-4267705

http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/city-centre/big-name-retailers-set-to-open-stores-in-the-capital-1-4267626

http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/20-capital-locations-earmarked-for-housing-expansion-1-4235331

[1] http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/hotel-developers-launch-drastic-bid-to-win-planning-permission-for-royal-high-1-4276654

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/sep/08/edinburgh-endarkenment-public-land-luxury-hotel-india-buildings

[3] http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/fountainbridge/end-of-an-era-as-the-palais-is-demolished-1-4277771

[4] http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/murrayfield-ice-rink-under-threat-from-hotel-development-plan-1-4270385