Design tsar wades in to attack city Waterfront

THE city council's own design champion today warned there was a "lack of joined-up thinking" over plans to redevelop Edinburgh's Waterfront.

Sir Terry Farrell, the council's design tsar, warned if the project was not properly carried out, the city would squander one of the finest opportunities ever presented to enhance the Capital.

He said: "The entire Waterfront of Edinburgh should be regarded as the finest waterfront opportunity in the UK, if not Europe.

"There has been very little joined-up thinking and little vision of the scale and quality that distinguishes Edinburgh's past urban planning achievements.

"With the recent change in the council, there has been something of a hiatus, but I am hopeful the new councillors, with new senior city officers in place, might well be beginning to recognise that Edinburgh is faced with large-scale city-making opportunities that have to be urgently grasped."

The waterfront transformation is being led by a partnership of Forth Ports, National Grid and Waterfront Edinburgh Limited.

Forth Ports, which plans to redevelop Leith's slice of the waterfront, recently submitted the largest planning application ever be considered by the council.

But critics, including a group of leading architects from around the world, say the proposals are not exciting and daring enough.

Mr Farrell added: "There have been some good workshops over the past few years on the subject of the waterfront. But, as yet, little joined-up thinking has emerged.

"It's not the joined-up thinking within this (Forth Ports'] masterplan, but how all the masterplans connect together into a single great vision."

Leith councillor Marjorie Thomas welcomed Mr Farrell's comments, and warned against proceeding too quickly with the Forth Ports scheme.

She said: "There have been local concerns about design quality. We mustn't jump in without looking more closely at this."

Waterfront Edinburgh, which is behind the Granton redevelopment, has already switched its focus from luxury flats to more family homes after criticism.

But a spokesman for Forth Ports "strongly refuted" there was a lack of joined-up thinking. He said much more detail would become available when nine individual masterplans are published.

Andrew Holmes, the city's director of city development, said: "We are fully aware of the scale of the opportunity and are pleased that it is similarly recognised by others. We are also confident the council and wider development community will grasp the potential presented by these changes."