Progressive developer HUB’s plans for a purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) scheme in Dunedin Street in Canonmills, Edinburgh have been approved. The new student development will replace an existing light industrial building.
Designed by shedkm, the scheme will provide 65 new student homes including five wheelchair accessible rooms in a mix of clusters and studio rooms, shared amenity space, cycle parking, and it will include a communal air source heat pump. The scheme will also feature a biodiverse roof terrace with views of Edinburgh Castle and Arthur’s Seat.
The student accommodation is situated above a vibrant ground floor, which will provide a large internal amenity spaces for recreation and study. It is set back from Dunedin Street at the fifth floor to reduce the mass of the building along Dunedin Street – and to respect the datum established by the neighbouring Beaverhall development.
Alongside five student rooms including one accessible room, plans for the fifth floor include a space for an external amenity terrace. Plans for level one to four include 15 student rooms including one wheelchair accessible room on each floor, alongside internal amenity space which includes a shared kitchen and lounge area.
The Dunedin Street PBSA proposal is grounded in the sites industrial heritage, which has been celebrated through the use of materials across the different volumes of the building and creates a rich and tactile palette.
The development site is located on the edge of New Town, and Stockbridge, near the Water of Leith, Royal Botanic Garden and a short walk to the city centre. The site was part of a historic factory complex before buildings were demolished. The factory buildings have since given way to Beaverhall House, now to be redeveloped as arthouse.
Future residents at the scheme will benefit from good local transport links which provides easy accessibility to all four universities including Edinburgh Napier University, Heriot-Watt University, Queen Margaret University and The University of Edinburgh.
“We love this part of Edinburgh, with its rich industrial past, having previously been home to print works, laundry rooms, a sawmill and the chocolate factory that made the famous Walnut Whip! This project is part of our wider regeneration of the area, and we think it will be the perfect place to call home.
“Thanks to shedkm MRG Group Atelier Ten Civic Engineers Knight Frank.”
HUB
HUB is a progressive developer creating living places, with a traditional focus on Build to Rent. Established in 2012, HUB has over 5,500 homes completed or under development across the UK.
Back in 2023, HUB and Harris Associates launched Shore Station PBSA in Leith. The 632-bed PBSA opportunity in Edinburgh represented the largest single student accommodation consent ever granted within the city – underscoring the rarity of the opportunity.
