An abandoned Edinburgh Princes Street building is set to be turned into a multi-storey Starbucks café.
The City of Edinburgh Council has validated an application which would see 118 Princes Street, on the corner of Castle Street, converted into the café with first floor views of the castle itself.
The building, which currently lays empty, was formerly a HSBC bank before being put on the market once again. In terms of the alterations, the historic element of the building comes into play having been built during the late 18th century.
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According to public plans, the former HSBC bank has been lying empty since April 2021 as a potential suitor has now been found. The new Princes Street location is set to be the 10th Starbucks café in the city centre - the third of its kind to open on Princes Street alone.
The bar will be situated on the ground floor and there will be perch seating on both sides of the entrance looking out on to Princes Street and Castle Street. Seats looking onto Princes Street will have a nearly unobstructed view of Edinburgh Castle.
Upstairs there will be a large display of seating ranging from barstools to soft seating, a lift will be provided to cater to any people who may need it to take them up to the first floor.
A heritage statement prepared on behalf of the applicant says: "The proposal for 118 Princes Street involves a re-design of the interior to create the Starbucks aesthetic. All design measures have been taken into consideration to uphold the buildings historic value whilst creating a warm and inviting environment for customers to enjoy.
"The building is currently not in use. However, was previously a HSBC bank location. The property has had a previous fit out for the bank layout and so most change being made is to strip the modern fabric back."
Starbucks want to acknowledge the historic importance of the building. A claim on behalf of the applicant states that they want to "uphold the building’s historic values whilst creating a warm and inviting environment for customers to enjoy."
