Plans to breathe fresh life into a vacant site at the foot of Edinburgh Castle have been scaled back to alleviate community concerns.

A planning application to redevelop buildings on King's Stables Road, near the Grassmarket, was lodged in December.

The blueprint by Peveril Securities and Campus Development Management includes a 92-bedroom hotel, flats, student accommodation, a new public square, cafe, an arts facility and commercial units.

Following a public consultation, the project has have been amended to stem concerns about the balance between residential and student accommodation.

The number of flats has been increased from 11 to 59, while the volume of student accommodation has been reduced by a third to 167 rooms.

The height of the hotel and residential blocks has been lowered, while the roof design has also been amended.

Developers said the fresh proposals would feature "dynamic roof elements that respond to the context of the Old Town".

An existing courtyard will also be upgraded to integrate it with new routes and squares throughout the site.

The team behind the project said they had made the amendments in response to feedback from the community and the city council, as well as current market conditions.

The former council offices, storage units and workshops at the site have lain vacant since 2009 and were put on the market in 2014.

King's Stables Road, on the edge of the Old Town Unesco World Heritage Site, was identified by the authority as a priority development site in the capital.

Charles Vyvyan from Campus Development Management said: "As we worked our way through the planning process we undertook extensive community consultation, engaging closely with the local community.

"We have taken account of this and have changed the balance of the mix of uses, including a more than five-fold increase in the amount of housing we had originally proposed to 59 units.

"The scale and massing of the proposed development has also been reduced, with the removal of upper floors.

"The current balance of uses in this exciting mixed use development is proving very attractive to potential residents and occupiers alike, and will revitalise this neglected part of the city centre."