Plans for Â£25 million revamp of Muirhouse shopping centre revealed

New images have been unveiled showcasing the Â£25 million revamp of Muirhouse shopping centre.

Picture; contributed — New images have been unveiled showcasing the Â£25 million revamp of Muirhouse shopping centre. Picture; contributed

City bosses want to transform the downtrodden hub – which recently featured as a filming location in Trainspotting 2 – into a bustling mix of shops, restaurants, businesses and a “civic square” for community events.

The move is part of the wider regeneration of Muirhouse and Pennywell, which is one of Scotland’s largest improvement projects.

Around £150m of public and private investment has been pumped into the revamp so far, with a new Craigroyston Community High School built in 2010 and plans for an extra 2000 new residents to move to the area in the next six to eight years.

Plans of the new Â£25 million development. Picture; contributed

Construction of more than 700 new homes and an NHS-led partnership centre is also well under way.

Councillor Cammy Day,  the city’s housing leader,  said: “The Pennywell development is Scotland’s largest housing-led regeneration scheme and captures what we’re aiming for across the city – a range of affordable, energy efficient homes that are  completed to the highest standard.

“We know there is a strong desire within the Pennywell  and Muirhouse community to see the area transformed into a new “civic heart” for the existing, new and emerging population.

“These proposals for a new local centre and community hub will make the area an attractive place where people wish to live, work and play and will serve future generations.”

The new shopping centre plans include provision for 160 energy-efficient affordable homes, as well as 13 retail units, new office space and a “quality civic square and public realm”.

More than 90 of the new houses will be built specifically for older people, with lift access and communal meeting space.

Council leaders hope this will create a “safe, secure and supportive environment to enable residents to remain in their home for longer”.

A report detailing the scheme will go before councillors next week, with the new hub expected to be delivered on a phased basis over the next three to four years.

The report states: “Development of the civic centre will complete the regeneration of the area, help accelerate housebuilding in the city, address demand for affordable homes and ensure that a vibrant local centre is retained for future generations.”

Councillors are set to hand the project order to Willmott Dixon Construction Ltd.

Consultations will be carried out this month and next, before a full planning application is submitted early next year.

Council leader Andrew Burns said: “[The shopping centre] has been in desperate need of upgrading an renovation for several years.

“It’s a big development – it will be a big, big change. The detail is still up for grabs and open to consultation.”

We reported earlier this year how the front of the shopping precinct was swamped with cameras when it was used for filming Trainspotting 2.

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