Judge says councillors acted legally over hotel

A judge ruled councillors acted legally in granting planning permission to a hotel development at a world heritage site.

Lady Wise concluded Edinburgh City Council acted correctly when it allowed Dreamvale Properties Development Ltd to develop a 225-bedroom motel in the city’s Old Town.

Community councillor Simon Byrom had gone to the Court of Session to argue the scheme shouldn’t progress.

He and other people who lived nearby believed the proposed initiative would have a negative impact on Edinburgh Central Library, on the George IV bridge.

The library, a listed building,was opened in 1890 after Andrew Carnegie donated a large amount of money towards its construction.

Lawyers acting for Mr Byrom argued that councillors didn’t follow correct procedure when they green-lighted the scheme last November.

In a written judgment issued yesterday, Lady Wise wrote: “I have no doubt that the petitioner and other residents within the Old Town conservation area are strongly and genuinely opposed to this proposed development.

“However, no errors in the decision-making process have been established, and the approach taken by the respondent on the basis of the available material cannot be regarded as irrational or perverse.”

The judgment was published months after Dreamvale obtained a court order from the sheriff court to remove Mr Byrom from the site of the proposed development.

He had protested against the scheme by living 20ft above the ground in a tree.

He slept under a leaky tent on wooden platforms which overhung wooden hoardings around the perimeter of the site for a week.