Homes plan for old Caley brewery site

Efforts to turn the historic and defunct Caledonian Brewery in the west of Edinburgh into nearly 170 homes have moved a step closer to reality with the submission of key paperwork seeking to secure planning permission.

It was announced in December that Heineken UK had shaken hands on a deal to sell the asset to regeneration specialist Artisan Real Estate, which has, following a “comprehensive” three-month consultation programme, unveiled its proposals to develop the historic brewery site into a sustainable, lowcarbon residential development delivering 168 new homes.

Now, a major planning application has been submitted to the City of Edinburgh Council for the homes-led transformation of the spot in Shandon that has remained dormant and unused for the past 18 months. Around a fifth of the homes will be housed in the existing listed buildings, while additional development proposals will “respect and reflect” the original footprint of the brewery – including recreating the skyline of the maltings buildings that was demolished following a fire almost 30 years ago. There is also still brewing equipment on site, and Artisan intends to upcycle as much of this as possible.

The Caledonian Brewery was founded in 1869 by George Lorimer and Robert Clark, following designs by renowned Edinburgh architect Robert Hamilton Paterson, who also designed the Royal Scots War Memorial in the city’s St Giles Cathedral. It has changed hands various times since, including being operated by Heineken from 2008 following its acquisition of the UK assets of then-owner Scottish & Newcastle, and was the capital’s last major operational brewery.

Artisan said the redevelopment (which has been subject to some disapproval from locals)complementsitsportfolio of “sensitive” urban regeneration projects, including the New Waverley mixed-use development in Edinburgh’s Old Town and part of the World Heritage Site, and recently completing the transformation ofglasgow’shistoric A-listed Custom House into a hotel quarter. David Westwater, Artisan’s MD for Scotland, said: “Artisan’s development proposals intend to respect, preserve, and tell the story of the Caledonian Brewery. The feedback from our consultation events was overwhelmingly supportive and positive.

“There was a significant and long-established affinity, amongst local residents especially, for the historic brewery buildings, which will be preserved to form the heart of our new development – including the spectacular 130-foot red brick chimney which towers over the local community. We intend to maintain and celebrate as much of the brewery’s unique heritage as possible, and this includes marking the site of the two original springs onsitewhichoriginallyprovidedfreshwaterforthebrewery.”