A family of lottery winners had cause for further celebration after councillors gave them the green light to build a £5million mega mansion. Lisa Charters, 33, and her husband Craig, 34, now have the go-ahead for their luxury villa, which will have uninterrupted views of Edinburgh Castle.
The couple are now settling down after travelling the world on the back of Lisa's parents’ £33 million windfall - half of the £66million won on the UK National Lottery seven years ago. The couple, originally from Hawick in Roxburghshire, infuriated neighbours in plush Morningside over plans to knock down a humble bungalow and replace it with a three-storey ‘Grand Designs’ villa.
Despite 63 letters of objection, a City of Edinburgh Council committee yesterday granted the Charters planning permission after councillors paid a visit to the site in the south of the capital.
Councillor Euan Hyslop said:”I can understand why there have been a number of concerns raised by neighbouring residents. But I think it is a fitting addition. It is modern, uncompromisingly modern, which is a good way of putting it. But I think it is an architecturally really interesting application… I can’t see it having a massive impact on amenity. It is a welcome application and I will be supporting it.”
Hal Osler, chair of the Development Management sub committee, added: ”This has been a really interesting application. It was quite complicated when it came to us. A lot of work has been done in changing the respective orientation of the building to take on board various comments.
"This is the second iteration of this, so the applicant was mindful of the initial massing and dominance of the building and reduced it. It is difficult. It is a new build, they are trying to be sustainable and they are trying to move forward. Going forward, I think we’re going to get a few sites where there are going to be changes to what is present there.
"I do admire the applicants for bringing this forward as it is extremely challenging. I hope they manage to build it and have a wonderful time living there. I, for one, will be supporting it.”
The Charters’ initial plans were re-drawn after the planning furore last year, reducing the height of the building by 1.5 metres and moving it slightly away from a neighbour’s property. But some of the objectors took exception to planning officials from City of Edinburgh Council using public transport reasons as part of their case recommending the new scheme for approval.
The document states: ”Lothian Bus service 15 is an approximate eight-minute walk away onto Pentland Terrace, which provides access into the city centre. The local centre on Comiston Road is accessible in a 16-minute walk or 13-minute bus journey via Lothian Service no.11. The continued residential use on-site will help support these local facilities.”
One neighbour raged: ”Are they seriously suggesting lottery winners will be getting the bus into town? People with that kind of money will be cruising the city in a Ferrari, not waiting in a draughty bus shelter on Lothian Road. To claim that multi millionaires will be supporting local bus services in a joke.”
The Charters’ architects were approached for comment.
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