Regeneration specialist Artisan Real Estate has submitted a planning application to the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) to transform a sandstone office building on the edge of Edinburgh’s New Town into a sustainable 102-bedroom city centre hotel.
The current occupiers of Albany House, located at 58 Albany Street on the corner of the capital’s Broughton Street, are relocating to new offices in the city centre later this year. The five-storey building was constructed in the 1980s and was designed to reflect the adjacent Georgian neoclassical town houses along Albany Street.
Artisan have agreed terms with Whitbread to operate the completed hotel under its popular hub by Premier Inn brand. The proposals will retain much of the external structure of the building whilst replacing the top floor facade with a contemporary new cladding and finish to meet current building standards.
Internally, the hotel’s design specification will meet high environmental and sustainability standards, with air-sourced heat pump technology replacing the existing fossil fuel water system.
Artisan Real Estate has an established track record of delivering innovative hotel development in architecturally sensitive city centre locations.
This includes three hotels as part of the award-winning New Waverley development in the heart of the Edinburgh’s Old Town – including partnering with Whitbread to deliver a Premier Inn and hub by Premier Inn.
Most recently, the developer has completed the transformation of Glasgow’s historic Clydeside Custom House into a new hotel quarter.
Welcoming the submission of the planning application, Artisan’s Managing Director for Scotland, David Westwater, said: “This design proposal will bring continued interest and investment to a vibrant corner of Edinburgh’s eastern city centre.
“The existing sandstone building is well-suited to hotel development with high levels of natural daylight and an established entrance area.
“We are pleased to be once again working with Whitbread to create a modern and contemporary interior providing the high levels of insulation and energy technology, delivering both a sustainable and attractive addition to Edinburgh’s successful hospitality sector.
“Albany House is the latest in a succession of high-profile planning proposals delivered by Artisan in Edinburgh’s city centre during the last 12 months and reinforces our stated commitment to bring substantial investment coupled with high quality development to the heart of Scotland’s capital.”
Whitbread currently welcomes close to a million visitors to its established network of hotels within the City of Edinburgh Council area. The business calculates its guests staying at these hotels generate more than £32 million in visitor expenditure to the Edinburgh economy every year.
Jill Anderson, Acquisitions Manager for Whitbread, added: “Premier Inn has been part of Edinburgh’s hospitality scene for more than 30 years.
“We’re incredibly proud to have built a network of popular, good-value hotels across the city, and we see great potential for further investment given that budget hotels like Premier Inn account for just 20% of the city’s bedroom stock.
“The hub by Premier Inn brand is designed to appeal to budget, short-stay travellers. It offers all the comfort, consistency, and reliability of Premier Inn, but with a smaller bedroom, and the format allows us to offer great-value rooms in the most connected and interesting city centre locations.
“Albany House is an excellent location for us, and I am very pleased to be working with Artisan to expand our footprint in the city in a sustainable way through the proposed conversion of the 1980s office building.”
Artisan Real Estate was founded in 2009 as an independent, entrepreneurial, values-led property developer and investor operating primarily in key regional city centre locations across the UK – including Scotland and the north of England.
During the last 16 years, Artisan has established itself as one of the UK’s most progressive and respected commercial and residential developers, specialising in transforming complex sites in sensitive urban locations into residential, commercial, leisure and mixed-use quarters.
The Albany House planning proposal follows Artisan’s successful application to transform the city’s historic Caledonian Brewery into a new residential neighbourhood which received planning consent from CEC in May 2025.
The developer is also progressing with the homes-led regeneration of a vacant office block on the city’s Ferry Road, to the north of the city centre.
Edinburgh-based Ruma – home to the largest collection of rum across the whole of Scotland – is adapting to an ever-changing cocktail scene with a brand-new low-waste menu including non-alcoholic & non-rum options, launching an online shop, plus a host of new tasting experiences.
Ruma (Scots Gaelic for Rum) host to over 170 bottles of the spirit – more than any bar ever in Scotland – is celebrating one year in business.
The rum experts are adjusting positively to a rapidly-evolving cocktail scene with a brand-new cocktail menu including a host of non-rum and non-alcoholic options, as well as launching an online shop in time for summer 2025.
Ruma’s brand-new menu is split into five sections based on each drink’s flavour profile: Fresh, Fruity, Short, Smoke & Savoury, and Classics – the idea is to make it as easy as possible for guests to navigate, learn & discover new cocktails – alcoholic as well as non-alcoholic.
Reducing waste throughout, the menu strives to use each ingredient to its fullest. Ruma’s most popular drink, the Spiced Pear Mule – which uses a poached pear syrup from fresh pears – is utilised to the maximum.
Any wasted fruit from the Spiced Pear Mule is then blended with spent wine, to create a new drink – the Mrs Kenmore – which is carbonated alongside a gentian liqueur and Brugal 1888 Rum, to create a fresh, fizzy cocktail reminiscent of sparkling wine.
A new online bottle shop will launch at the beginning of May containing all 170 of the Ruma’s rums available for rum-lovers to enjoy 30ml sample bottles at home. Ruma is also launching a range of canned cocktails for the new menu, handing them out to local businesses and bars to create comradery among independent business owners.
Ruma now offers ‘Rum Experiences’ – bookable each week on Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday. A tasting flight of three rums, with different categories available such as ‘Taste of the Caribbean’ or ‘Intro to Scottish Rum’.
The bar also hosts ‘Passport Sessions’, a world tour of rum tastings specialising in a different country each month and sampling six hard to find or rare bottlings, taking guests to the likes of Guyana, Haiti, Barbados, and Martinique.
Ruma Co-Owner, Jamie Shields, said: “We opened Ruma one year ago to welcome the largest collection of Rum to Scotland. The response from our loyal guests has been amazing. A thirst for knowledge and interest in where each rum comes from and tastes like is what our staff love talking about.
“In our first year we have seen a demand for cocktails and drinks of all types. At our heart we will always be a rum bar, but we also thought ‘why can’t we offer a range of other drinks too?’ Non-alcoholic options are now key in hospitality. Rather than relegating these to a section at the back of the menu, we believe that guests who are not drinking alcohol should have the same menu experience as those who are, as each has been crafted with as much care as the drinks with alcohol.
“We love championing local. That’s why we serve local beer from Campervan Brewery, and we also have a great wine list by the glass too. Ruma’s goal is to serve the widest range of rum in the country through unforgettable experiences, but also offer deliciously alternative drinks to ensure guests leave with a satisfied smile on their face, and always come back for more”.
Ruma is based at 39-41 Broughton Street in the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town serving Scotland’s largest collection of rum.
Changes proposed to ease congestion around Picardy Place
Plans to re-introduce the left turn from Leith Walk onto London Road in Edinburgh will be considered by the Transport and Environment Committee on Thursday (23 May).
After the completion and opening of the new Trams to Newhaven line the project team has continued to monitor a number of issues raised along the route including the lack of left turns and accessibility from Leith Walk heading east which has resulted in increased congestion in and around the Picardy Place area causing delays to public transport.
Following the period of monitoring and public feedback the report to the Committee next week proposes re-introducing the left turn which will include these measures:
A minimum of 10 seconds for traffic to use it
When the left turn goes off the ahead signal will remain on allowing pedestrian and cyclists to come over from London Road and
The overall time for the two stages would be the same as currently operating for the ahead only and pedestrian stage
The proposed changes are not anticipated to have any impact on Elm Row bus stops and will benefit the overall traffic flow around Picardy Place, Leith Street and Broughton Street.
Cllr Scott Arthur, Transport Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “It was important for us to give the successful new tram line to Newhaven time to bed in, and, as with any major transport infrastructure project we continued to review the traffic management arrangements in the area.
“After this monitoring process, and in response to public feedback (i.e. complaints? – Ed.) and discussions with Lothian Buses, we’re proposing to re-introduce the left hand turn from Leith Walk onto London Road. Importantly thanks to the plans we’re also maintaining single phase crossing for both pedestrians and cyclists crossing over from London Road.
“The overall positive impact of these changes will support Lothian Buses and their operations while also easing congestion in and around Picardy Place and associated streets.
“The previous Transport and Environment Committee made the decision to close the turn in good faith some time ago, but it is now clear the prohibition has been detrimental to the flow of public transport through the area.”
If the plans are approved next week then the statutory process will begin under the Trams to Newhaven Temporary Traffic Regulation Order.
Where there is coffee, there is hope. Introducing Hopetown Coffee – Edinburgh’s new not-for-profit safe space café raising awareness of mental illness and mental health across Scotland.
National mental health charity Change Mental Health has opened its first not-for-profit mental health coffee shop, Hopetown Coffee, on Edinburgh’s thriving Broughton Street.
The new enterprise arm of the charity, which is Edinburgh’s first coffee shop raising awareness of mental illness and mental health, provides the highest quality coffee and food after partnering with local suppliers. It allows people to purchase their daily coffee and cake knowing that their money is going directly to helping people affected by poor mental health.
Nick Ward, CEO at Change Mental Health, said: “Hopetown Coffee is everything that Change Mental Health is about: providing hope and support in communities in a non-stigmatising way.
“When creating Hopetown Coffee, we wanted to shift the dial on what a not-for-profit coffee shop should be like. We won’t compromise on quality of coffee, food or ambiance and every single penny made will be reinvested back into helping people across Scotland who are needing support with their mental health.”
Customers will enjoy great coffee, locally sourced food and a welcoming service and environment – feeling good knowing that that they have contributed to a worthy cause. By enjoying a coffee with Hopetown Coffee, customers can look after both their own and other’s mental health.
The new coffee shop will raise awareness of Change Mental Health and the work that it does supporting over 7,000 people across Scotland every year.
As well as changing attitudes and fighting stigma around mental illness, the charity will reinvest profits from Hopetown Coffee back into providing mental health services to more people across Scotland.
Hopetown Coffee believes in supporting local businesses and works with local suppliers such as Santu Coffee and Brose Oats to provide great, high quality artisan coffee with an emphasis on sustainability.
This new venture ensures that it’s a tempting place to visit no matter what drink is ordered, with milk alternatives and a diverse range of other tasty offerings.
The coffee shop also offers a ‘one on us’ policy where customers can purchase a coffee for someone that might be having a difficult time with their mental health, as well as a loyalty scheme and lots of information about mental illness and mental health.
Change Mental Health provides mental health support on the same street, at their drop-in community hub called the Stafford Centre, and works across Scotland to improve the quality of life for those affected by mental illness.
Broughton Property Management becomes part of Braemore brand
AN EDINBURGH estate agency, which has helped thousands of people find new homes since launching 24 years ago, is itself on the move – after joining forces with another agency.
Broughton Property Management, formerly based on Broughton Street, has been acquired by the growing Braemore brand, whose local roots also span more than two decades.
The agreement has seen its whole team of six staff, and its portfolio of 290 rental properties, transfer seamlessly into Braemore’s flagship branch on Morningside Road.
“We are delighted to welcome Broughton’s clients and all its team members into the Braemore Edinburgh family,” said CEO of Braemore, Andrew Seldon.
“This is a great opportunity for Braemore, allowing us to extend our footprint in Edinburgh and further progress our ambition of being the number one agency in the region.
“We inherit a prime portfolio of properties, ranging from modern city flats to leafy detached homes across all of Edinburgh’s most sought-after areas.
“It is a great people fit too, as we welcome a team brimming with the same local knowledge, industry insight, and high customer service standards on which we pride ourselves.”
He added: “Between both home-grown success stories, we pool almost half a century of Edinburgh expertise in meeting the needs of tenants and landlords, sellers and buyers.
“This creates a strong platform on which to innovate and strengthen our customer service, as well as expand further through more acquisitions in and around the capital.
“As lockdown restrictions begin to ease, this acquisition is a timely signal of our continued confidence in Edinburgh and its all-year-round appeal as a place to live, work, study and holiday.”
The deal is the second this year for Braemore, which also has a branch in St Andrew’s. In April, it strengthened its specialism in managing Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) after acquiring the student rental portfolio of 90 HMOs in Edinburgh managed by Complete Letting (Scotland) Ltd.
Braemore is part of the Edinburgh-based Lomond group of residential letting and sales agencies across England and Scotland, and is the sister agency of fellow Scottish chain Stonehouse, which operates out of Aberdeen and the surrounding district.
Police Scotland is appealing for information after a cyclist collided with a car in Edinburgh on Sunday afternoon.
Around 4.40pm on Sunday (21 March), a 32-year-old woman was cycling a white Specialized road bike on Broughton Street, near to Forth Street, when a collision occurred involving a silver coloured Volkswagen car.
The driver of the Volkswagen stopped, but was not present when police arrived.The woman was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary to be treated for minor injuries.
Sergeant Jill Kirkpatrick said: “We are trying to establish exactly what happened here and would appeal for anyone with any information to come forward.
“Did you see this cyclist, or vehicle prior to the collision? Or were you driving in this area of Edinburgh and could have dash-cam footage that can help us? We urge you to get in touch.”
Anyone with any information should contact Police via 101, quoting incident number 2942 of Sunday, 21 March, 2021.
