Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP
MORNINGSIDE & BRUNTSFIELD GAZETTE APRIL 2008
Over the last few years, we’ve seen the gradual development of the areas around the canal.
Following the canal renovation, a £60 million investment was made in Edinburgh Quay at Fountainbridge and now we’re seeing the old Scottish and Newcastle brewery buildings coming down. The finalised plan for this site is a mixture of housing, offices, small business units and a new local shopping centre.
The area from the west of Lothian Road is increasingly referred to as the ‘Financial Centre’ as more high quality office space is occupied by pensions and investment companies, banks and lawyers. The plan has identified opportunities for this financial district to expand westwards onto the sites that will become available following the closure of the brewery. This could bring job and business opportunities and has the potential to enhance the area.
HBOS announced last month that they are interested in the Brewery site next to the canal. They would plan to develop a site which would be suitable for their 6000 employees currently spread across the city. I’ve written to HBOS asking to be kept fully up to date with their plans. They’ve told me that their discussions with S&N are at a very early stage and that the exclusivity agreement they have is simply an agreement to talk at this stage. They also emphasised that there is no certainty the deal will go ahead.
If this deal were to go ahead this would have implications for the housing and new school ear-marked by the Council for this site. Whilst the possibility of a new or refurbished building for Boroughmuir High has been under question for sometime, the identification of a site for a new-build has always been a stumbling block.
Local shops and small businesses will be welcome and give a boost to the area but what’s offered needs to be right for those who live here as well as work here.
Questions have been asked about the number of new office / retail builds in this area and whether there is sufficient demand for them. No one wants to see premises remain unlet for lengthy periods – it doesn’t enhance the area and can attract crime. But there is a greater concern over the amount of land used to build offices when we desperately need more affordable housing in the city.
The plan has identified that this area could accommodate 1200 housing units. But I know people want a choice of more than one and two bedroom flats squeezed into a part of town which seems to have high density as an over-riding factor. Promises have been made about affordable housing and they need to be kept.
When developing the area further, it’s important to consider the views and needs of people who live here and to be mindful of local history.
