‘Business hub’ plan on site of old Fountainbridge brewery
The Fountain Brewery, before it was demolished. Picture: Rob McDougall
A MASSIVE expansion to Edinburgh’s financial district is set to be built on the site of Edinburgh’s historic Fountain Brewery – despite it being snapped up for a new school last year.
Council leaders have admitted only a fraction of the land by the banks of the city’s Union Canal will be needed for the new eco-friendly home of Boroughmuir High, in the Fountainbridge area.
The 11.5-acre site – home to a brewery for more than 150 years until its demise in 2005 – had previously been earmarked for a new headquarters building for Bank of Scotland only for the plans to be shelved when the bank had to be rescued a tax-payer-funded bailout and was taken over by the Lloyds Banking Group.
However, the council – which outbid at least half-a-dozen private-sector bidders to snap up the much-sought-after plot in November – has unveiled plans to encourage the development of a new “business district” on a bigger chunk of the site than the one earmarked for the school as part of a drive to encourage an economic recovery on major gap sites across the city.
New homes, a new canal boat marina, cafes, bars and restaurants, student housing for Edinburgh Napier University and a public park are also planned as part of the canal quarter. It is thought upwards of 500 new jobs could be created in the area.
The expansion for the “Exchange” financial district, which first started taking shape in the early 1990s off Lothian Road, would help address a predicted shortage in office accommodation over the next few years.
The council, which hopes to have the new school open within four years, is to start consulting this week on a new blueprint for the year, after years of stagnation in an area once touted as Edinburgh’s answer to “Little Venice” in London.
The council will need special permission from the Scottish Government, which has pledged to help pay for the new Boroughmuir High, to approve its plans as the Fountainbridge site is smaller than the recommended size for a high school. However, the council hopes to get around this by creating outdoor decks on different levels of the five-storey school – and building a sports pitch on a roof.
Pupils will be taught in the new park, which will be built alongside, while classes will also visit the canal regularly. One proposal is for a series of “studio” spaces to be built alongside the canal for lessons in the likes of art and design.
In a report on the latest plans, Billy MacIntyre, head of education resources, said: “It has been established that the western part of the wider site has the potential to accommodate a school, while the remainder could still deliver the wider aspirations of the existing masterplan for mixed use development.
“The council has aspirations for the wider Fountainbridge area… which provide for the delivery of the strategic expansion of the city’s commercial district, contributing to the long-term economic growth of the city.”
Stan Reeves, spokesman for the Fountainbridge Canalside Initiative, a group set up to lobby for the creation of a proper “canal quarter in the area”, said: “We are all for economic development, but the last thing we want to see is a whole series of offices built on the rest of the site.”
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Comments
There are 20 comments to this article
Page 1 of 2
Afredo Garcia
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 12:12 PMIt seems that our council (1) spent an undisclosed sum (2) topping undisclosed competiting bids to (3) possibly build a replacement school (4) after announcing consultations with parents whilst (5) having not yet formulated a plan (6) or timescale for (7) selling on the land to at least break even. And their valuation for the site appears to have come from a global real estate services firm specialising in commercial property management, leasing and investment management. One hopes that Chinese Walls and confidentiality were the order of the day
wee-scamp
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 08:03 PMThink I'd prefer the brewery. At least it produced something worth having and exportable.
dgg
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 06:08 PMThanks Marion. No doubt they'll get their project website up soon :-) Maybe they need Swiss sponsorship - for the interesting building in the middle that looks like Emmental !
dgg
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 06:06 PMHaud on.. I remember playing Rugby against Buroughmuir when I was a sprog. Didn't do that in viewforth, I went to Meggetland. Isn't that still the case? I know it means kids going off-site, but it would imply the school has better facilities than hi-rise footy.
Irritatingly Intelligent Chauvinist
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 01:14 PMK
duelaynomore
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 12:05 PMLets just hope they put some car parking into this...or will we have to walk in the rain to get to that bank?
noodle doodle
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 11:55 AMHang on, is this the same new school where space was so tight it included a plan to have a football pitch on the roof of one of the buildings? Oh it is. Well done, edinburgh council.
Charlie McFarley
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 11:28 AMIt may be the case that the private bidders were offering a very low price because of the economic situation. We do not know how realistic the council's bid was and what realistic expectation they have of offloading the rest of the land at a good price. It could be that the council is aiming to end up with the school site for free or for a much reduced price, by selling the remainder of the land in smaller parcels. I just hope they have got their sums right, not to mention their architecture. We don't want to follow the examples of the economic basket case of the trams or the architectural disaster of St James Centre.
searchanddestroy
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 10:23 AM"However, the council – which outbid at least half-a-dozen private-sector bidders to snap up the much-sought-after plot in November " ......... as ever money is no option particularly as its not theirs!!
marion57
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 10:21 AMdgg - you can see some modelling here for the site: http:www.ama-ltd.co.ukFountainbridge_South.html
Neil of Edinburghershire
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 10:20 AMHave I got this right? The embattled Edinburgh Council outbids half a dozen commercial bidders, for replacement a school site, (anyone remember Canal College?) with plans for school, then it squashes the school into a smaller than recommended size and plans to use decking to give the kids Al Fresco education – when the kids are actually off school during the 2 warmest months of the year - and football pitches on the roof, better have lots of netting. Any room up there for a diving board so the kids can dive straight into the canal below so that takes care of the swimming pool too.
famous15
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 10:09 AMRoster,Royster you really hate Scotland or love your Unionism so much you would prefer to see Scotland destroyed to sustain your wretched Brit Empire. How evil that is.
WJohn
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 09:40 AM“ The ba’s off the roof”. A good reason for a skive. “ Boy, where are you off to?” – “Sur, Ah’m away to get the ba’”.
Logie88
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 09:04 AMNot the "Little Venice" nonsense again! Venice has 177 canals. Edinburgh has, er, one. Not so much Little Venice as infinitesimal, microscopic Venice. So the development includes office space, student housing, cafés, bars and restaurant. This is at a time when Edinburgh is full of empty offices, student numbers are falling and pubs and restaurants have closed down all over the city. Get real, developers, and realise that times have moved on.
Afredo Garcia
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 04:53 AMGreat news. Wonder how much WE have paid for it and who planted this idea in Councillor minds. Yet another load of glass and chrome, mini Tescos, and unaffordable dwellings which will take years to sell. Look North to Springside to see the result. Presumbably this means that Napier will be allowed to knock down their existing flats on Dundee Street and flog of that land for offices as well. And why is the council playing developer and adding to a billion pound debt from the Trams fiasco?
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