Council rejects Rose Theatre hotel plan
Plans for 47 bed hotel deemed “cultural vandalism”
Plans to turn the B-listed Rose Theatre on Rose Street into a 47 bedroom hotel with cafe/bar at rooftop level have been rejected by city councillors.
Members of the development management sub-committee voted by six votes to four to reject the plans submitted by ANTA Design on behalf of Morningbridge Ltd at their meeting on Wednesday 5 November.
Peter Schaufuss outside Rose Theatre. Pic: Greg Macvean.
The plans had originally come before their September meeting, when they decided to continue their discussions to allow for a site visit to the building, which was converted to a theatre in 2016.
Councillors were not opposed to the concept of the change of use for the former Charlotte Baptist Chapel, to a hotel. However they agreed with council officers that elements of the plan were not acceptable.
Those elements of the application relating to the building’s external features; the replacing of an internal staircase with a lift; and the placing cafe/bar at roof level, were thought acceptable and in keeping with the building’s listed status and its position in the New Town conservation area.
sanctuary space
However, the subdivision of the main sanctuary space would be required to facilitate the development.
The two story-high sanctuary space at the heart of the building, used as an auditorium in the current configuration, would be built over to create three floors running the length of the building, with eight bedrooms and associated facilities on each.
The Rose Theatre’s main theatre space, built in the original Sanctuary.
Supporting the move to reject the planning application, councillor David Key said: “In my view it’s quite clear – and the officers underplayed the design as being ‘insensitive’ or ‘not sensitive’.
“I would say it’s vandalism basically. In the same way we’ve kept the Royal High School going and eventually found a good use for it and we haven’t destroyed the interior of that, then I think for the same reason, we can find a good use for this in due course that won’t destroy the interior of this building.”
preserving things in aspic
However, supporters of the plans said that it was important not to try and preserve things for the sake of it.
Councillor Hal Osler said: “We do run into danger in this city of preserving things in aspic, of wanting to have something which doesn’t necessarily exist anymore.
“It’s lovely to have this idea that something could come forward – well it hasn’t and it consistently hasn’t and it’s consistently failed. The longer that we keep buildings empty, the more damage is then caused to them so the very thing that we’re trying to protect we then put into jeopardy.”
However councillor Booth pointed out that the committee accepted serious alterations to the building but the particular alterations to the interior were not just a step too far, but “cultural vandalism”.
A birds-eye view of the Rose Theatre at the West end of Rose Street, with Edinburgh castle in the background.
The Rose Theatre was opened as a Baptist chapel in 1912, with seating for 1,000 people. The building was listed in March 1996. In 2012 the Baptist congregation moved to Shandwick Place and the building was put up for sale and the congregation applied for planning permission to turn the venue into a super-pub.
The plan was rejected, as was an application in 2015 to open the building as a restaurant.The building was purchased by Danish dance impresario Peter Schaufuss in 2016 who spent £1.8M converting it to the Rose Theatre, which was run at the 2017 Fringe by the Gilded Balloon.
Schaufuss put the building up for sale as a going concern in 2023, with a £3M price tag. It was eventually bought in August 2024.
ENDS
