Regeneration plans aim to restore drab street to former glory

But now the drab low-rise retail blocks on Niddrie Mains Road are set to be restored to their original art deco glory.

The move is part of a major regeneration of the area, and will see original features designed in the 1930s restored to the buildings. These "pillars" were originally put into the shopping blocks to match up with the design of the neighbouring White House pub, which is also being restored by the developer PARC.

The proposals, which received a favourable response from local residents and shopkeepers at a recent public meeting, would see the shopfronts "broken up" visually, with the old pillar features reinstated.

These white bands would then be decorated with art features such as sand-blasted metal panels or carvings in the stone, to lift the look of the whole area.

It is hoped the work could be carried out in the summer, if the plans are approved by the city council.

John Millar, a director of Bennetts Associates Architects which is working on the scheme, said he hoped it would breathe new life back into the street, which currently has several boarded-up vacant shop fronts.

"We were asked to look at a relatively low-cost way of improving the shopping blocks along Niddrie Mains Road, and when we went down to have a closer look we realised they actually shared some of the art deco design of the White House, as it is thought they were designed and built at the same time," he said.

"It is difficult to see now, but it would not take a lot of work to restore them and would be a fairly simple way to break up the street, and provide an interesting visual aspect. Essentially, we would be taking back some of the breaks between the different shop units, to create a pillar effect. These would then be decorated with either stonework or metal panels.

"We had originally thought about putting lighting in there, but some of the residents were concerned about vandalism, so we are now looking at something a bit simpler.

"We have had some discussions with shopkeepers and they were broadly supportive of the idea, although there is a lot of work still to do."

The work would coincide with improvements being carried out to the surrounding area, including pavements, as well as the refurbishment of the B-listed White House, which is set to become a temporary exhibition space before, it is hoped, eventually reopening as a traditional pub or cafe bar.

The plans are all part of the 200 million neighbourhood regeneration scheme being led by developer PARC, and a spokesman said: "This is an interesting idea which would be a simple way to restore some of the original features of the building and improve the look and feel of the area. We are still in talks with local shopkeepers and residents about the details of the scheme."

He added that PARC was also hoping to launch an appeal to find old stories and pictures of the glory days of the White House pub, which was built in 1936.