A bid to stop a house being built on Leith's 'last working lane' has failed, despite over 1000 locals sending objections to the council.
Councillors granted planning permission for the two-storey development on Spey Street Lane, near Leith Walk, on Wednesday (January 26) without discussing the plans – or the fact that so many had urged them to refuse.
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Built in the late 1800s, the lane is home to workshops and garages where several businesses currently operate including Grateshine Polishing, the Edinburgh Tool Library and Lumsden & Ross.
Under the approved proposals, submitted by Verticus Ltd, the garage at number 17, previously occupied by mechanic M D Scott, will be demolished and replaced with a three-bedroom property.
Before construction can begin, however, permission for a change of use of the building is required, which an application is yet to be lodged for.
Verticus argued in its application the development would be a "high-quality contemporary dwelling" that will not negatively impact neighbours or businesses nearby.
But objections sent to the council, of which there were 1,054, complained it would set a precedent and could eventually drive other businesses on the lane out of the area.
It was also argued the house would have an "adverse" impact on the Pilrig Conservation Area and constitute "overdevelopment".
After the plans were first submitted in September 2020, local residents and businesses joined to form the 'Save the Lane' campaign which sought to highlight the area's long history as a 'working lane' and dissuade Edinburgh City Council from granting permission.
"The lane is the last working lane in Leith," the group said in a post online. "It has a long-standing community of mechanics, joiners, metal workers, and crafts people. If the proposed development were to be given the go ahead, the resulting loss of livelihoods, and jobs would be devastating for the area as a whole.
"The proposed development would set in motion the erasure of a small but significant piece of Leith’s heritage. Leith has always had a culture of craftsmen, and artisans.
"Replacing these workshops with luxury housing would signal the end of Leith’s industrial past."
Pierre Forissier, planning convenor of Leith Central Community Council (LCCC), which also formally objected to the plans, said: "That campaign generated quite a large interest by putting photos online of the people that were working there.
"These photos almost captured people's feelings that the city was potentially focusing on housing and delivering on promises of housing at the cost of local businesses who keep being pushed out and priced out."
He added: "If one of the workshops were to become a private house then most of the other businesses that rent their premises would potentially be under threat from their owners, who would think they can sell their garages and premises for a much higher price."
At the Development Management Sub-Committee on Wednesday (January 26), councillors approved the plans without discussing them or considering any of the hundreds of representations made.
Mr Forissier said that, now permission has been granted, there is "precedent for the workshops on that lane to become private houses".
Furthermore, he added that the community council was not notified about the application at the time it was made, or the fact it was due to be determined this week.
"We should have been contacted by the council," he said. "You could argue that this type of behaviour is not exactly transparent because there are changes that are material or changes that provide new information that cannot be challenged or scrutinised."
