Burger joint’s ‘interesting’ signage has to come down after appeal denied

A burger joint’s ‘interesting’ signage will have to come down after an appeal by its owners was denied by Edinburgh councillors.

The Chilo’s Burgers location on Clerk Street applied for the permission in February 2025 to cover a new metal facade which had been built above the entrance.

Council planning officers rejected the application in May, saying the modifications were out of character for a conservation area in the Old Town.

The company behind the restaurant put in an appeal in July, saying that the new signage represented an improvement over the previous appearance of the shop.

But now, at a meeting of the city’s Local Review Board on Wednesday, councillors have sealed the signage’s fate, voting to have the burger shop take down the signage.

Liberal Democrat councillor Alan Beal said: “I’m happy to support the upholding of this. I can see clear breaches, so I’m happy to uphold this.”

SNP councillor Amy McNeese-Meechan agreed, saying: “I’m in agreement with Councillor Beal. It seems pretty clear that this is not in keeping with our guidelines..

Another SNP councillor, Martha Mattos Coelho, agreed, but said she wished the board did not have to make that decision.

She said: “I do appreciate what is being said, and I will be supporting Councillor Beal and Councillor McNeese-Meechan on this.

“I do feel it’s a shame, though, because I think the design is quite interesting. But I guess there’s rules we need to follow, and I’ll be upholding the officers [recommendations].”

Conservative councillor Max Mitchell shared her views, saying: “I do have a level of sympathy, this is quite interesting.

“But I have to agree with the assessments already made. With sympathy, nevertheless.”

The restaurant owners, who run another burger shop in Shandwick Place, had completed the works in December 2024.

Council officers said that the use of copper metal in the signage, as well as the size of the raised lettering on top of it, put it out of compliance with planning regulations.

In their appeal statement, a planning consultant argued that the current signage looked better than the signage for the bookmakers that previously occupied the space.

They wrote: “We attach images of the shop front as it was formerly when last used as a William Hill bookmakers, and now as a Chilo’s Burger Restaurant.

“I am conscious of and respect the exercise of planning judgement is a highly subjective consideration.

“When one compares the two shopfronts, it is not unreasonable to suggest that the shopfront which has been installed by our client improves the character of the streetscape rather than detracts from it.”

They also submitted around 45 photos of other shopfronts along Clerk Street and elsewhere in the conservation area that had some similar characteristics to the one on the restaurant.

They said: “Viewed in the context of the shop fronts existing, it is difficult to comprehend how many of these have presumably been approved by the Council, yet our client’s application has been refused.”

And they added that, while the metal backing behind the lettering was ‘somewhat contemporary’ in appearance, it complimented the shopfront.

Council officers told councillors in the meeting that the shop should be viewed in isolation when making a decision.

By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.

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