955 Additional Letters of Support Received for Drum's Revised Leith Walk Planning Application.

Drum Property Group has revealed continued high levels of public support for its planning application which is set to transform a major section of Leith Walk, Edinburgh.

Drum’s £50 million proposal for the 2.9-acre Stead’s Place site is for a mixed-used scheme combining high quality, affordable housing which will be owned by Places for People, and post-graduate student accommodation, a hotel and restaurant café all operated by the University of Edinburgh. The proposal also includes retail units along the frontage to Leith Walk and new and improved access to Pilrig Park.


The revised proposals, which followed detailed discussions with the University of Edinburgh and the City of Edinburgh Council’s planning team, also included a more defined and distinct row of sandstone retail units facing on to Leith Walk as well as increased provision for cyclists and pedestrians.

Now nearly 1000 additional letters of support have been lodged with the council in support of the revised proposals, which will be discussed at a meeting of the City of Edinburgh Council’s Development Management Sub-Committee on 30th January.

Graeme Bone, Group Managing Director of Drum welcomed the strong levels of public support for the revised proposals.

“The letters of support we are continuing to receive for our development plans show that there is a consistent public and business appetite for urgently needed development and investment in this part of Leith Walk."

“From the start, we have worked closely with both the council and the local community to create a mixed-use development which will have a significant and positive impact on Leith Walk, and how it connects with the rest of the city.

We have worked in partnership with the council’s planning team following the initial submission in August this year, and now have a revised proposals which reflects their input and views - as well as feedback from the local community.

By reducing the height of the building facing on to Leith Walk and the number of student rooms, we have a design which is more sympathetic to the building heights and front-facing facades of the surrounding tenements in the immediate local area.”

He added: “The conversations we have been having with local people tell us that this area has been neglected for more than a decade and desperately needs new investment to create a welcoming, distinctive and accessible destination linked to the rest of the city. Our proposals will bring an added dimension to Leith Walk, opening up what is currently an inhospitable industrial site by creating a vibrant, contemporary and accessible community for residents and visitors alike.”

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