'Ugly' revamp of Haymarket gets go-ahead

Published on Wednesday 12 January 2011 16:57

PLANS to overhaul one of Scotland's busiest railway stations have been given the green light - despite claims the development is an "ugly" eyesore.

• The revamp of Haymarket includes a new entrance hall and improved layout as passenger numbers are expected to double by 2030

Work to transform Haymarket station in Edinburgh is expected to get underway next year after councillors backed Network Rail's 30 million vision yesterday.

The revamp will see a major extension built on to the rear of the A-listed station to allow the facility to handle a predicted growth in passenger numbers from 4.1 million to around nine million by 2030.

Twelve ticket gates will be built to handle the extra passengers - while there will be new glass lifts and a glass bridge linking the new entrance hall to the platforms. Critics had warned the city council that approving the plans - scaled back dramatically from previous proposals due to a lack of funding - would be a missed opportunity for the city to improve Haymarket and create a proper transport hub integrating trains, buses and trams.

A 17-storey hotel development had been earmarked for a gap site opposite the station, but was rejected by the Scottish Government after a public inquiry. Cut-back plans for a new eight-storey office development on the site were approved last month by councillors in the face of widespread opposition amid claims it would dominate the area.

Network Rail claimed it had been forced to abandon a more ambitious development of the area after winning funding from the Scottish Government that would pay only for improvements to the actual station, the fourth busiest in Scotland.

A spokesman said: "We now anticipate work getting underway next year, with a view to the project being finished in late 2013 or early 2014.

"Passengers who regularly use Haymarket will welcome this decision. The current station layout is cramped and overcrowded and passenger numbers are expected to more than double in the next 20 years. We are delighted to have been asked to deliver this project as an integral part of the Edinburgh to Glasgow improvement programme."

Councillors were divided over the merits of the plans yesterday. However, the planning committee was told of concerns from Network Rail officials that the promised funding could be withdrawn if the project was delayed until after the end of the current financial year and the forthcoming Holyrood elections.

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The proposed scheme will create a new, black granite entrance for the station on Haymarket Terrace, and a copper-clad concourse.

Plans to overhaul the station were drawn up after previous attempts to create a more ambitious joint development with the city council - which would have seen offices, flats and shops built around the station - foundered.

Euan Leitch, spokesman for the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland, said: "While the proposals do respect the existing historic building, the architecture proposed is far from the quality we would expect for an important part of Scotland's infrastructure. The elevation proposed for Haymarket Terrace is an incredibly poor design that does a disservice to the local area and, given the projected footfall, Scotland."

One member of the planning committee, Liberal Democrat Elaine Morris said: "It looks like we are getting something that is second best."

Marion Williams, director of the Cockburn Association heritage watchdog, said: "Network Rail's proposal is not nearly ambitious enough."