A last ditch plea to save the Leith Walk Cafe from demolition
Developers insist they have been 'transparent and consistent'.
Last updated 27th Jun 2019
The owners of a popular cafe are urging property developers to help them save their 60-year-old business.
The Leith Walk Cafe is set to close next month after Drum Property Group used a break clause in its current ten year lease.
The firm is trying to turn a large building, which includes the cafe, in to a new development featuring student accommodation and office space.
The local authority recently rejected the plans but the firm is in the process of appealing that decision.
A host of businesses in the building have closed their doors after their leases ran out.
Owner of the Leith Walk Cafe, Charlotte Lloyd said, "People's memories are here, that's what the developers don't get. It's not just a building.
"We have lots of people coming in two or three times a week to have their meal.
"They can sit here for an hour or three hours and it doesn't matter.
"You do worry about where they are going to go, there just isn't another cafe like this on Leith Walk anymore."
A spokesperson for Drum Property Group said: “Since purchasing the Stead’s Place site, Drum Property Group has worked hard to respond to the council’s own brief to bring new investment and development to this neglected part of Leith Walk.
"Our high-quality proposal was shaped by extensive consultation with local people, groups and businesses and received high levels of public support, as well as being recommended for approval by the council’s own planning team.
"As such, we remain wholly committed to transforming the site following the council’s own guidelines and have lodged an appeal with the Scottish Government challenging the council’s subsequent decision not to grant planning approval.
"From the start, Drum has been entirely straightforward, transparent and consistent regarding our plans for the site.
"The remaining tenants have had over a year's notice to vacate and we have made it categorically clear that there won’t be any contractual extensions to their tenancies, nor will we be reopening any vacant shop units, until we have resolution on our development proposals for the entire site."