New Edinburgh park opens within former gasholder in Granton as part of major regeneration

The Gasholder 1 Park sits within the completely restored gasholder with views over the Firth of Forth.

Council Leader Jane Meagher was joined by Minister for Employment and Investment Tom Arthur, representatives from the main contractor McLaughlin & Harvey, as well as volunteers from Granton Hub and members of Pianodrome, Scran Academy and Craigyroyston Youth Football Club, to mark the opening of the park ahead of a family fun day and ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, April 5.

The Gasholder 1 Park sits within the completely restored gasholder with views over the Firth of Forth. | City of Edinburgh Council

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A club member of the Craigroyston Youth Community Football Club will join the council leader to cut the ribbon and officially declare the park open for residents and visitors to enjoy for decades to come.

The entrance of the park is marked with large Hollywood style lettering making it more visible for local people and others visiting to enjoy its open green space and play equipment.

It has six different zones including three play areas with a wide range of play equipment. There is plenty of outdoor space to explore and an inner ring walk going round the outer edges of the frame with a range of places to sit and relax. An outdoor exhibition has also been created which showcases the history of Granton gasworks as well as the restoration process.

Council Leader Jane Meagher joined by Investment Minister Tom Arthur to her left as well as other representatives from McLaughlin & Harvey and the council. | City of Edinburgh Council

Council Leader Jane Meagher said: “The Gasholder 1 Park opening is a huge milestone reached for the £1.3bn Granton Waterfront project. It is really inspiring to look out over this important piece of coastal land for our Capital city and see these much needed homes and other facilities literally springing up out of the ground.

“The new park is a fantastic addition for local communities and the hundreds of new tenants including families who have recently moved into the homes we have built for social and mid-market rent in the area.

“Many of these are on land immediately surrounding the new park and I’m delighted to say that many more homes are being planned or under construction which will be ready for hundreds of new tenants in the next few years.

“The historic gasholder gives the new park a unique look and feel and it will also be seen for miles around as the restored frame is lit up after dark.

“This exciting opening follows the restoration of the former Granton Station building and the new public square also created to provide a sense of place for the local community which opened to great fanfare in March 2023.

“I’m delighted to cut the ribbon on Saturday to open this exciting new space for the local community as well as the thousands of other visitors I’m sure it will attract from Edinburgh and beyond in the years to come.”

Young people from Craigroyston Youth Football Club celebrate the park opening. | City of Edinburgh Council

The 1.2 hectare park, set within the restored iconic gasholder frame, was created using £1.2 million from the Scottish Government’s Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme.

This work followed refurbishment of the frame as well as removal of the historic bell using funding from the UK Government. The restored and repainted gasholder frame is also now a beacon of light in north Edinburgh as it is lit up permanently after dark.

Investment Minister Tom Arthur said: “We have contributed £1.2 million towards transformation of Granton’s Gasholder from a derelict site to a vibrant and accessible space for people to enjoy.

“This is part of wider efforts to regenerate the Granton area, including a recent project supported by the Scottish Government to transform derelict industrial units at Granton Waterfront into communal spaces.

“To help communities thrive, we are providing £62.15 million towards regeneration in 2025-26. This will support projects which revitalise green spaces, town centres and derelict sites to benefit people across Scotland.”

A new sculpture now also takes pride of place at the centre of the park, commissioned by the council last year following input from the local community. Svetland Kondakova Muir designed the piece to portray one of the Firth of Forth’s most special visitors - the humpback whale - the recently completed artwork was put in place last week.

Local music group Pianodrome join council leader Jane Meagher (back) to celebrate the park opening. | City of Edinburgh Council

UK Government Minister for Local Growth, Alex Norris, said: “Having visited Granton earlier in the year, it is wonderful to see the new Gasholder 1 Park will be opening this week. This green space will really bring the community together, from young families to elderly residents and visitors to the City.

“The refurbishment of the derelict gas holder structure has provided a real beacon of light to Edinburgh, retaining its unique history and character, while wider transformation work is underway to Granton Waterfront.

“This is exactly the kind of collaboration and locally led growth we want to see all across Scotland and the UK in our mission to boost growth and renewal as part of our Plan for Change.”

Graham Brown, Senior Contracts Manager at McLaughlin & Harvey, said: “Gasholder 1 Park was a unique restoration project to deliver for the City of Edinburgh Council. In deconstructing the old bell, refurbishing the listed steel structure, and repainting the frame, we have solved complex engineering challenges.

“The ribbon cutting ceremony is a brilliant opportunity for McLaughlin & Harvey to celebrate the vast civil engineering experience of our team as well as the success achieved in our collaboration with our client and supply chain partners.”

Tomorrow’s family fun day will include a community singalong with Pianodrome at 11am, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11.15am with council leader Jane Meagher.

There will also be family arts and craft activities, penalty shoot-outs with Craigroyston Community Youth Football Club, free ice cream, free face painting and exhibition stalls.