Hybrid hospitality heavyweight The Social Hub has submitted plans to develop a long‑derelict site in Edinburgh as a £200 million hospitality and community ‘powerhouse’.
The Europe-wide group, founded by Edinburgh-born Charlie MacGregor, wants to put its latest outpost on the former Fountain Brewery site in Fountainbridge, which has stood vacant for around 20 years.
If successful, the development would be part of the wider masterplan to regenerate the area now being progressed by City of Edinburgh Council, helping to unlock affordable housing and a new canal-side public square.
The Social Hub’s specific proposal is for a 580-bed facility spanning student, hotel, and extended-stay accommodation, plus a fixed co-working area for up to 300 people, and flexible space for thousands more, alongside a line-up of social spaces – a restaurant, café, rooftop bar, clubhouse, theatre, and a state-of-the-art gym.
In support of its case for permission to proceed, the ambitious group has cited statistics from its other sites suggesting that they have brought substantially more ‘economic and social’ value than traditional hotel businesses, and done so whilst sticking to high environmental sustainability standards.
In Edinburgh specifically, The Social Hub’s hybrid model could help ease pressure on Edinburgh’s housing stock from student and visitor demand, and help alleviate the ‘acute shortage’ of high-quality city-centre offices.
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 at its Rome site – by ‘supercharging local connections, enhancing community wellbeing, and fuelling learning and entrepreneurship’.
Last year, The Social Hub held a series of public consultation events in Fountainbridge, and said that the feedback from local residents had directly informing the plans it has now submitted.
Community members were also invited to visit the group’s Glasgow hub – its first UK site – to see first-hand how its model has helped ‘energise and rejuvenate’ the Merchant City and the wider city centre.
The Fountainbridge proposals have already secured support from leading organisations in Edinburgh, including the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, and CodeBase.
Founder 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,” said MacGregor.
“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.”
Once approved and operational, The Social Hub’s Edinburgh site is projected to create up to 100 jobs, support more than 280 roles, and boost the city’s economy by £15.5 million.
