Developer CASL (Marylebone, London) has applied to build a large Student Accommodation development at 72-74 Eyre Place (previously Jewson's Builders site).

For the developer this is the easiest and most lucrative type of land use as it can fit in higher density housing with maximum units.

However, this sort of development will be badly against the interests of the local community. Students are by nature a transient population, and this weakens local community bonds to the detriment of the long-term residents. This effect would be further increased by use of such accommodation for holiday lettings out of term time. There is also already significant over-provision of student accommodation at nearby sites at Logie Green, Beaverbank Place, Leith Walk, McDonald Road, and Haddington Place weakening the strength of local communities in the whole area.

In addition with a huge new development of 435+ homes, meaning 1000+ new residents, at the RBS site next door, local infrastructure such as medical services will be badly over-stretched; adding further high-density student housing is wholly inappropriate against this background.

The site itself is a narrow strip of land situated between other high-density housing so any tall multi-storey-type developments with numerous units (eg student-type blocks) will cause unacceptable problems of overshadowing, privacy, noise, and access issues.

Finally, the site directly abutts the New Town Conservation Area, and part of it is also within a Historic Garden Designed Landscape, so significant extra consideration has to be given to the appropriate land use against this conservation background. The small local King George V Park is also already over-stretched due to housing density. Crammed-in student blocks would not fit with these conservation requirements, and would chronically exacerbate park over-use as well.

As members of the local community and surrounding neighbourhoods we strongly object to the development of student accommodation on this site and urge the Planning Committee to refuse planning permission for the reasons mentioned above.

(Address optional, but full address or at least postcode, helps make a stronger argument as it clearly demonstrates feelings of local residents)

(Once you have signed, please also see www.eyreplace.co.uk for more info. Thank you.)