The grand, red-sandstone Victorian stable block on Broughton Road has lain vacant for a number of years. It used to be part of Powderhall Refuse Depot, a waste incineration plant constructed in 1893. The horses stabled in the building pulled the city’s waste fleet before it was motorised. Described in the 1980s as "Scots baronial. Symmetrical with red sandstone dressings, central tower and lots of pepperpots", it's been said that the imposing building is more suggestive of a public school than a refuse destructor
Adjacent was a station of the same name on the line from Edinburgh to Granton and North Leith that closed to passengers on 1 January 1917, never to reopen. In 1970, a monumental waste handling plant handling and processing nearly 500,000 tonnes of Edinburgh's refuse was built behind the more venerable sandstone building. The refuse was compacted into containers and despatched by rail to landfill at Dunbar. The stable block and offices of the original facility was turned into a visitor centre with an explanation of the process. Edinburgh’s municipal waste is now processed at the Millerhill Recycling and Energy Recovery Centre to the south of the city.

In 2021 AOC created a Historic Building Recording Report in three parts which can be downloaded here:

Powderhall Stables AOC HBR DSR part 1 of 3

Powderhall Stables AOC HBR DSR part 2 of 3

Powderhall Stables AOC HBR DSR part 3 of 3

The Powderhall Stables redevelopment for the Council will deliver a mix of individual studios and co-working spaces aimed at microbusinesses. The building will also feature two flexible function spaces suitable for host-ing a wide variety of events. The former stabling yard to the rear of the building will be turned into a new courtyard capable of hosting outdoors events such as street markets and art installations.

Above photos from Collective Architecture, with thanks.