PLANS for a new hotel in the car park of one of Scotland’s most famous pubs have been given the go-ahead.
Councillors supported the application for the expansion of the 153-year-old “Canny Man’s Hotel” in Morningside in Edinburgh without a debate.
Now, Edinburgh City Council have approved an application for a 14-room hotel behind the Canny Man’s bar.
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The Herald first revealed the plans for the new hotel in the Scottish capital last year and the bid has now passed a critical hurdle.
The Kerr family, long associated with the Canny Man’s in Morningside, lodged the proposal with the council to create a new hotel in the pub’s current car park with architect Lee Boyd.
Planners said: “The proposals will deliver a sustainable and well-designed scheme that will contribute to climate mitigation and adaptation.
“The design draws on the character of the surrounding area to create a strong sense of place.
“Transport generation and parking proposals are acceptable. Other material considerations support the presumption to grant planning permission.”
The pub was previously described as the world’s best by chef Rick Stein and currently has an associated six-room boutique hotel called The Lane.
It said it moved to build a separate facility to meet growing demand.
It stated: "The Canny Man’s Pub and Lane Hotel are run by the Kerr family that has been associated with the Canny Man’s for over 150 years.
"Whilst the pub is well known, the Lane Hotel is a more recent edition to the business and has survived Covid lockdowns to become a busy and popular destination for visitors to Edinburgh."
It said: "The Lane Hotel cannot cope with the demand for accommodation and therefore the rationale for this project is to increase the number of hotel rooms available for rent on land owned by the family.
"The proposal is to construct a new building to provide an additional 14 rooms."
It said it was "not considered possible, practical or viable" to extend any of the existing properties.
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"The location for a proposed new building is the pub car park that sits between the pub, its beer garden and the Lane Hotel. It is an under-used facility as most of the pub customers avoid travelling to the Canny Man’s by car.
"Similarly, many of the hotel guests who might share the facility, travel to the city without a car. This space is therefore sacrificial in relation to current use and deemed the best location to consider a new building," the application stated.
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