Haymarket - News Update
30 Jun 2009

As noted on this site back in May Edinburgh World Heritage Status was to be discussed at the annual UNESCO World Heritage Jamboree in Seville 22-30 June

The Scotsman report that UNESCO has passed a resolution calling on Edinburgh City Council and the Scottish Government to scale back The Haymarket scheme. UNESCO asked the UK government to report by 2011 on progress on its recommendations, sparking speculation that any development at Haymarket could be put back by two years.

The Irish developer behind the plans, Tiger, is awaiting the outcome of a public inquiry on the scheme and the Scottish Government says it will take Unesco's comments into account when considering its ruling.

UNESCO has demanded major changes to the Haymarket hotel design.

Haymarket Public Inquiry
25 May - 5 Jun 2009
The Public Inquiry into the proposals for the development at 189 Morrison Street (The Haymarket) begins at 10am on Monday 25 May.
The Inquiry is being held at the Academy Meeting Room, Holiday Inn, 132 Corstorphine Road and is scheduled to run until 5 June. Members of the public can attend.





The Cockburn Association (Edinburgh's Civic Trust) is supportive of development on this site but objects to the height of the proposed 17 storey hotel building at this location and the impact on the historic city skyline and much loved views.
The Association will be represented at the Inquiry by John Campbell QC. Four expert witnesses - Professor Herb Stovel, Neil Simpson, Mark Steele and Charles Strang will give evidence on behalf of the Association in relation to planning, design, visual impact and the World Heritage Site. Bill Cantley, the Vice Chairman of the Association will also give evidence.
Third party objectors include the West End Community Council, the Dalry Colonies Residents Association, Gorgie/Dalry Community Council and local residents. Architecture and Design Scotland have submitted written evidence in objection to the proposals.
There has been a fantastic response from Cockburn members, the business community and local residents to our appeal for help with the costs of this Public Inquiry. Thank you to all who have donated and are supporting us.
More information about the development and the Inquiry is available here.

News Update Jan 2008:
Richard Murphy Architects - 30 April 2008 there was an Amended Drawing submission to Planning for Haymarket - new/revised images:







Haymarket Edinburgh Development - News Update Dec 2007:
This is the third time Architecture & Design Scotland have criticised the proposals, following earlier criticism in April and July. In its design review report A+DS criticise the scale and vision, including its 16-storey landmark hotel.

A&DS’s report states: “We still have substantial concerns about the design and location of the landmark tower and do not think that the approach being taken will deliver the scale and quality of space required to establish the Haymarket as a successful urban space”, and that the proposals did not offer the “major spatial intervention of a scale commensurate with its location within the city and the buildings around it” and also that the “city needs to demonstrate much stronger leadership, co-ordinate the various initiatives in the area, and guide the development of the Haymarket as a world- class urban place and western gateway to Edinburgh”.

Ed - But this is a brownfield site and precisely where density is required in a capital city to augment urbanity and reduce incursion of over-development in the countryside outwith the city. Sites like this are complex and strong leadership is of course needed to fully integrate disparate needs and desires. 111207.

Building info from Richard Murphy Architects 120907:
HAYMARKET, EDINBURGH


View from outside Haymarket Station

This is the largest project the practice has ever contemplated and our role has been three-fold: to master-plan the entire site, to design the exterior of three office buildings working alongside CDA Architects, and to be completely responsible for the design of a new 180 bed five star hotel. A second three star hotel, designed by our colleagues, Sutherland Hussey Architects, is also part of our master-plan. Tiger Developments approached the practice when the site was for sale and we were delighted when their bid was successful in the summer of 2006.


View down Boulevard and Morrison St to Haymarket Station

Unusually, the site has never been developed, having been converted from pasture into goods yards in the mid 19th century. The tracks were removed in the 1960s and the site is currently a car park, although it has been subject to at least two planning consents since then, the most recent by EDI, proposed a mostly office and retail development and received consent in 2006.


5 star hotel from the centre of the Haymarket

We have adopted a radically different approach from the EDI scheme. We have expanded the concept of what constitutes the Haymarket to make substantial amounts of new public space which coincide with the location of the railway tunnels and therefore obviating the requirement to construct above them. In the centre of the site is placed a major triangular office building and this defines the edge of the new Haymarket space.


Public garden space between offices A & B

Along the Morrison Link is a second office building and forming the final side of a triangular public space to the rear is the third. The sensitive boundary with the existing “Colony” housing at Dalry is where the three star hotel is located, the rear of which has been deliberately modelled to respond to both the intimate spaces of the Colony streets and also to give courtyards onto which gable end windows look.


View to entrance from Morrison Street

The most notable feature of the entire project is the construction of a stand alone monument-like five star hotel, which given its proximity to the increasingly busy Haymarket station, will take its place as Edinburgh’s third railway hotel alongside the familiar landmarks of the Balmoral and the Caledonian hotels. Like these hotels, this new building will also deliberately be substantially higher than its surroundings and will contribute to the evolving skyline of the city, but without blocking any significant views of either the Castle or the nearby St Mary’s Cathedral. Most of the social functions of the hotel are placed at the top of the building, acting as a beacon at night with the location functioning as a gateway building marking the entry into the World Heritage Site when approaching from the west.


Nightime View from outside Haymarket Station

The public open space designed by our colleagues at Gross Max, landscape architects, is predominately pedestrian, but with a one-way vehicle traffic for access and service vehicles only. A 450 space underground carpark replaces the existing parking.


Site Plan

Planning application was submitted to Edinburgh City Council at the beginning of September 2007.



Haymarket Edinburgh masterplan - Richard Murphy Architects


Views of The Haymarket from adjacent streets


Site Plan in more detail

Haymarket Edinburgh
Richard Murphy Architects are the masterplan architects for Tiger Developments, with CDA & Sutherland Hussey Architects

Haymarket Edinburgh - Former Car Park Site: Previous scheme

EDI Project - images from Reiach and Hall Architects

Haymarket Edinburgh Design - Former Car Park Site : Competition Proposal

images by pixelimage for Michael Laird Architects


building image by Pixel Image


Haymarket Gateway, Edinburgh

Haymarket redevelopment - Olle Wiig of Narud Stokke Wiig: AR Competition winner for Morrison Street car park site

Haymarket Options
Proposals: Aedas Architects with Halcrow



Option A viewed from east looking towards station:


Haymarket redevelopment architects : Aedas

Haymarket Station

Haymarket image © adrian welch 2007

Haymarket Clock

Haymarket image © adrian welch 2007

Haymarket Goods Yard



Key Edinburgh Buildings:
Jenners
Scottish Parliament
Hotel Missoni
RBS Gogarburn

Haymarket joint architects - Sutherland Hussey Architects
Haymarket joint architects - CDA : Comprehensive Design Architects

Scottish Architecture

Edinburgh : back to index





Comments / photos for The Haymarket Architecture page welcome:
info@edinburgharchitecture.co.uk

Haymarket Edinburgh - Building : page - adrian welch / isabelle lomholt