Council leader's December report...
Setting the standard for sustainable development
Our ambitious plans to create a new coastal town at Granton Waterfront reached another key milestone last month with the publication of the business case for the next phase of the project. If approved, this will allow us to kick start £140 million worth of development, delivering 200 new homes for social rent and unlocking £150 million of private sector investment for 700 more.
These investments will, of course, be crucial to our efforts to tackle the housing and climate emergencies – but this is about much more than just building houses. We want to make Granton a great place to live, one that is economically vibrant, where the community can grow and thrive and people’s life chances are increased. That’s why our plans include shops and leisure facilities, as well as paths and cycle lanes to give people options for how they travel around the city.
As I’ve covered in this report previously, a great deal of work has already begun or been completed with hundreds of families having moved in to the quality affordable homes we’ve built at Granton Station View and Western Villages. Earlier this year, Gasholder Park 1 opened following the successful £16 million restoration of the old gasworks and a new walking and cycling route linking Pennywell Roundabout and The Promenade at Gypsy Brae will open later this month.
It’s important also that we celebrate the history of the area and protect its built heritage and I was pleased to announce funding of almost £3 million from the Heritage and Place Programme, which will allow us to restore Madelvic House, Granton Lighthouse, the Granton Station building platforms and Granton Castle Walled Garden.
Edinburgh faces many challenges but our work in Granton is providing us with an opportunity to address these head on, and in a way that will have a significant impact on the people who live and work there now, as well as those who will move ther…
Spokes Edinburgh map extract showing route along Marine Drive and West Shore Road
Edin Reporter article prior to construction...
https://theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2023/10/work-on-new-active-travel-route-begins/
This is part of the Western Villages Development on Granton Waterfront and the project includes a fully segregated cycle route, pedestrian facilities including new footways and pedestrian connections, landscaping improvements and upgrades to the boundary of Forthquarter Park with West Shore Road. No traffic restrictions will be introduced as a result of the work.
The active travel route will link in with significant future improvements such as North Edinburgh Active Travel Connections and active travel as part of the regeneration of Granton Waterfront to create a comprehensive and coherent active travel network for journeys to and around Granton Waterfront. Alongside these active travel improvements the regeneration of Granton Waterfront will also see enhanced public transport through improved bus connections and the ongoing investigation of a Mass Rapid Transit route linking Granton to the Bio-Quarter as discussed at Council in February, as well as an extensive offering of car club vehicles and a mobility hub providing a number of shared mobility options close to public transport routes. This will ensure that residents and visitors can travel to and from Granton Waterfront from neighbouring communities and other areas of the city as sustainably as possible.
Sustrans have funded the project with a contribution to the design phase of £39,913, followed by two contributions, the first for 2023/24 of £588,000 and the second for 2024/25 estimated to be around £396,900.
Cllr Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “This is an exciting moment and forms part of the major regeneration of Granton Waterfront. Central to this, and the forthcoming Western Villages development, is improved connectivity and better active travel links, supporting our wider ambitions to achieve net zero by 2030.
“Once complete, the improved route wil…
👍 #Pennywell rbt to #GypsyBrae 🚲path officially opens soon
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