New Planning Application Help Protect the Greenery & Pedestrian Environment at Queen Charlotte St.
Dear Leithers,
Thank you again to the 517 local people who previously supported our campaign concerning this site.
There is now a new planning application for the property at 58–66 Queen Charlotte Street, on the corner with John’s Place, and local residents have until Friday 23 October 2026 to make their views known to Edinburgh Council.
The proposal is to convert the former vehicle showroom into 8 self-catering studio apartments and significantly redesign the existing landscaped forecourt.
For us, there are two particularly important questions:
Do we really need to sacrifice so much of this established green frontage to double the parking from 5 spaces to 10?
And what could increased vehicle movements, together with changes to the existing controlled entrance, mean for pedestrians walking past this busy corner?
From 5 parking spaces to 10
Today, the frontage has 5 parking spaces set within an established landscaped area of mature trees, shrubs and planting.
The new plans propose 10 parking spaces within the same relatively constrained frontage.
That means finding room for another five vehicles within an area which currently provides much of the greenery visible at this corner.
Rather than putting a percentage on how much landscaping could be affected, we would encourage everyone to look at the photograph of the site as it exists today and compare it with the proposed plan for themselves.
The difference is significant.
There is already permission for 6 units
There is also some important background to this new proposal.
Planning permission has already been granted for a previous scheme involving 6 serviced/self-catering units at the ground floor.
Importantly, that scheme did not involve redesigning the existing landscaped forecourt to increase the parking provision from 5 spaces to 10 in the way now proposed.
The applicant has now returned with a new proposal for 8 self-catering studio apartments — two more units — together with twice the existing number of parking spaces.
That raises a reasonable question:
Is it really necessary to squeeze 10 parking spaces into this landscaped frontage?
In our view, 10 spaces appears excessive for this particular forecourt when balanced against the potential loss or substantial alteration of established landscaping and the additional vehicle movements and manoeuvring that could result.
There is already an approved development option involving six units without this wholesale redesign of the front car park.
We believe the Council should therefore carefully consider whether the additional parking now proposed is necessary and whether more of the existing landscaped frontage could be retained.
This landscaping has been here for 20 years
The existing green frontage isn’t simply an unused piece of ground that has gradually become overgrown.
The forecourt itself was the subject of a planning application in 2006 for:
“Create vehicle access from Queen Charlotte Street and tarmac and landscape forecourt car, cycle and motorbike parking area (as amended)”
Historic drawings show the creation of a five-space car park incorporated within a substantially landscaped forecourt.
We are currently gathering further information from people directly involved with that original application about how the final parking and landscaping arrangement came about.
What we can all see today is the result: nearly 20 years later, the trees, shrubs and planting have matured into an attractive green frontage on a prominent corner of Leith.
There is also an important pedestrian-safety question
The vehicle entrance to the car park is situated very close to the corner of John’s Place and Queen Charlotte Street, with pedestrians walking directly across the vehicle access.
At present, access to the forecourt is controlled by a barrier.
That means vehicles entering the car park have to slow or stop while access is obtained, providing a natural pause before vehicles cross the pavement and enter the forecourt.
The new development proposes to double the parking capacity from 5 to 10 spaces, potentially changing the frequency and pattern of vehicles entering and leaving the site.
The proposed drawings also do not appear to show the existing controlled barrier arrangement being retained.
If the barrier is not retained, vehicles could potentially turn directly into and out of the forecourt rather than having to stop while the barrier operates.
That deserves careful consideration.
More parking, potentially more vehicle movements, pedestrians crossing the entrance and a vehicle access immediately beside a street corner is a combination that should be properly assessed before the existing arrangement is changed.
We are not suggesting that an accident will inevitably occur. We are asking whether increasing vehicle activity while potentially removing an existing feature that slows vehicles at the entrance is appropriate for this particular location.
Why lose established greenery for additional parking?
Trees, shrubs and established planting aren’t simply decorative.
They contribute to the appearance and character of our streets, soften otherwise hard-surfaced urban areas and can provide habitat and environmental benefits.
Once mature landscaping that has taken many years to establish is removed, it cannot simply be recreated overnight.
We therefore think there is a legitimate question about the balance being proposed here:
8 self-catering studios, 10 parking spaces and a substantially reconfigured forecourt — versus retaining more of the mature landscaped frontage that exists today.
Please look at the plans and make up your own mind
Whatever your view on the proposed development, please take a few minutes to look at the actual application and drawings yourself.
If, having reviewed them, you have your own views about:
the loss or alteration of the established landscaping;
increasing the parking provision from 5 spaces to 10;
vehicle movements and manoeuvring;
pedestrian safety at the car park entrance;
the proximity of the entrance to the John’s Place corner;
the proposed self-catering use; or
the overall intensity of the development,
you can submit your own comments directly to Edinburgh Council.
Planning application: 26/03834/FULSTL
Address: 58–66 Queen Charlotte Street, Edinburgh
Proposal: Change of Use – Vehicle Showroom to 8 Self Catering Studio Apartments (Sui Generis) with Parking
LAST DATE FOR COMMENTS: FRIDAY 23 OCTOBER 2026
Search the City of Edinburgh Council Planning & Building Standards portal for:
26/03834/FULSTL
The full application, plans and supporting documents can be viewed there, and comments can be submitted directly to the Council.
Please read the plans and make up your own mind. If you do have concerns, tell the Council in your own words rather than simply copying somebody else’s objection. Personal, genuine comments explaining what you value about the area and what aspects of the proposal concern you are much more meaningful.
And please share this update with neighbours and other people who live, work or regularly walk through this part of Leith, so they know what is being proposed while there is still an opportunity to comment.
The greenery we see today has taken almost 20 years to mature. Before a significant part of this established frontage is changed to accommodate additional parking, we believe it deserves proper consideration through the planning process.
Thank you for continuing to take an interest in this corner of Leith.