Disused Granton train station could be restored as part of waterfront regeneration

A disused train station could be restored to its former glory as a centrepiece of the regeneration of Granton.

The B-listed building lies disused today.

Edinburgh City Council is pressing ahead with plans for Granton Waterfront – which could include 4,000 new homes, services, retail and cultural offerings to be built over the next 15 years.

Housing and economy committee members will today allocate £2.6 million of Scottish Government funding for ‘town centre’ projects across the Capital. One of four projects set to be approved for funding, is to allocate £1.718m to bring the listed former Granton train station back into public use.

The B-listed former rail station, which was built in 1903 to serve the Granton gas works, closed in 1942 and has been largely disused since.

Granton station not long after it was built in 1903

A report to councillors says: “The intention is to bring the building back into public-facing use as part of the wider Granton Waterfront regeneration and £1.718m would enable the building to be fully refurbished.

“A lower amount of funding would enable core repairs to be undertaken such as the removal of asbestos, de-rusting or repainting of steelwork, and replacement of missing flashing, to make the building weather-tight preparatory to a fuller package of works at a future date and could help leverage in further funding.”

Housing and economy convener, Cllr Kate Campbell, said: “Granton Station is an amazing building and, along with the gas holder, is an important link to the rich industrial heritage of the area.

“We’re going through a detailed discussion with the wider community about how we deliver the regeneration, long promised, for Granton Waterfront, so we don’t want to predetermine the use of the building. But the town centres fund allows us to invest in the structure and bring it up to a standard where it is ready to be adapted for use following the consultation.

“It’s clear, whatever its final use, this building is going to form part of the heart of the emerging community. Putting the investment it needs in now sends a strong message to the community that we will deliver for the waterfront.”

Conservative ward Cllr Jim Campbell welcomed the plans and said: “It’s an exciting addition to Waterfront Broadway – with so many excellent projects in Edinburgh, it was a tough choice to have to make.”

Other projects include £1m for South Queensferry, £400,000 for phase two of the Westside Plaza in Wester Hailes and a hub in Pennywell.