Plans submitted for £200m social hub in Edinburgh – Daily Business

The Social Hub has submitted plans to revelop a long‑derelict site in Edinburgh as a £200 million hospitality and community facility.

The group, founded by Edinburgh-born Charlie MacGregor, has submitted proposals for the former Fountain Brewery site in Fountainbridge, which has stood vacant for around 20 years.

The scheme forms part of the wider masterplan to regenerate the area and will help unlock affordable housing, now being progressed by the council, alongside a new canal-side public square designed to bring people together.

The proposals centre on a 580-bed facility spanning student, hotel, and extended-stay accommodation, helping to ease pressure on Edinburgh’s housing stock from student and visitor demand.

The development will also deliver a fixed co-working area for up to 300 people, and flexible space for thousands more, in response to the acute shortage of high-quality city-centre offices, alongside a line-up of vibrant social spaces – a restaurant, café, rooftop bar, clubhouse, theatre, and a state-of-the-art gym – all designed to spark connection and creativity.

Once operational, The Social Hub is expected to create up to 100 jobs, support more than 280 roles, and boost Edinburgh’s economy by £15.5 million.

Research from RealWorth has shown that the group’s facilities generate at least five-times the economic and social value of standard hotels – rising to more than eight-times in Rome – by supercharging local connections, enhancing community wellbeing, and fuelling learning and entrepreneurship. The building is also expected to achieve BREEAM Excellent, underlining its high environmental sustainability standards. 

Last year The Social Hub held a series of public consultation events in Fountainbridge, with feedback from local residents directly informing the submitted plans.

Community members were also invited to visit the group’s Glasgow hub to see first-hand how its model has helped energise and rejuvenate Merchant City and the wider city centre.

The proposals have already secured support from leading organisations in Edinburgh, including the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, and CodeBase.

Mr MacGregor said: “Submitting these plans is a landmark moment – not just for The Social Hub, but for me personally. Edinburgh is my home city, and bringing our model here is something I’ve dreamed of for years.

“We’ve listened closely to the Fountainbridge community, understood what the area needs, and shaped a scheme designed to make a lasting, positive impact.

“Glasgow has shown the power of our model to bring students, neighbours, entrepreneurs, and visitors together. Now we want to spark that same energy in Edinburgh – a place woven into the life of the city, where connection and creativity don’t just happen, they thrive, and where social impact becomes part of everyday life.”

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