New Homes for Old

Well, it's not a Starbuck's, anyway. Yesterday's hotel is now today's ... retirement homes. Not a monstrosity, not even especially hideous. A bit safe and dull, I'd say. And looking on the developer's website (I'll spare you the link) you can see it's all built to a formula.

I think it says a lot about our seaside towns: whereas once, people came here for their holidays, now they come to stay for good. And whether that's as a place to live within commuting distance of Edinburgh, or somewhere to retire to, it must have an effect on the character of the town. Makes you wonder how it's going to change over the coming years.

On the whole, while it's sad the old hotel couldn't be saved, this probably isn't a bad development. In a town where there's been a huge growth in families with young kids, a broader mix of people has to be a good thing.