Craigmillar town centre revamp images revealed

FRESH images have been unveiled showcasing a major new revamp of Craigmillar town centre.

Artist's impression of the proposed Craigmillar town centre scheme. Picture: EDI Group

The £200 million scheme will see the area turned into a bustling hub over the next six years – complete with 300 new homes and a supermarket.

And new computer graphics released today show detailed designs for a town square at the centre of the project, as well as a community play park surrounded by flats and a restaurant.

Drawings depict the play area dotted with trees as part of a wider “green setting”, with a variety of colourful equipment and wooden platforms for children to explore – as well as a seating area for parents and the surrounding community.

Developers said the facility will be delivered in an area off Niddrie Mains Road, adjacent to the proposed new housing development.

Meanwhile, a second image shows a tree-lined town square pegged for the north side of Niddrie Mains Road.

A community information event showcasing the plans will be held this Thursday from 3pm to 7pm at The White House on Niddrie Mains Road.

Denise Havard, community development manager at EDI, said the aim was to create “safe and inspiring spaces for residents to meet the growing needs of the area”.

She said: “We are pleased to be able to showcase our proposed plans to the community which forms part of our overall vision for the regeneration of Craigmillar.”

The Craigmillar development is being spearheaded by Parc on behalf of Edinburgh Council’s arms-length development company EDI.

Last year, the Evening News revealed proposals for a short-term green space on the site where a replacement Castlebrae Community High is scheduled to be built by 2020.

The plans – which bosses insist are on track to be completed by April – include upgrading existing paths along a new woodland area, as well as planting an orchard and making room for a hazel and wood copse. The temporary parkland will then be phased out as development on the site progresses.

Blueprints for the wider Craigmillar revamp show a £27m replacement secondary school, with space for around 600 pupils, located close to the existing community library – with an entrance at Niddrie Mains Road.

Councillor Frank Ross, the city’s economy leader and chair of the EDI board, said the designs would rise to meet the different needs of modern families.

He said: “While the development is still under way, this information event will help residents to put forward their own ideas and shape the use of the plot.

“Craigmillar has changed a lot over the last few years and today’s households have different needs. The area should be an active space for the local community to enjoy.”

Council bosses previously admitted the multi-million-pound Craigmillar regeneration project – ordered in 2012 in an attempt to boost interest in the area – was running about four years behind schedule.

[email protected]