Latest news with #HiddenDoorFestival
Edinburgh Reporter
07-08-2025
- Business
- Edinburgh Reporter
New housing designs for the Paper Factory criticised as 'featureless square blocks'
A development of 950 homes on a former brownfield site in West Edinburgh has been criticised due to its brutalist design. The housing at the former Seica paper factory next to Gogar roundabout will be residential focused according to regeneration specialist Summix Capital which has just lodged a planning application with the council for the mixed use development on the 15.5 acre site. The design by Architect 3DReid will completely replace the factory which has been closed for some time. The Paper Factory has been empty for years and was used by Hidden Door Festival The Paper Factory has been empty for years and was used by Hidden Door Festival There are 950+ homes including 35% affordable homes and a new hotel of more than 170 bedrooms. However, the release of images has prompted widespread criticism on social media amid broader claims that new developments do not complement the city's graceful historic architecture. Designs in Scotland also contrast with more elegant new buildings on the continent, particularly in France and Germany. One commentator described the Gateway scheme as being 'like Plattenbau in East Berlin', while another lamented that there was 'a global movement towards this gulag style in architecture.' Peter Lederer, former managing director and chairman of Gleneagles Hotel added that it was 'lazy, cheap architecture'. Social media specialist Fin Wycherley said: 'Looks like we're moving more and more into a prison state.' Company director Greville Warwick described the scheme as: 'Featureless Square blocks. A form of Lego architecture.' Ian Tyler, an independent chair, non-executive director and senior adviser, said: 'I suspect that even battery hens would refuse those lodgings! 'This 'ugliness' disease is not just an Edinburgh disease but across the whole of the UK. Architects seem to have lost all sense of beauty.' John Brown, a retired chartered surveyor and planner, agreed that the current architectural style of flats being built around Edinburgh was 'truly disappointing with similarities to East European blocks built under communist regimes.' He added that to achieve density and increase sales, house builders now have a 'limited architecture palette. The blocks built at Cammo and at South Queensferry at Builyeon Road are bland flat-roofed, boring examples. 'Looking at the West NewTown master plan for the massive development near the airport more of this block massing is planned. 'It's not difficult to add details in the brickwork for some contrast between buildings. The blocks seen when coming into Edinburgh from Fife now built at South Queensferry look really bland, and have no presence. The flat roof craze is the reason, adding that additional floor and no pitched roofs.' The development team behind the Gateway plan say a new network of streets and public spaces would 'integrate seamlessly with the surrounding area, creating inviting routes and meaningful connections for both existing and future residents'. Summix Capital development director Stuart Black said the scheme represented 'a significant investment in the capital.' He added: 'Our exciting proposals provide a unique opportunity to redevelop one of the last major pieces of brownfield land in the city into a brand-new, sustainable mixed-use community, supporting the tackling of the housing emergency. 'This will ensure that Edinburgh Gateway fulfils our vision to be one of the most exciting and best-connected development sites in Scotland. 'The planning application follows extensive engagement with the local community, and we would like to thank individuals for taking the time to provide highly valued comments and feedback.' A spokesman for Summix and 3DReid said they did not want to comment on the criticism on social media. This article was first published on Daily Business here. Like this: Like Related
Scotsman
05-08-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Plans submitted for 1,000 new Edinburgh homes and hotel at former paper factory
Plans to build around 1,000 new homes at a former Edinburgh paper factory have been submitted to the council, with the development also including plans for a 170-bed hotel. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Located in the west of the city, the mixed-use development at Edinburgh Gateway would provide a mixture of affordable housing (35 per cent), Build to Rent (BTR) homes and private sale housing. The 15.5-acre site is a former industrial location on Turnhouse Road once occupied by Spain-based paper and cardboard company Saica, but was more recently used as the venue for this year's Hidden Door Festival. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Summix Capital, who submitted the plans, said the residential-led development is a unique opportunity to transform 'one of the last major pieces of brownfield land in the city' into a vibrant new neighbourhood and will help address the city's well-publicised housing emergency. View looking east from Maybury Green | 3D Reid Stuart Black, development director for Summix Capital, said: 'We are delighted to be submitting this planning application for Edinburgh Gateway, which represents a significant investment in the capital. Our exciting proposals provide a unique opportunity to redevelop one of the last major pieces of brownfield land in the city into a brand-new, sustainable mixed-use community, supporting the tackling of the housing emergency. 'This will ensure that Edinburgh Gateway fulfils our vision to be one of the most exciting and best-connected development sites in Scotland. The planning application follows extensive engagement with the local community, and we would like to thank individuals for taking the time to provide highly valued comments and feedback.' The development masterplan defines seven development plots, with plots 1 and 2 delivering private sale housing, plots 3 and 4 for BTR homes, plots 5 and 6 allocated for affordable housing and plot 7 to accommodate the new 170-bed hotel.
Edinburgh Reporter
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Getting ready for Hidden Door – opening night!
Many volunteers have helped to prepare the newest – and the biggest Hidden Door site over recent weeks. The bars are built all ready to serve the new beer brewed specially for the festival by sponsor Belhaven Brewery. The bands are ready and the food trucks stocked up. All that is needed now is the audience. The site is at The Paper Factory at Maybury – there are many ways to get there using public transport – check it out on the Hidden Door site. Festival Director, Hazel Johnson has put out a last minute plea for people to come along – but most importantly buy tickets as this is how they sustain the most local of multi arts events in the city. Hazel said: 'We rely on ticket sales. The magic we create, the opportunities we provide for artists, and our ability to keep opening up new, surprising spaces for the arts across our city – all of it depends on you stepping through our 'hidden door'. 'Your ticket isn't just access to a great night out; it's an investment in Edinburgh's creative future, a vote of confidence in the artists who are shaping our cultural landscape, and a lifeline that allows us to continue our unique work. Without you, non-profit organisations like Hidden Door simply can't exist. 'We've all seen much-loved venues and arts organisations forced to close, a worrying trend accelerated by ongoing economic uncertainties. The impact from these external factors on the arts sector is all too real, with arts venues and cultural events needing your support now more than ever. 'So I invite you to join us at The Paper Factory this week, from Wednesday to Sunday. Come and discover the energy, witness the innovation, and be part of a truly unique cultural moment. If you want Hidden Door to keep doing what we do, transforming forgotten spaces and championing incredible local talent, then please come down and support us. We've been doing this for over a decade, and with you on board, we'll keep doing it.' Find out more at Tinderbox Orchestra Bringing together rappers and singers with soaring strings, heavy brass, woodwind, and thundering bass and drums, Tinderbox Orchestra combines original music and movement to transform preconceptions of what an orchestra can be. With a set packed with original music, movement and unexpected collaborations, it is an unforgettable live music experience unlike any other. 11/6/2025 Hidden Door Festival opening in Edinburgh Tinderbox Orchestra Rosie Irvine – Clarinet Claire Docherty – Producer, Sax Callum Stevenson – Keys Leo Bacica – Bass Hazel Johnson Director Hidden Door PHOTO Alan Simpson Hidden Door Festival opening in Edinburgh Tinderbox Orchestra Rosie Irvine – Clarinet Claire Docherty – Producer, Sax Callum Stevenson – Keys Leo Bacica – Bass PHOTO Alan Simpson Hidden Door Festival opening in Edinburgh Tinderbox Orchestra Rosie Irvine – Clarinet Claire Docherty – Producer, Sax Callum Stevenson – Keys Leo Bacica – Bass Hazel Johnson Director Hidden Door in middle PHOTO Alan Simpson Hidden Door Festival opening in Edinburgh Tinderbox Orchestra Rosie Irvine – Clarinet Claire Docherty – Producer, Sax Callum Stevenson – Keys Leo Bacica – Bass PHOTO Alan Simpson Hidden Door Festival opening in Edinburgh Tinderbox Orchestra Rosie Irvine – Clarinet Claire Docherty – Producer, Sax Callum Stevenson – Keys Leo Bacica – Bass PHOTO Alan Simpson Hidden Door Festival opening in Edinburgh Tinderbox Orchestra Rosie Irvine – Clarinet Claire Docherty – Producer, Sax Callum Stevenson – Keys Leo Bacica – Bass PHOTO Alan Simpson Like this: Like Related
