Scotsman Publications – publisher of The Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday – has lodged a detailed planning application for a new 7,432m2 (80,000 sq ft) Edinburgh HQ in Holyrood Road, close to the palace of Holyroodhouse.
The three-level complex has been designed by Comprehensive Design. Jones Lang Wootton advised the publisher on its acquisition of the site from the William Younger Trust. If approval is given by the new year, Scotsman Publications wants to move 550 staff in 1998.
The publisher said that it is unlikely to fund the entire project internally, but has yet to decide whether to enter a sale-and-leaseback agreement with an institution.
Once the project is given the go-ahead, the publisher will approach developers for ideas on its existing Grade II listed building (above), one of Edinburgh’s main landmarks on North Bridge. The most likely fate for the building is a mixture of shops and housing, with a museum on the ground floor.
