A plan for one of the largest city centre housing schemes for years have been thrown out by councillors after a backlash from neighbours.
The revised project included 315 homes and 591 student flats on the land in Dundas Street, Edinburgh, which had been occupied by now-demolished Royal Bank of Scotland offices.
The developer behind the New Town Quarter says it will re-think its plans after the city council voted down the proposal.
Locals objected to the density of student homes and said the scheme would put pressure on local services.
Karen Licurse of Fettes Row & Royal Crescent Association, said: “We’re very happy with the decision and very glad the councillors understood that the sheer density of the proposed site would undermine the community and not be good for the World Heritage Site.”
Ross McNulty, the development director at Ediston Real Estate, which is managing the development process, said: “We’re obviously disappointed with the outcome of the committee meeting.
“We’ll take some time to reflect on the outcome and the debate at committee about the proposals before we decide how to respond.”
He added: “We can’t help but observe that the committee missed an opportunity that would have delivered many new homes quickly that would help tackle the housing emergency.”
The project has already been through various changes and new proposals were launched in 2024. A deal was struct with Fusion Students for the student flats element.
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