THE transformation of a short-lived city pub into a major new budget hotel with three restaurants has won the backing of council officials.

Planning chief Alan Henderson said the multi-million pound plans to bulldoze the former Brannigans and Waikiki Beach bar at the Fountainpark leisure complex would "add life" and enhance the appearance of the area.

Up to 200 jobs will be created if councillors on the planning committee accept Mr Henderson's recommendations when they meet next week. The scheme involves building a four-storey 181-bedroom hotel, to be operated by an as yet unnamed budget group, with three family restaurants at ground level.

It will replace the huge one-storey venue at the south-east corner of Fountainpark, which has been left virtually empty since the ill-fated £1 million Waikiki Beach theme bar closed four years ago.

The leisure park has gone through various changes since opening in the late 1990s.

With a new casino and bingo venue, Fountainpark's reputation has improved in recent months, and the new hotel is expected to further boost its image. The building will be next to the major redevelopment of the former Scottish and Newcastle Brewery, where hundreds of new homes, student flats, offices and shops will go up.

Mr Henderson said the scheme offers the chance to create a new "public area". No additional parking spaces are planned for the site, which already has a large underground car park.

The main entrance to the hotel would be on Dundee Street, with the restaurants accessed from the west. The hotel would have a maximum height of four levels above the ground floor.

The Fountainbridge area has been transformed in recent years thanks to major developments such as Edinburgh Quay, which has seen new homes, serviced apartments, bars and restaurants created.

A spokesman for the neighbouring Springside development said: "This plan is further evidence that the area is set to become a vibrant new neighbourhood."

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