Plans by developers Unite Students for a 579-bed unit in St Leonard’s Street was refused by the City of Edinburgh Council on the grounds that it would result in “excessive concentration of student accommodation” in the Southside area. The local authority found that the £30 million development would be “detrimental to community cohesion” by taking the student population to 61 per cent, twice the level recommended in city guidelines.

However the decision has now been overturned at the Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA) by Scottish Government reporter John Martin.

Plans for the site, which is currently a Homebase store, include 579 student rooms and some units which could be used for retail or businesses.

Outwith term time, the flats could be used as short-term accommodation during busy periods such as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

In the DPEA report, John Martin said he was aware of the resident’s concerns but said creating purpose-built student accommodation rather than using HMO properties for student is “an effective strategy.”

He said: “I am very aware of the concerns of residents who see the gradual increase in student numbers as a threat to their family life but, due to its proximity to the George Square campus, the Southside area has been a centre of student population for many years and they have been an, albeit transient, part of the community since the university was first established.

“As the numbers have grown the university has sought to house the students in managed accommodation rather than relying on the existing tenements or HMOs therein and there are signs that this is becoming an effective strategy.

“Pollock Halls of Residence was one of the earlier purpose-built schemes and at the highest concentration within its data zone, which has generally proved successful, judging by the responses to local residents living nearby who largely find few problems with the students who live there.

“The same should apply to the appeal scheme, which is self-contained and sufficiently separated from the nearest tenements and flats to have no impact on residential amenity.

“I am therefore satisfied that this type of development could be absorbed into the area without any direct adverse effect on the lives of local people.”

The reporter added he had some sympathy for long-term residents in the area but said the rise in student numbers is a “result of changing trends in occupation and not solely the result of university expansion”.

He added: “In the future, it is highly likely that those same families will be looking for secure accommodation for their children when they reach further education stage, at which time well managed accommodation like that proposed may well be the only type available.”

Jagdeep Boghal, of developer Unite Students, insisted the development would relieve the “burden” students put on the local housing market.

“As a long-term investor in Edinburgh we believe we can be of real benefit to the local community,” he said.