1st November 2007
Vision Unveiled For New £200 Million Edinburgh City-Centre Neighbourhood
Transformation of Fountainbridge receives support from former resident Sir Sean ConneryA new name and vision for a vibrant £200 million city-centre neighbourhood transforming a former brewery site in the heart of Edinburgh has been unveiled. The new development, currently being created on the former Scottish & Newcastle bottling and distribution site in the Fountainbridge area of the city, will now be known as Springside. The vision for the area is the result of one of the Scottish capital's largest re-generation projects in more than half a century. When complete, the eight-acre Springside quarter will provide 600 new homes and 140,000 sq ft of high quality space for some 2,500 new jobs.
The rejuvenation of Fountainbridge has won the backing of one of the area's more famous former residents, screen icon Sir Sean Connery. Sir Sean, who was born and brought up in the area, said: "Growing up in Fountainbridge played a major part in my early experiences of Edinburgh. Its industrial legacy left an important imprint on my life - and on the rest of the city. I am pleased that now, at last, the walls are coming down, and the area will be opened up to be part of the city."
"I remember the community spirit and that will now have a place to thrive. I hope that the better housing and open spaces will vastly improve the general quality of life there - and give the surrounding community, and the rest of the city, a local neighbourhood that it deserves and it can be proud of."
Over the coming months, Springside will appear on billboards, advertising and websites as the demolition of buildings on the site enters the final stages and preparations get underway for the beginning of construction. The springside.co.uk website has also been launched to provide further information about the development and register interest. The first development phase, which incorporates a public park, central courtyards and two new tree-lined avenues linking Fountainbridge and the West Approach Road, was approved by the City of Edinburgh Council earlier this month. The £200 million project brings together the expertise of three leading companies, Grosvenor, AMA and the Royal Bank of Scotland, all of whom have experienced pedigrees in city centre development.
John Irvine, director of Grosvenor, said: "The name Springside reflects the rich heritage of Fountainbridge and marks the area's association with the underground water source known as the charmed circle.
"Springside will be a place for people to work, live and visit. It will unlock an area of the city which has effectively been closed to the people of Edinburgh for more than a century."
Dr Ali Afshar, director of AMA, added: "The springs beneath Fountainbridge, which still exist today, were a valuable resource for industry and embody our vision to create a distinct community with hundreds of new homes, stunning offices, shops and other local facilities in Fountainbridge."
One, two and three bedroom homes are proposed for Springside with the building materials echoing the rich industrial heritage of the site. Homebuilding proposals will reflect a contemporary interpretation of Edinburgh's much-loved traditional tenements. The city's traditional streetscape would be reinstated, with existing streets sympathetically extended to create a vibrant new city neighbourhood linking Bruntsfield and Viewforth in the south with the strategically important transport hub of Haymarket to the north. A £9 million 650-space underground car park - one of the largest subterranean spaces of its kind in Edinburgh - is also included as part of the planning applications, ensuring the wider development area becomes a pedestrian friendly-environment. The redevelopment of the brewery site follows the masterplan approved by the City of Edinburgh Council, and reflects guidelines set out by the Council's own development brief for the area.
AMA does not In anyway endorse the material presented or linked to and will not accept responsibility for inaccuracies or misleading statements. Readers should not act on the basis of the material without taking appropriate professional advice on their own particular circumstances.
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