Heritage expert points to hotel ‘salvation’ of famous street

Is the historic core, a World Heritage Site, to become a holiday resort? What kind of development brings best returns to international investors, and should that decide what gets built where and for whom? Whose centre is it?

The 2008 financial crisis, with the collapse of the Royal Bank of Scotland and HBOS, sent shivers through the Edinburgh administration.

The result was a pre-Covid decade in which the city council, further incentivised by austerity, worked closely with Scottish Government agencies to monetise assets, particularly in the city centre, where the unique historic environment and sense of place offered exceptional investment opportunities.

Being “open for business” reached its apotheosis in 2019 when a…