Plans to convert A-listed former Scottish Widows headquarters in Edinburgh's Dalkeith Road into hotel
‘Hotel accommodation is a viable and deliverable option to secure the long-term preservation of the building’
Plans have been submitted to turn the former Scottish Widows headquarters in Edinburgh's Dalkeith Road into a hotel.
The Grade A listed building, with its distinctive hexagonal blocks, has been empty since 2020, when Scottish Widows moved out as part of a rationalisation of office space by parent company Lloyds Banking Group.
Often attributed to the acclaimed Edinburgh architect Sir Basil Spence, the building’s design and development are said actually to have been undertaken by Spence’s partner, John Hardie Glover and senior assistant, John Marnoch Legge. It took four years to build and was opened in 1976.
Planning permission was granted in 2024 for the demolition of five of the hexagonal blocks, the refurbishment of the remaining seven interlocked hexagons for continued office use and the construction of five residential blocks, up to seven storeys high, with 174 flats.
Developers Vita Group plan to go ahead with the residential development, but say offices are not commercially viable at the site. They say they undertook a review of alternative uses for the remaining seven interconnected hexagons.
"This process has identified hotel accommodation as a viable and deliverable option to secure the long-term preservation of the building, while conserving and celebrating its architectural and historic features."
The planning proposal includes flexibility within the design to allow the development to be either one large hotel or two smaller hotels.
Vita says alterations will be kept to a minimum, but will see the subdivision of the floorplate into efficient room clusters, integration of central service and circulation facilities and the introduction of clear circulation routes between the modules.
Documents submitted along with the planning application to Edinburgh council say: "The proposed development takes appropriate cues from this historic asset and will not result in unnecessary damage to historic structures or diminution of its interest. It will not be detrimental to its architectural character, appearance or setting.
"In summary, the proposed change of use presents the opportunity to support Edinburgh’s tourism economy whilst enhancing the vitality of the locality and respecting the listed building."
Vita Group includes Vita Student, which has two existing student accommodation developments in Edinburgh at Leith and Fountainbridge and another due to come on stream soon at the New Waverley development off the Royal Mile.
The Scottish Widows site, at 15 Dalkeith Road, is part of the Southside conservation area and is across the road from the Royal Commonwealth Pool and close to Holyrood Park.
From the late 1800s the site was occupied by the Parkside brewery and associated industrial buildings. These were cleared in the mid-20th century, allowing the redevelopment of the area.
Around 2,200 workers used to work in the building before Scottish Widows left and staff were relocated to Lloyd Banking Group’s Port Hamilton and Citymark offices in the Capital.
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