10-mile city waterfront revamp plan

The council chiefs' vision would see nearly a mile of beach opened up by moving car showrooms and warehouses from the seafront at Seafield.

A massive pleasure park, possibly including fairground rides, amusement arcades, a theatre or concert venue and sports facilities, would take their place.

The plans are part of a blueprint for a ten-mile "boardwalk" along Edinburgh's Waterfront, from Cramond to Joppa.

Central to the vision is creating a modern equivalent of the hugely popular Marine Gardens, which attracted tens of thousands of visitors to the waterfront at Seafield in Edwardian times. Shops, bars and restaurants would also be included in the new development with the aim of creating a "world-class" visitor attraction.

New waterfront housing could also be built on part of the land.

Council chiefs are expected to study a 1.5bn plan for transforming Blackpool as they draw up more detailed plans for Seafield. The town is looking to create a major entertainment complex, featuring cinemas, restaurants and modern games arcades, plus a spectacular conference centre/concert arena.

City leaders are keen, however, to avoid replicating the casino hotels which Blackpool has planned and the strings of bars for which it has become infamous.

The council plans to launch a study into the feasibility of relocating the car showrooms, along with other commercial premises.

That would involve millions of pounds in compensation to the businesses who would have to be moved out and finding alternative locations for them.

The council will need to work in partnership with private developers to make the vision a reality.

It would take at least ten to 15 years to complete, but councillors are expected to approve plans next week to safeguard all the land needed for the "boardwalk".

City leaders are determined to make more of the natural assets of Edinburgh's waterfront. The showrooms at Seafield back on to one of the most attractive stretches of beach in the city, making it difficult to reach.

In Edwardian times, Seafield's Marine Gardens were a rival attraction to the neighbouring Portobello Promenade. The gardens contained a leisure complex with a ballroom, theatre and an amusement park, with a massive figure-of-eight roller-coaster.

The buildings were transferred from the 1908 Scottish National Exhibition at Saughtonhall Park, but were taken over by the military in 1914 as billets. Many of the attractions never re-opened, although the ballroom and speedway track survived until 1939.

The "boardwalk" plan is seen as an ideal opportunity to restore the area to its former glory.

Councillor Trevor Davies, the city's planning leader, said the aim was to create a relaxed environment where people could enjoy a range of leisure activities.

"There has been a lot of debate about the showrooms and whether they are in the right place," he said. "The idea of going back into the past of Marine Gardens and trying to recreate that kind of public recreation area I think has tremendous appeal. Exactly what will be there is for future discussions, but the idea is to create a large public leisure space.

"The sewage works is also a difficult challenge, and perhaps we will need to sort out the problem of the stench suffered by residents before anything else."

"I think the boardwalk will be a very popular idea with people in Edinburgh and someday I would like to cycle from Cramond to Musselburgh.

"It is a very long-term project and I do not think it will be implemented for at least ten or 15 years, but it will, hopefully."

The massive investment made in the Seafield Sewage Works means that is unlikely it would be moved as part of the plans. Instead, council officials are exploring ways of incorporating it into their plans - including the idea of it being for guided tours with an environmental theme.

They have also suggested its new sludge tanks and methane containment domes, which they describe as having "a structural elegance", could be a point of interest in the area.

The ten-mile walkway is likely to see a raised "boardwalk" being built behind the sewage works.

Seafront promenades will be protected on waterfront land being used for large-scale development in Granton and Leith.

The council has identified Atlantic City in New Jersey as the most famous example of a "boardwalk" waterfront development, although it has also seen a proliferation of the kind of casinos and bars which the council is anxious to avoid.

The boardwalk would run from Cramond to Joppa, with an upgrading of the existing Portobello Promenade being another of its focal points. Once completed, the walkway could be used for major events, including the Edinburgh Marathon.

It would link up with major developments such as the new marina at Granton and Leith's proposed cruise liner terminal.

The council's plans have received a mixed reaction from residents. Margaret Moffet, secretary of the Leith Links Community Council, said:

"If it was done properly I suppose people could enjoy it. The worry is that it could be something like Atlantic City, which is a horrible place. The whole boardwalk is covered with casinos and amusement arcades and the shops all sell tacky souvenirs."

The Royal Yacht Britannia may move from its Ocean Terminal home under plans to form a new cultural quarter.

It is believed the Queen is unhappy with the current site and is keen for Britannia to be moved to a berth more in keeping with the yacht's heritage.

Visitors to the Queen's honeymoon yacht currently have to pass through the busy shopping centre to gain access to the vessel.

The trust which runs the visitor attraction has confirmed it is engaged in talks aimed at moving the yacht to a more appropriate setting.

THE FACTS

The Marine Gardens, opened in Portobello in 1909, had the first of the huge palais-type halls in Britain, covering an area half the size of a football field.

The area also had an industrial hall, Alfresco Theatre, scenic railway, a rustic mill with water wheel, a ballroom, and a motorcycle race track.

The ballroom was its main attraction, with young people flocking to the dances held there.

It was the largest public ballroom of its kind in the city in the 1920s and 1930s.

The management of the Marine Gardens Ballroom found roller-skating to be a great success, with the spacious and brightly-illuminated dancehall crowded to capacity.

The area also saw the introduction of speedway to the city, with regular competitions held there until 1939, and Leith Athletic once entertained Celtic in front of a bumper crowd of 21,000 football fans at Marine Gardens.

War brought an end to the leisure activities at the Marine Gardens, with many of the buildings taken over by the military in 1914 as billets.

Many attractions didn't re-open, and the last remnants of the area were lost during the Second World War, with the speedway track and ballroom converted into a factory in 1939, which was demolished in 1966.