Residents living near a site which could soon be turned into a six-storey student accommodation block have shared their concerns after plans were put to the council.
11:45, 15 Jan 2026
Several locals, including Guy Johnson, said the area already has several student accommodation sites.(Image: Edinburgh Live)
Edinburgh locals have weighed in after a proposal for a new student accommodation site was recommended for approval by the council. Plans have been submitted to demolish the former Scottish Law Commission building on Causewayside and replace it with a six-storey block.
The 1960s building was once the headquarters of the former Scottish Exam Board, before being taken over by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service. It has lay empty since 2023, when the Law Commission moved to Parliament Square.
A planning application put to Edinburgh Council by Balfour Beatty Investments was recommended to be granted due to factors including its "positive contribution" to the city's student accommodation provision and lack of "adverse impact" on existing residents.
However, many locals in the area surrounding the site - located between Newington and The Grange - told Edinburgh Live they were not satisfied with the plans.
Retired GP Dr Guy Johnson, 70, said: "There’s masses of student accommodation around here already. There’s another building just opposite that site, and others just up the road the closer you get to the university, so it's very concentrated.
"Instead, I think there should be more affordable housing for Edinburgh residents rather than more student flats.
"I do wonder if this is going to be a bubble that will burst if fewer students come from overseas due to the costs of studying, and the building becomes a white elephant that just ends up empty."
Alastair Gillespie was a lecturer in maths at Edinburgh University for several years. He echoed these views, saying he believes there is no comparable accommodation available for young professionals, or first-time buyers.
His wife Judith, a former education campaigner, added: "I think these people are much more interested in making a good profit out of overseas students than they are actually providing accommodation for people who need it.
"They’re just in it to make as much money as they can out of whatever building they can find to turn into a money-making cow."
Dr Sheila Murray, 71, a retired doctor of humanities, said: "I just don’t see the point in having any more buildings with the same usage. It also changes the character of the area, and the character of Edinburgh for that matter, and I don’t think that much student housing is viable.
Hilary Moffat shared the same concerns about the impact on the area. She said: "We’re completely saturated with student accommodation. I think the money and effort would be better employed in providing accommodation for people who are either homeless, or need affordable housing.
"Student accommodation just seems to be taking over every empty site, which is very evident on the south side of Edinburgh."
Another concern shared was that an influx of students would be detrimental to the community as a whole. One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "These blocks have just hollowed out our area. We don’t get families, we don’t get a sense of community, all we get is students."
However, not everybody in the area was dead-set against the plans, with some locals having no complaints about existing developments.
Guy Martin, 63, the director of a recruitment firm, explained: "I’m neither up nor down, it’s a pretty ugly building anyway so visually it might be an improvement.
"There’s a lot of student accommodation in the area, but you could argue it sustains the shops and restaurants.
"It’s dead easy to be up in arms about it, but as far as I’m concerned folk behave themselves - there’s no issues with litter or noise any more than with any other group of neighbours."
The Grange and Prestonfield Community Council submitted a neutral response, with members balanced in their views.
Speaking on behalf of the group, secretary Ken Robertson said: "We made a neutral, balanced comment after we judged the case on its individual merits.
"We had reservations about the PBSA model as a whole - however it is important to look at individual cases. We felt this one was acceptable in its context, design and implications for the community in comparison to other similar propositions in south-east Edinburgh."
Another local who offered a neutral view said: "I don’t really mind, or see it as a bad thing really. The more student accommodation there is, the more properties there are available to let for people that need them long-term."
Balfour Beatty Investments have been contacted for comment.