Park links up with the sea

Published on Saturday 23 February 2008 10:39

Plans to replace old dock buildings with new green 'corridor'

AT the moment it is little more than a collection of warehouses and goods yards that have stood on Edinburgh's docklands for years.

But under detailed plans unveiled today, a huge swathe of Leith's industrial heartland would be demolished and replaced with a new park stretching to the Firth of Forth.

The scheme, called the Leith Links Seaward Extension, would see more than two dozen warehouses, yards and depots stretching from Salamander Street to the coast replaced with a new parkland "corridor".

Under the move, a series of new sports pitches, allotments and pedestrian walkways would be built along the new park.

No timescale has yet been set, but the as yet uncosted project has been designed to fit in with a wider masterplan for the Leith Links which will see hundreds of new homes and businesses created over the next 20 years.

The new green space, which has been described as an extension of the existing Leith Links, would also provide a link to a proposed multi-million-pound coastal walkway running from Cramond to Portobello.

In a report to councillors, director of city development, Andrew Holmes, said: "This open space proposal will connect Leith Links to the seafront in a green parkland strip, providing a boundary to Leith's eastern industrial area.

"(It will use] land currently used for miscellaneous business and industry uses and will connect Leith Links both to the sea and a proposed coastal walkway."

Officials have said that funding for the scheme will come from developers in charge of future housing and business projects in the area – as all of the land along the corridor has been earmarked for redevelopment as part of the area's masterplan.

However, they have also indicated that, if there are any remaining properties on the corridor that are not taken up by developers, they will look at issuing compulsory purchase orders to ensure the scheme goes ahead.

Planning consent will also have to be gained for the project before any work can begin on the site.

Councillor Jim Lowrie, the city's planning convener, said: "This report indicates the proposal has the potential to deliver neatly landscaped open space, linking Leith Links with the seafront, while creating a range of recreational uses for the community.

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The project has been welcomed by Leith community leaders, who said it would create "much needed" green space. However they have also said more consultation is needed to show exactly how the extension will be implemented.

Margaret Moffett, secretary of Leith Links community council, said: "Everyone wants to see new green spaces in Edinburgh, so lots of people in this area are pleased with this proposal.

"But I can't see it happening anytime soon, as all the land is owned by a number of different businesses and developers."

"In principle, it's a good idea but I think there are a few details that need to be thought out properly, such as how these parks will be linked across busy roads such as Salamander Street."

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