CITY planners have given the green light to plans to refurbish the Beehive Inn on Edinburgh’s famous Grassmarket.
The Beehive is one of Edinburgh’s most illustrious bars, operating for more than 400 years, and rumoured to have hosted Robert Burns himself during his heyday.
Nowadays, sitting in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle, the pub is known for its selection of malt whiskies and craft ales as well as its swanky roof terrace and beer garden.
The operator of the pub, Belhaven, a subsidiary of Greene King, has now decided that the storied old boozer, which is situated in a category B listed building, is in need of a refresh.
The Beehive Inn is one of the most famous of the Grassmarket pubs, and sits comfortably in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle (C) Robin Webster / Wikimedia Commons
Internal and external alterations will be undertaken, with the pub’s front being redecorated and windows on the upper levels being replaced.
The front and rear facade will be repainted using a dark aubergine paint, while new planters will be positioned on either side of the door.
In addition, a new awning and support brackets will be installed, with antique brass lanterns and swan neck lamps providing a new lighting scheme, and a new double patio door to the rear of the building, onto the terrace, will be installed.
The Beehive Inn at 18 –20 Grassmarket is a category B listed building and sits in the Old Town Conservation Zone and the Edinburgh World Heritage Site.
Listed building consent has now been granted, but the council took months to deliberate on whether to approve the refurbishment, with Historic Environment Scotland (HES) drafted in for an assessment.
HES raised no objections, but one complaint was raised to the designs by The Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland.
It said: “The panel do not object to the refurbishment in principle.
“However, as such a prominent heritage asset that is frequently visited, the panel feel that proposals should be more considerate of the character of the building and preserved features.
“The feature cut barrel ceiling does not respect the character of the listed building, nor the wider character of the conservation area or World Heritage Site.
“The loss of an understated decorative ceiling in favour of an extravagant feature is out of keeping with the traditional design of public houses and erodes the sense of historic place.
“It also may result in irreparable damage to the original fabric of the building through fixings and load bearing. This should not be permitted in this space.”
The new roof feature referred to here is the main feature of the internal alterations.
Greene King plans to install barrels which have been cut in half to the Beehive’s ceiling to add to the rustic atmosphere in the pub.
Despite slight revisions to the plans throughout the planning process, the plans have now gone through with the proposed alterations to the ceiling.
In addition, the ground floor and first floor disabled, women’s, men’s, and staff toilets will be “reconfigured” and refreshed with repairs and redecorations to the floor, walls, and ceiling also planned.
A new privacy screen will be installed on the ground floor, the existing bars will be altered to provide a passage for staff, the rear exit corridor and stairs will be widened to accommodate the new patio door in the building’s rear, and a new whisky display will be introduced on the first floor.
On the benefits of the proposals, Boyer Planning, who submitted the plans on behalf of Greene King, spoke about the potential benefits of the plans.
They said: “In terms of the principle of development, the proposals will not result in the loss or negatively impact upon the functioning of the pub, rather it will provide a refresh of the exterior of the building.
“The planning history demonstrates that previous works have been deemed acceptable, and this proposal builds upon that.
“The scheme simply looks to make more efficient use of the current space on site to enhance the overall customer experience and in doing support the Beehive Inns long-term vitality and viability.”
On the impact of the alterations on the pub’s historic character, they said: “The proposed alterations will clearly retain the existing character of the pub, and there is no change in use or aspect of development that would potentially detract from the historic fabric of the building.
“Furthermore, any modifications predominantly relate to modern work and therefore shall not have any impact on the original structure of the building.”
Plans for the refurbishment were originally submitted in May this year and were finally decided upon yesterday (TUE), with planners ruling in Greene King’s favour.
Greene King now has until Friday, 15 December 2028 to action its plans.
No timeline has yet been provided for the works.
Greene King has been approached for comment.
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