Smith Scott Mullan wins approval for Edinburgh ski centre

Midlothian Council last month approved a plan to demolish existing facilities at the Midlothian Snowsports Centre on the edge of the Pentland Hills, south-west of the city, to make space for a new two-storey centre.

Smith Scott Mullan says the new facility, Destination Hillend, will be ‘sensitively’ set into the Pentland hillside with an undulating ridgeline matching the nearby hillscape and green roof to 'enhance site biodiversity'.

Terracotta tiles will reference historic buildings in the Lothians while glazed brick in greens, yellows and purples will match the surrounding natural surroundings.

The centre will house winter sports hire facilities, changing rooms, an indoor soft play space as well as a two-storey climbing wall. The scheme also features accommodation, a restaurant and retail.

The development is targeting net zero and, according to the practice, will use a fabric-first approach. Energy sources will also be renewable.

Under already submitted proposals for the wider site, Destination Hillend will eventually include an alpine coaster, zipline and upgrades to ski runs. The alpine coaster will be Scotland’s first, according to Midlothian Council, which is the project’s main backer.

Smith Scott Mullan previously said the designs for its building followed consultation with the council and that, ‘as with any project, the design process for Hillend began with an aspirational list of potential activities, uses and spaces’.

It added: ‘We, along with the rest of the design team, worked closely with the client team to develop the brief, which naturally went through several iterations, including larger but also smaller building options (as well as exploring whether the existing buildings could be reused).

‘The constraints of both the site, the user’s requirements, and the client’s aspirations resulted in the solution that we have now submitted for planning.’

Project manager Paul Campbell, who called the approval ‘a significant milestone in the delivery of this project’, has previously said the scheme would turn the Midlothian sports centre ‘into a national, if not international, tourist attraction’.

He added that it would ‘safeguard the future of a facility already well-loved by everyone from Olympians to novice snowboarders.’

Principle planning permission was granted in February 2021 for a wider £13.8 million scheme. However, a Freedom of Information request revealed earlier this year that costs had reached £37 million, Edinburgh Live reported.

Midlothian Council previously said ‘the project is forecast to cover its own borrowing costs and generate a surplus of £1 million per annum from 2025/26’, once operational.

Work has already begun on a new access road, car park and landscaping at the site.