Wednesday September 17th 2025
Illustration of Midlothian House retrofit by Reiach and Hall architects
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
A £12.6million makeover of Midlothian Council’s headquarters will ensure the building stands out with a white exterior replacing its original red bricks.
An artist’s impression of the new look for the Dalkeith town centre building, has been lodged with planners who have approved an application for the major refurbishment of it.
And it reveals the building, which sits among the town centre’s conservation area, will be given a ‘light cream’ exterior which has been given the go ahead with officers arguing that the civic building ‘should’ stand out from its surroundings.
In a report to council from planning officers they say the proposed materials are unusual in the area but will not have a negative impact.
They say: “The proposed materials are light cream render, Whinstone and metal cladding, the combination of which are not generally found in the immediate area and are distinctly different from the adjacent buildings in the conservation area.
“However, it is noted that this is a landmark civic building which should arguably be distinct and prominent in the area. In this instance, the proposed materials have no adverse impact on the character or appearance of the surrounding conservation areas.”
The cost of the refurbishment of the head office, in Buccleuch Street, was revealed in February this year, months after councillors voted to approve the work at a meeting held behind closed doors.
It followed an investigation into falling masonry which found issues with the building which required a full retrofit. The building is expected to remain closed for at least 18 months after work got underway over the summer.
A planning application for the work was approved by planners last week and revealed the new look for the building and internal changes.
It said work included altering the existing lobby on the ground floor, creating additional meeting rooms by infilling a terrace on the second floor and creating a larger outdoor terrace on the third floor with new planters and benches installed.
The car park will see spaces reduced as an area is created to house three air source heat pumps for the building, with new accessible spaces and 12 electric vehicle charging points added along with new cycle stands.
The application was approved with a condition that flagpoles which appeared in some of the drawing for the building, but were not in the original proposals, were not included.
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