THE final part of the controversial Caltongate scheme has been given the go-ahead yesterday.

Councillors have agreed to approve the final application for the £300 million Old Town project after developers agreed to preserve Royal Mile tenements for affordable housing use.

The majority of the scheme was approved last month, but a proposal to demolish all but the facade of some tenements on the Canongate was put on ice by councillors.

But after developer Mountgrange altered the application to propose retaining the "majority" of the front and rear elevations of the McRae tenements as well as preserving the buildings at 221-223 on the historic street, the city's planning committee approved the plans.

At a meeting yesterday, councillor Alastair Paisley said he was "very pleased" the developers had made changes to the scheme.

He said: "I am delighted that they (Mountgrange) have addressed the majority of concerns that we had about this application. This is a very important development for the city and I have no hesitation in moving to grant this plan."

Green councillor Steve Burgess had recommended that the proposals be put on hold, arguing the developers had failed to reduce the height of some of the buildings and make them fit in with the rest of the Old Town.

However, his motion was outvoted ten votes to two.

Following the meeting, Mountgrange spokesman Mark Cummings said: "We are delighted that Edinburgh council has granted this proposal. It has been a very long process that has been carried out thoroughly and the planning committee has dealt with it very well."

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