New Town property plan poised to get knocked back

PLANS by one of Scotland's top architects to create a new home on a vacant patch of land in the New Town are set to be refused by the council.

Richard Murphy, who has designed iconic buildings including the city's Fruitmarket Gallery, hoped that the new property on Hart Street, which he said would be built for his own use, would create a modern, sloping-roofed home which relied heavily on renewable energy sources.

However, planning officials have said it is unsuitable for the World Heritage Site.

Alan Henderson, the council's head of planning and strategy, said: "The proposed residential use is acceptable in this location but notwithstanding the quality of the architecture, the design, scale, and loss of trees has an adverse impact on the conservation area, the setting of the listed buildings and the World Heritage Site."

Councillors have been recommended to refuse the application when they meet next week.