Bidding war expected as Royal High School to be put up for sale
One of Edinburgh’s most iconic landmarks is to be put up for grabs after councillors rejected a plea by luxury hotel developers to be given another three years to secure planning permission.
A bidding war is expected over the former Royal High School on Calton Hill after the city council cancelled a long-term legal agreement to breathe new life into the A-listed building.
Council finance leader Rob Munn revealed there were “a number of interested parties” seeking to take over the building, which has been lying empty since 1968.
However the Cockburn Association heritage watchdog has urged the council to ensure it puts “public benefit over economic value.”
The council’s decision has been welcomed by the backers of a bid to turn the 19th century building into a specialist
music school and concert hall, which has planning permission, but is by no means certain to go ahead amid concerns it may not be the most suitable alternative.
Duddingston House Properties and Urbanist Hotels had urged the council not to put the building out to “the commercial real estate market” after an appeal to the Scottish Government was rejected in October.
A dossier for councillors stated: “It seems inconceivable that such an important building will simply be sold off to the highest bidder.”
The proposed new home for St Mary’s Music School, which is seeking to “acquire” the building so it can relocate from the west end, has been championed by the city’s main heritage bodies.
However the council has decided against going straight into a new deal with the Royal High School Preservation Trust, which has been pursuing the project on behalf of the school for several years.
An official council report said this “would not test the most suitable use of the property and may therefore not be best value for the council."
Council finance leader Rob Munn said: “We know there are a number of interested parties out there and I think this is also the best and fairest way to proceed. A report with further details on how we’ll take this forward will be considered in May.” The hotel developers declined to comment on the decision.”