The Social Hub submits £200m plan for Edinburgh site
The Dutch aparthotel group has filed formal plans for a 580-bed hub on the former Fountain Brewery site, with a restaurant, café and rooftop bar among the amenities.
The Social Hub has submitted a planning application to Edinburgh City Council for a £200m development on the former Fountain Brewery site in Fountainbridge. The Dutch-headquartered aparthotel group, present in 21 European cities including Glasgow, Paris and Amsterdam, calls it a landmark moment for the business.
The scheme covers around 580 beds spread across hotel rooms, extended-stay apartments and student accommodation. Food and drink gets a restaurant, a café and a rooftop bar, alongside a co-working hub for up to 300 people, a clubhouse, a theatre and a gym. The brewery site has stood empty for roughly twenty years.
The Social Hub says the project would add £15.5m to Edinburgh's economy and create up to 100 jobs. The plans have backing from the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, and were shaped by public consultations with Fountainbridge residents, according to The Caterer. No opening date has been given, and the council has not yet ruled on the application.
Submitting these plans is a landmark moment - not just for The Social Hub, but for me personally.
A second Scottish bet after Glasgow
Founder and chief executive Charlie MacGregor pointed to the group's Glasgow site as proof the format works outside its home market. "Glasgow has shown the power of our model to bring students, neighbours, entrepreneurs, and visitors together," he said.
The company recently brought in Megan Kennedy, formerly of London's Conduit, as chief operating officer, a hire that points to food and member-style hospitality getting more weight across the group's growing portfolio.
Betting on hybrid buildings
The Fountainbridge submission arrives as UK hospitality operators reported their best sales growth of the year in September, even as cost pressure keeps squeezing smaller independents. Mixed-use schemes like this one spread that risk across several income streams rather than betting on one restaurant or bar alone.
MacGregor called the submission personal as well as strategic. "Submitting these plans is a landmark moment - not just for The Social Hub, but for me personally," he said. A council decision is expected in the coming months.
