Gasholder Park helps Granton take a big step forward - Steve Cardownie

Granton Gasholder Park 1 opening is a huge milestone for the £1.3bn Granton Waterfront project

The park, which forms part of the £1.3 billion investment in the regeneration of the area, is a welcome addition to the city council’s parks estate and promises to be a hit with residents and visitors alike.

I often walked my Border Collie along the seafront between Gypsy Brae and Cramond Village but sometimes made a short diversion to witness the progress that the park’s formation was making. The enhancement of this underused part of Edinburgh is more than welcome and it is gratifying to see that another piece of the jigsaw has been put in place,

The 1.2-hectare park is set within the restored gasholder frame which was considered an eyesore by many who lived there. However, using £1.2 million from the Scottish Government’s Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme, the park has been situated within the structure, which was an inspired move and has given the gasholder a new lease of life.

It makes more than a passing reference to Granton’s industrial past (my father used to work in the wireworks there) while acknowledging its new role in the community and will undoubtedly enhance a sense of pride in the area.

The Scottish Government’s Minister for Employment and Investment, Tom Arthur, has pledged £62.15 million for the continued regeneration of the area in 2025/6. This should help ensure that the west side of the city’s seafront has the necessary funding that has long been overdue. Other cities would recognize the potential that our seafront has to offer and would have taken steps to make sure that it was developed accordingly.

There is ample scope for more initiatives that can generate greater interest in our western seaboard and, in tandem with additional investment at Seafield, present opportunities that cannot be ignored.

There are a good number of people who have worked tirelessly on this park project, volunteering their services on behalf of the community, and they should be commended for seeing it come to fruition.