Playhouse saved from demolition

The playhouse has been the subject of much debate

A controversial children's playhouse in an Edinburgh back garden has been saved from demolition.

City councillors had ruled that it should be pulled down because it was out of place in a conservation area.

However, Scottish Executive ministers have decreed it can stay because it is no more intrusive than garages nearby.

The ruling, which followed an appeal, is being celebrated by Noah Miller, four, and sister Naomi, three, who own the structure in the Broughton area.

The issue arose when complaints were submitted to the council that the structure was not appropriate for a World Heritage Site.

Brian Miller, Noah and Naomi's father, appealed against a local authority decision to uphold the complaints and a reporter appointed by the Scottish Executive took evidence from both sides in the dispute.

The structure has a tyre swing, slide, rope bridge, glazed windows and chimney and stands on top of a 3ft deck which extends across the garden of an A-Listed Georgian home in the area's Bellevue Crescent.

It was built in December by Mr Miller, a property developer, as a present for his children.