Earl of Dalkeithasked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) whether he will use his powers to ensure the preservation of the facade of the Life Association building in Princes Street, Edinburgh, by extending to one year the period of time that has been allotted to finding an alternative use for it without destroying its facade;
(2) what consultations he has had with the Royal Fine Arts Commission for Scotland and the Historic Buildings Council concerning the desirability of ensuring the preservation of the facade of the Life Association building in Princes Street, Edinburgh; and what was the nature of the advice offered to him by these bodies;
(3) what recent assessment he has made of the artistic merits of the Life Association building in Princes Street, Edinburgh; and whether he will make public his conclusions regarding the preservation of the facade in the event of any future redevelopment of the site.
§ Mr. RossThe building is statutorily listed as a building of special architectural or historic interest, and both the Royal Fine Art Commission for Scotland and the Historic Buildings Council have expressed the view that the preservation of its facade is desirable.
The practicability of this was exhaustively considered with Edinburgh Corporation in 1966 but after taking all aspects into account, including the scheme for the redevelopment of Princes Street recommended by the Corporation's advisory panel, I came to the conclusion that 213W I would not be justified in intervening to overturn the Corporation's decision not to refuse consent to a redevelopment of this site in order to preserve the existing building or its facade. Having decided not to impose a building preservation order, I have no other powers to prevent or delay demolition.