Waterfront and Leith
Proposals
Contents
Introduction
3
Survey
4
Character Areas
4
Greenspace and Derelict Land
5
Infrastructure
6
Great City Street - Existing Character
7
Proposals Cycle Proposals
14
Key Interventions
16
Stalled Spaces Strategy
19
Small Landscape Interventions
20
Parklets
21
Emphasising Entrances
22
Summary
2
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Introduction The Waterfront has long been recognised as one of Edinburgh’s key areas for development. Brownfield sites which were made available by industrial decline in the area offered the opportunity to create sustainable and attractive new neighbourhoods. This process has begun, but the economic crisis has stalled the Waterfront in its evolution from industrial area to a liveable, workable, modern developments. The legacy of this is a fragmented and incohesive landscape characterised by empty lots and left-over spaces. The Waterfront has a spectrum of assets from distinctive seaside character to links to Leith Walk and sweeping views of the Forth. However these are not exploited and fail to relate to each other.
G
t rea
City
St
Granton
re
et
Granton Square
Great City Stre e
Newhaven t
Gre
Newhaven Roundabout
at
Ci
ty
The Waterfront and Leith Area Development Framework treats Leith, Newhaven and Granton as a singular entity and recognises that strengthening these area’s connection to the rest of the city will increase their value. The Area Development Framework identifies the possibility to transform the A901 stretching from Leith to Granton into a ‘Great City Street’. This will link up neighbourhood ‘Hearts’ along the route identified by the community which will form key focal points.
Str
eet
Leith
The Shore
This document proposes interventions to help to realise the Great City Street concept and to enhance the community Hearts. It recommends ways to exploit the Waterfront’s considerable assets and create cohesive, attractive places through infrastructure and greenspace rather than through development. It will also consider possible strategies for dealing with vacant plots and leftover spaces. In order to identify the key opportunities for improvement, a survey has been carried out of the Leith to Granton proposed route of the Great City Street, each community Heart and its hinterland.
Granton Crescent Park
Granton Waterfront
Western Harbour
Water of Leith
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Character Areas The proposed section of the Great City Street focused on in this document stretches from The Shore along to Granton Square, covering approximately 2.5 miles in distance. It runs through three key neighbourhoods on its route, each with their own distinctive character: Leith Much of Leiths character stems from the area’s history as a influential port town. The streetscapes are generally defined by a series of landmark historic buildings which create a strong sense of place such as the Corn Exchange, Leith Library and the Leith clock tower on Bernard Street. Leith was identified as an area for improvement in both in the Victorian times and the 1960s. While the Victorian legacy was a rigid street pattern which fitted with the original medieval herringbone form, the 1960s removed the ancient heart of Leith, the Kirkgate, replacing it with tower blocks and a shopping arcade. With the cleaning up of the Water of Leith in the late 1980s, Leith became a more attractive location. High end restaurants sprung up along the Shore and there was a surge of residential development both of new builds, and of existing tenements and warehouses. The relocation of the Scottish Government also helped to make Leith a ‘destination area’. On the whole, Leith is now thriving with a rich variety of businesses and public amenities, visitor attractions such as the Royal Yacht Britannia and desirable residencies. Leith also has very good greenspace provision with evenly distributed pocket parks and a large public space in the form of Leith Links. Although, as with anywhere, Leith could benefit from improvements and interventions, it is an prosperous area and investment might be better spend on other parts of the Great City Street route.
Newhaven
Granton
Newhaven consists of three characters ‘Old Newhaven’ or the original fishing village, the ‘New Town’ consisting of residential villas further south and the Western Harbour 21st century developments. Newhaven was originally a fishing village consisting of a main street with closes running off towards the sea. Some of the buildings along Newhaven Main Street and the adjacent lanes are the original fishermens’ cottages, with steps to the second floor, while the first floor was used for storing nets. Newhaven Main Street is the heart of ‘Old Newhaven’ which also encompasses the Harbour. The distinctive fishermans village character is one of Newhaven’s main assets. Unfortunately the busy A901 draws focus away from the main street and divides it from the Harbour. It is a busy road with some narrow sections along the seafront, making moving along the road an unpleasant experience for cyclists and pedestrians, despite the attractive views over the Forth.
Granton harbour was built in 1836, responding to the need for a harbour along the seafront and Granton grew up from a hamlet in response. It became a successful port and there are a few high quality landmark buildings which were built as a result of this influx of wealth, such as Claverhouse Training Centre in Granton Square. Granton Square was the heart of the community and remains so, but offers little in the way of community services as it basically consists of a large roundabout which is difficult to access due to traffic.
The Harbour is an attractive location with restaurants and outside dining options. However part of it has suffered from lack of maintenance and could definitely be improved. The ‘New Town’ is a strongly residential area with a few odd amenities such as newsagents. The building typologies consist of a mix of the Victorian villas and tenements. The area is very green but disconnected from the waterfront. Western Harbour is comprised of the 21st century mid-rise flats interspersed between empty plots. Western Harbour hosts a large Asda, sports centre and hotel, but on the whole it is characterised by its vacant space. The entrance to Western Harbour is particularly poor.
Granton today is a dissipated settlement divided between Granton Pier and its associated area, an area of post-war housing and new development associated with Telford College. These three areas relate very poorly to each other. Granton Pier is defined by warehouses set far back from the road, vast vacant plots overgrown with pioneering vegetation and new build mid-rise flats. Some well designed streets have been created with street trees and generous cycle paths, running though areas which are yet to be developed. Throughout the pier there is a certain sense of being in a ghost town, or that you should not be there. It is not a comfortable place to move through. South of Granton Square lies an area of post-war housing. The buildings here are of poor quality and are extremely repetitive. However, the greenspace provision is good and the area has some very well maintained gardens. It is clear that a good number of people really care about their environment in Granton. There is much greater sense of community than in Leith or Newhaven despite the public realm doing little to facilitate this. Much of the development which has taken place in West Granton associated with Telford College has been positive, but has failed to really integrate with the rest of Granton. This may be due to a slight overprovision of intermittant greenspace which increases distances between destinations, results in less continuous streets and decreased walkability. The different parts of Granton need to relate better to each other and Granton square needs to offer more to the community than it is currently doing.
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Greenspace and Derelict Land
Within the Newhaven and Granton provision of greenspace is generally poor with a considerable proportions of properties located over out with 800m 800m fromofgreenspace. quality greenspace. Leith is much Leith is better much better served, served, partially partially as a result as a of result the Leith of theLinks LeithPark. LinksPlay Park. Play space is also a problem with both Granton and Newhaven being underserved being underserved in comparison in comparison to Leith to and Leith, underserved and underserved compared to the city to compared standard. the city standard.
This underlines the importance of providing quality greenspace in Newhaven and Granton to increase provision across those areas. The Open Space Strategy proposes greenspace developments across these areas; one at Western Harbour and another in Leith.
Derelict land throughout the three areas is problematic and these empty spaces impact on the character of the area. There is a lack of focus to the area as a result of this. theseMany empty have spaces. Many derelict been have been for derelict a number forofa years number andofthese yearscould and these be better could be better used untilused development until development takes place takes on site. place on site.
5
XX Infrastructure
Pedestrian Routes There is good pedestrian access throughout all three areas, with some minor exceptions caused by narrow pavements. Widening pavements throughout the area where possible would be beneficial.
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Cycle Routes The waterfront is well connected with several of Edinburgh’s key cycle routes terminating along it. However, the cycle provision along the proposed ‘Great City Street’ is poor and the road is often narrow which can make cycling challenging. There is potential to create a cycle route running along the waterfront which would link the existing routes.
Vehicular Routes Roads along the waterfront between Granton and Newhaven are narrow. Most of the roads in the surrounding areas are acceptable. The area is well served by bus routes with the 7, 10, 11, 19, 22, 34, 35 and 36 terminating along the waterfront and the 16 running all the way along the Great City Street route.
Survey
Great City Street - Existing Character
Route of Great City Street The 2.5 mile stretch of Proposed City Street, running from the Shore to West of Granton Square, has been surveyed and split into ‘micro-character areas’ which have been defined and analysed: 1. Leith Heart - The Shore 2. Commercial Street 3. Beginning of Lindsay Road 4. Newhaven Main Street 5. Lindsay Road 6. Newhaven Heart - Starbank Roundabout 7. Starbank Road 8. Lower Granton Road 9. Granton Heart - Granton Square 10. West Harbour Road
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Great City Street - Existing Character
Survey
1. Leith Heart - The Shore
2. Commercial Street
The Shore is a strong centre of activity and movement. The area fully exploits the asset of the Water of Leith, with cafes and restaurants benefiting from the waterfront location. The area also benefits from a distinct sea port character and attractive, well-maintained historic buildings. High quality landscape treatments contribute to making the Shore an inviting location. Parking along the shore jeopardises the benefits of proximity to the Water of Leith but this is a small scale problem.
Commercial Street runs from the Shore down to the junction with Lindsay Road. It comprises of a long attractive vista with a healthy mix of businesses and services. On the whole the buildings are of very good quality and are similar in character to much of Leith. It suffers slightly from the proximity of Commercial Quay which draws activity away from the street. Midway down the street is a strong view of the Scottish Government building which gives Commercial Street a greater sense prestige. The street quality and density of amenities deteriorates toward the west end of the street.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
• Strong historic character • Well connected •‘Destination’ place • Well served by restaurants and cafes
• Street clutter and parking along the Shore • Invasive vegetation along the waterfront
• Opportunity to completely pedestrianise the Shore
• Invasive vegetation threatens the strength if the Water of Leith as a visual amenity
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
• Strong street vista created by converted warehouses • Citadel is an attractive landmark building • Proximity to the Scottish Government which is a important destination
• Converted warehouses lack active frontages which instead face onto Commercial Quay • Amenities become increasingly widely spaced moving west • Narrow pavement on northern side of street
• Cycle lane provision could be stronger given the width of the road • Encouraging shops to make greater use of Commercial Street frontage
• Character of the street declining further moving away from Leith • Empty shop, flat and industrial units for rent: this trend could continue decreasing the areas pulling power
The Shore facing east
Leith Art School, one of only Pocket park on the Shore looking over the water of Leith. two independent art schools in Scotland, is locate on the Shore.
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Commercial Street - Converted warehouses give the street a strong symmetry.
The Citadel - an attractive landmark building midway down the street which houses a youth centre.
Survey
Great City Street - Existing Character
3. Beginning of Lindsay Road
4. Newhaven Main Street
The section of Lindsay Road running from the Commercial Street junction to North Fort Street is a problem area that acts as a serious obstacle to the creation of a ‘Great City Street’. The street is defined by barriers on both sides in the form of railings and foliage which obstruct the view on either side and removes any sense of place. The barriers also create a motorway feel to the road. This stretch of road gives the sense you are entering much less attractive area from the one you just left.
Ann Field through Newhaven Main Street is the most direct pedestrian and cycle route through from Lindsay Place to Craighall Road. The route is cobbled and is a more traditional fishing village style in comparison to the waterfront. There are some examples of pocket planting through Newhaven Main Street and public art at Ann Field which add a sense of place to the area. The street could benefit from increasing this planting along the length to add continuity and continue the work that has been done to date.
There is a lack of signage highlighting the cycle path and the alternate route from Lindsay Road to Ocean Drive. The road is notably wide through this section of street but the cycle provision is poor and could be improved. A number of dead spaces characterise the street and contribute to its sense as a negative space that is not pedestrian focused.
Newhaven Main Street has a distinct character and links through to Lindsay Road and Pier Place. Their is a significant amount of parking along the street and due to the small scale of the street the cars feel very dominant in the space.
Strengths • Link to a cycle route
Weaknesses • Car dominated space • Dead spaces • Barriers • Narrow pavements • Lack of cycle areas at the edge of roads • Visual barriers
Extraneous street railings and bins clutter the street. The wooden barrier hides the cycle route.
Opportunities
Threats
• Widen pavements
• Continuous high
(possibly add street trees) • Cycle provision • Bring dead spaces into use • Thin trees to at the beginning of the cycle route to provide visual reference points for pedestrians. • Add cycle signage
speed traffic • Lack of defining character to the street • Overgrown planting acting as a barrier
On the north side of the street heavy railings form a barrier. There is a cycle ramp taking cyclists down to Ocean Terminal but this links poorly with the nearby cycle route.
As a through route it could benefit from some signage to make it more evident to pedestrians and cyclists that there is an opportunity to travel along that road. Tucked away behind Lindsay Road, Newhaven Main Street is a very quiet and can make pedestrians feel a little out of place. There is a possibility to open this road up to traffic again or even to just remove the street clutter at the western end to increase movement along it. Drawing the emphasis back to this street would restore its historic purpose and allow it to become an attractive through route.
Strengths • Strong fishing village character that defines the area • Public art and pocket planting • Links through to Lindsay Road
Newhaven Street from Starbank Road.
Weaknesses • Unclear that a pedestrian and cycle through route exists • Very quiet for such a key street • Street clutter in the form of bins and railings obscure the street from the western end
Fisherman cottage style houses.
Opportunities
Threats
• Add signage
• Parking • Lack of awareness
highlighting the through route for pedestrians and cyclists • Additional planting • Reintroduction of traffic
of the street as a pedestrian route • Although the cobble setts are an asset, they prevent the street being used as an alternative safer route for cyclists
Parking is a dominant feature in this small scale street.
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Great City Street - Existing Character
Survey
5. Lindsay Road
6. Newhaven Heart - Starbank Roundabout
The section of Lindsay Road that is located parallel to Newhaven Main Street is a notably busy stretch, with a major junction providing access to Western Harbour. It is an important part of the route because it provides the key connection to what will become a large residential area with a significant area of greenspace. Currently the entrance junction to Western Harbour is underwhelming. Cars dominate the space and it takes considerable time for pedestrians to circumnavigate the junction. Empty plots are located on either side of Sandpiper Drive leading into Western Harbour and there is no sense of arrival.
The Newhaven Heart is the area surrounding the roundabout at the foot of Craighall Road. This has been identified as the community heart, despite having not a lot to recommend it visually. The cafe Porto & fi is located on one corner of the roundabout, with Masons Bakery on the other corner. Possibly one reason this is thought of as the community heart as it is one of the rare places in Newhaven where there is a visual connection with the area south of the waterfront. This should be capitalised on. The centre of the roundabout is quite small but there is potential to develop this to add to the character of the area.
Moving west from the junction there is some landscaping on either side of the road and the street is generally very pleasant. The south side of the road is quite narrow but benefits from a square located between Newhaven Main Street and Pier Place with a mix of hard landscaping and planting.
The end of Newhaven Main Street where it joins with Craighall Road is currently a parking and turning circle. It is divided from the pavement by barriers which currently have a variety of trade bins placed against them. This area could be improved with the removal of the barriers and widening of the pedestrian area. The bins need relocated or underground bins added similar to those in use in the Grassmarket.
Newhaven Pier is a key landmark and the restaurant facilities along it provide a draw. On the whole it is a great asset to the area. While the space directly around the restaurants has attractive cobbles and street trees, the space in front of the pier currently suffers from a lack of maintenance. Landscaping interventions here could strengthen the draw of Newhaven Pier. Strengths • The square located by the Harbour Inn • Road fairly green • Newhaven Pier
Weaknesses • Very busy main road • Junction difficult for pedestrians • Poor entrance to Western Harbour • Lack of defensible pedestrian space • Poorly maintained areas
Opportunities
Threats
• Reconsidering
• Stalled
junction pattern to make it more pedestrian accessible • Re-using vacant land for temporary greening • Improve Newhaven Pier
Western Harbour Junction looking east toward Newhaven. The junction is very wide and it has a negative effect on pedestrian experience of moving down the street.
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development leaving continued vacant space • Continued deterioration of Newhaven Pier
Well maintained area at Newhaven Harbour adjacent to restaurant facilities.
There is space at this location for some form of small scale landscape intervention associated with the cafe to encourage outdoor seating and generally improve the look of the area. The roundabout and adjacent pedestrian area actually has a large footprint 1,250m2 so there is space to do much more with the space than exists at present.
Strengths • Strong historic character • Attractive aspect
Weaknesses • Lack of usable space outside of cafe • Lack of definition to roundabout • Poor maintenance by the pier
Opportunities
Threats • Current bin set up • Add public art to • No. 7 bus using the roundabout the roundabout as a • Improved turning circle limiting landscaping outside the cafe at the end of the amount of space which can be claimed Newhaven Street back from the road • Underground bin storage
Starbank Road roundabout, the road area is far larger than necessary, making it more dangerous for cyclists.
The cafe Porto&fi is very popular and draws people to the roundabout. The quality of the outdoor seating is compromised by the badly positioned bins
Survey
Great City Street - Existing Character
7. Starbank Road
8. Lower Granton Road
The section along Starbank Road to Trinity Crescent is notably narrow in both road and pavement widths. There are attractive views from the road across to Fife and this is one of the defining features of this section. However the sheer lack of space causes difficulties in transforming Starbank Road into part of a Great City Street. A major intervention would be necessary to make use of this aspect and to improve the section to provide a safe cycle option at this point. The sea wall is quite high, impeding views over the Forth and creating a sense of disconnection from the waterfront. The section does however have good quality greenspace in the form of Starbank Park which faces out onto the water and makes good use of the aspect.
Lower Granton Road through to Granton Square is a considerable section of road that covers almost a mile. This section has good opportunity for separation of pedestrians and vehicles because of the wide grassy stretch between the sea wall and the road. Along the eastern half of the stretch there is already a paved cycle path. Along the western stretch a desire line has been created which is used by cyclists. There is opportunity to improve this space further and make it more usable.
A walkway could be added to the seaward side of the existing wall. This would allow for improved access to the views over the water and provide a safe space for cyclists particularly as this stretch of road is considered to be part of the costal cycle path.
This section of the route has good links both to the Canonmills to Trinity bike route and to the pedestrian route of the Eastern Breakwater. The entrances to both these routes are very poorly indicated. They could be made much clearer.
Strengths • Excellent views to Fife • Starbank Park
Weaknesses • Busy, narrow road • Serious lack of space • Poor provision for cyclists
Opportunities
Threats
• Add a walkway to
• Traffic through the
the seaward side of the existing wall
street • Lack of pedestrian crossing points, particularly by Trinity Crescent
Planting along the western strip makes it much more attractive than the eastern strip which is quite bleak. The western strip planting could be imitated on the eastern strip.
Strengths • Green space • Good separation of traffic and pedestrian/cycle areas • Good aspect and sea views
Weaknesses • Space is empty • Poor muddy path along the western stretch of the greenspace • Poor connection to cycle route and to the Eastern Breakwater
Opportunities
Threats
• Continue the paved
• Deterioration of the
path the whole length seaward wall of the greenspace • Loss of pathway at • Additional Planting Granton • Add seating
View looking east toward Newhaven Harbour.
View looking west down Starbank Road.
There are a considerable number of originally shop properties which have been converted to flats.
View looking west along the along the western section of Lower Granton Road.
View looking west toward Granton along the eastern section of Lower Granton Road. To the right is a stretch of greenspace and the cycle route. Nothing has been done with the greenspace and it generally looks quite bleak.
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Great City Street - Existing Character
Survey
9. Granton Heart - Granton Square
10. West Harbour Road
Granton Square is currently used as a roundabout with a public toilet located in the centre. In a disjointed area it is a key linking space connecting the harbour with the postwar housing area, and Granton with the rest of the city. The centre of the roundabout is difficult to access due to heavy traffic and the lack of pedestrian crossing points. The road is particularly wide. On either side of the roundabout there is a Bus stand which can hold two buses. The roundabout, as well as technically being a greenspace, is well connected to other greenspace with Granton Crescent Park located just across the road. Pedestrian flow between them is disrupted by the wide road.
The initial eastern stretch of West Harbour Road is similar to Granton Square with attractive historic buildings on one side and a avenue of recently planted street trees on the other. After this the street takes on a very industrial, rundown character with patches of leftover, overgrown land. On the northern side warehouses are set back from the street and on the southern side poor quality fences and walls border small businesses such as scaffolders and scrap metal merchants. There is also a large area of derelict land primed for development on the southern side. A strong asset of this area is the Northern Lighthouse Board depot, a distinctive historical building which now houses a rehearsal and recording studio. This could possibly act as a catalyst to initiate new, lighter industry in this area.
Symmetrical buildings on either side of the square create a strong spatial form and provide historic identity. The square is visually the strongest part of Granton and has been identified as a heart by the community. Like the Newhaven roundabout this is probably due to its function as a key movement node. There is very little activity which takes place here but there is an opportunity to change this and create a space which can be used for community activities. The central area, adjacent roads and pedestrian space add up to approximately 4500m2. There is definitely enough room for something more meaningful to be done with this space. Strengths • Greenspace and trees • Historic building identified as important by the community • Public toilet
Weaknesses • Car dominated • Lack of pedestrian access to the central square • Wide roads
Opportunities
• Improved
pedestrian access to the square • Widening the roundabout • Removing the roundabout • Traffic calming measures
Threats • Heavy traffic • Lack of amenities in the vicinity • The necessity of a bus turning circle and bus stands may make removing the roundabout difficult
West Harbour Road forms a junction with Waterfront Avenue and Chestnut Street which could be a key connection linking ‘New Granton’ (the area Strengths • Landmark building in the form of the Northern Lighthouse Board depot • Wide road
Weaknesses • Lack of everyday amenities - there is no reason to come to the street unless you work there • General sense of the street being run down, lack of maintenance
Opportunities • Encourage further development of the creative industry • Connect cycle routes by putting in cycle lanes on the road
Threats • Vacant plot remaining vacant • Lack of investment in the street will prevent the disparate areas of Granton being better linked up
Summary In its current state it is difficult to imagine the stretch of the A901 from the Shore to Granton Square as a Great City Street. This is mainly due to; a lack of connection between different areas, poor quality environment, derelict spaces waiting for development and a failure to make use of the defining asset of the area, its waterfront location. With the exception of the initial stretch from the Shore to Lindsay Road, the route is fragmented with extraneous street clutter being the dominant feature in many parts. Another key obstacle to the creation of a Great City Street is the sheer narrowness of the routeway in many places.
Granton Square from the bottom of Granton Crescent Park looking North East. The central roundabout greenspace is slightly lost in a sea of tarmac.
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The stretch does however have numerous assets, the key one being the waterfront aspect, but also spaces communities have identified as their hearts, interesting destinations like Newhaven Pier, good links to city wide cycle routes and many high quality historic buildings. There are sufficient draws to the area, such as Newhaven Harbour, sports facilities, cafes and pubs for local purposes, but not much to encourage people to come there from other parts of the city. There is a great deal of room for improvement, but the route has a good foundations to work with.
Proposals To transform the A901 from Leith to Granton into a Great City Street will require strategic improvements responding to the routes key issues. Investment in the public realm will be an important initial step in this process. This will encourage private investment and create a snowball effect cumulating in this stretch of the A901 being perceived as one of Edinburgh’s Great City Streets. These are the key proposals as to how the concept of the Great City Street could be achieved by: • Creating a walkable and cycle-friendly area by; improving the provision for cyclists on the road, linking existing cycle and pedestrian routes and creating a family friendly off road cycle and pedestrian route • Creating ‘Destination Places’ to draw people to the area and give it a sense of quality • Strengthening the area ‘Hearts’ identified by the community • Creating a strategy which will allow derelict spaces to offer biodiversity and community value • Through small scale landscape interventions which will improve the general quality of the area • By making full use of the waterfront aspect
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Cycle Proposals
Lower Granton Road dedicated cycle path
Eastern Breakwater
Western Harbour Breakwater
Crammond
etark
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2.
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Pro p
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ose d C o a
Family friendly cycle route Improvement to on road cycling
Wa lk
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Key
Community Hearts
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Existing Cycle Route
r Pa l a t s
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Various agencies and organisations have a long term goal to create a nationwide coastal cycle route, through funding for this is often uncertain. This is a very worthwhile aim and this proposal would add a building block to the route.
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Hesperus Crossway
Parkland mond m a Cr
The route would improve greenspace connection linking Crammond Parkland with the Coastal Park proposed in the Area Development Framework. The current masterplan for Western Harbour also includes proposals for a considerable Greenspace which the route could be extended to in the future.
In addition to this off road cycle route, on road cycling should be strengthened in certain areas where it is impossible to give cyclists there own dedicated space. Cycle lanes should be established along Lindsay Road and Commercial Street running onto Leith Walk. This will fully connect the proposed Great City Street for cyclists.
West Shore Road
ith
The Family Friendly Route would connect the existing Haymarket-Crammond and Trinity-Canonmills cycle routes. This would strengthen Edinburgh’s overall cycle network giving cyclists more opportunities to choose not to cycle on the road.
Crammond Cycle Route
Le
There is an opportunity to create a Family Friendly Cycle and Pedestrian Route running along the waterfront, adjacent to the Great City Street. This will draw people to the area and improve its connection to the rest of the city. It will extend the existing Crammond cycle route which runs right up again the beach and is very popular with young families teaching their children to cycle. By extending a safe car-free route this would appeal to families with slightly older children offering the opportunity for a great day out and drawing people along from Crammond to Newhaven. The route would also benefit groups such as runners and dog walkers. It has the potential to be really attractive and to capitalise on Edinburgh’s coastline.
Cycle Proposals 1.
Hes
West Shore rd
peru
s Cr ossw ay
Off road connection from Crammond bike route to Lower Granton Road
Improved two way cycle route along the entirety of
Lower Granton Road on the grassy verge
2.
The proposed cycle and pedestrian route has sections which are pre-existing cycle routes, but these needed to be linked up by new stretches. The Crammond route should be extended round the coast to the north of West Shore Road (see above). There is already a informal desire line running along the coast here. This will then connect to Granton Harbour Western Breakwater which will continue onto Hesperus Crossway where dedicated cycle paths already exist. This then runs onto Lower Granton Road, which has a stretch of greenspace alongside it. Along the western stretch of the road there is a muddy desire line used by pedestrian and cyclists and some attractive shrub planting. The desire line could be quite inexpensively transformed into a cycle and pedestrian path set well back from the road. The eastern section of Lower Granton Road has an existing cycle path. This can be left as it is, but if funding became available it could be improved by moving the path the centre of the greenspace and widening it and mimicking the planting along the western stretch of Lower Granton Road. The route then runs along Starbank Road. The road here is very narrow with no room for dedicated cycling space and very little space for pedestrians. The narrowness of the road threatens the stretch being perceived as a great city street. The solution to this is to create a hanging walkway over the Forth. This would link the end of Lower Granton Road right up to Newhaven Harbour, drawing people along to the restaurants located there. This would hugely improve this stretch of street and will attract people from outside the local area.
Creation of a cycle and pedestrian walkway over the Forth running along Starbank Road
From here the Family Friendly Cycle and Pedestrian Route will continue to the tip of Western Harbour. Again there is a preexisting cycle track along Western Harbour breakwater. This could do with improvement, and when the development of Western Harbour is complete it will be a useful link for families and commuters living there.
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Key Interventions Granton Roundabout Granton Square could be offering a great deal more to the community than it is currently doing. As the most central space in Granton it is far too car dominated and it is near impossible to access the central greenspace due to lack of crossings. With an overall area of 4500m2, there is both space for cars and for a dedicated community area. How to deal with traffic around Granton Square and freeing up space needs to be considered carefully with input from traffic engineers, particularly due to the fact Granton Square has two bus stands. Moving the bus stands elsewhere should be considered and discussed with Lothian Buses. A redesign of the central square integrating a paved shared space would allow community activities and events such as markets to take place. Introducing pedestrian crossings would allow the central space to be accessed. This improvement to the public realm would raise the profile of the office buildings in the square and possibly draw new businesses to the area. A pavilion cafe, like the one in St Andrew Square could be built to house the popular small cafe on the south western corner of the square which would draw more people into the central space.
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Option 1
Option 2
Option 3
Widen the roundabout and add two crossing points into the roundabout making it accessible to pedestrians.
Remove the roundabout and create shared paving area to east of the public toilets. A specified lane would allow buses to stand in the shared space, enabling them to turn.
Remove the roundabout and install two mini roundabouts at either end of the square. Widen the road to the west of the public toilets to allow room for traffic and bus stands. Shared space will be created east of the public toilets.
Key Interventions Starbank Road Roundabout The area around Starbank roundabout is another example of an unnecessarily car dominated space. The existing central roundabout is very small and provides enough room for two to three lanes, though it is used as one. This makes it dangerous for cyclists. Widening the diameter of the central roundabout will increase safety for both car and bike users. The shaping of the pavement edge could also be altered to further improve safety for cyclists. One way of doing this is to shorten the street corner radii. Increasing the diameter of the roundabout will also create an opportunity to distinguish Starbank Roundabout as a place by giving it a landmark. A piece of public art could be commissioned to place at the centre of the roundabout. If the piece was tall, like the pillar at the bottom of Leith walk, it would draw the eye down the hill and along the seafront. It could look very attractive against the backdrop of the Forth.
The area around the artistic installation could be landscaped using salt tolerant ‘seaside’ vegetation. Seaside vegetation will reference the location and will be more tolerant of the elements in this exposed space.
Artwork would draw the eye along the seafront or down the hill to Starbank Roundabout
The possibility of reopening Newhaven Main Street to traffic should also be considered. At the moment the end of Newhaven Main Street is obscured with bins and railings, which give the impression that it is private area which deters pedestrians. Opening it up to traffic would improve views down the street and make it more appealing to pedestrians. A designated area possibly will railings or a screen should be set aside for the bins. Another option would be to keep Newhaven Main Street as it is and to use the considerable amount of dead space at the end of the street for some form of intervention. One possibility would be to install a small outdoor climbing wall which would reference Alien Rock the climbing wall round the corner.
Option showing the opening up of Newhaven Main Street to Traffic and improving and widening Starbank Road roundabout
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Key Interventions Newhaven Pier Newhaven Pier has the opportunity to offer something really valuable to the Great City Street Route. The views over Newhaven Pier are extremely attractive and not capitalising on this asset by transforming this space would be a waste. It already provides a draw to the area with people coming from across the city to frequent the restaurants. It could be a positive addition to the family friendly pedestrian and cycle route. Unfortunately the current condition of Newhaven Pier is very poor. Sections of railing which have been broken have been repaired ad hoc with bollards chained across the gaps. The paving along the pier is of poor quality and weeds have been allowed to take hold. With investment Newhaven Pier could quite easily become a very high quality space. The railings should be repaired, good quality paving laid and interesting street seating installed.
Newhaven Pier has been very poorly maintained and has fallen into a considerable state of disrepair. The paving is very poor and although it has numerous benches along it the space is extremely unwelcoming.
Interesting seating can create a powerful draw to a space. A good example of where a simple hardscaping intervention has drawn people into an space is the concrete chairs at Barcelona Promenade. Although a similar approach taken in Edinburgh would not be used all year round, well designed street furniture will improve the look of the pier making it a more attractive space to walk through even in winter.
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top: Bareclona Promenade bottom: example of the appeal of interesting street seating
With high quality hardscaping Newhaven Pier could be a real asset to the proposed Great City Street
Stalled Spaces Strategy A considerable issue in the Newhaven and Granton areas is the density of derelict land. Stalled development has resulted in spaces which have been empty and unused for years. These spaces have the potential to be given purpose and to offer something to the community while they wait for development. In Glasgow the Stalled Spaces initiative by Glasgow City Council has been very successful. This project has offered funding for groups to transform areas of derelict land on a temporary basis into something of benefit to local communities. This brought over 12 Hectares of land into temporary use in the past year supporting the creation of growing space, outdoor education and green gyms. A similar initiative could be started in Edinburgh. The creation of pictorial meadows with vivid wildflowers would improve environmental conditions and be hugely beneficial to wildlife. A fund could be set up to finance artwork for these temporary spaces. When a plot needed to be cleared for development the artwork could be moved to another vacant plot, making locals look out for the artworks new location. Planters for growing food could be similarly moved around. Schools, such as Victoria Primary School with would benefit from temporary wildlife gardens to aid environmental education. There are numerous site throughout Granton and Newhaven where an strategy like this would make a big difference. The Forgotten Island (above), part of Glasgow Councils Stalled Spaces initiative
A temporary greening project has already taken place in Western Harbour
The vacant plot of land opposite Victoria Primary School and the Western Harbour Asda would be a ideal site for a temporary intervention and could be used by the school.
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Small Landscape Interventions
Small scale landscape interventions have a great capacity to improve the environmental quality of an area. Tree planting has been proved to decrease stormwater run-off, increase house values, improve air quality and be of great benefit to wildlife. Greening the length of the Great City Street will increase its value and its appeal. Throughout Leith, Newhaven and Granton there are a considerable number of dead spaces. Dead spaces can be defined as large areas of pavement with no purpose which do not contribute to a positive experience of the space. These could be transformed into little pockets of green. This will have a positive effect on the general environment. This approach has already been taken at the eastern end of Newhaven Main Street and has been successful. Giving bins a delegated area and fencing them off has reduced street clutter. This is an approach that could be taken at the western end of Newhaven Main Street to deal with the numerous bins outside the cafe Porto&fi. There are a huge number of spaces along the route of the Great City Street which would benefit from small scale interventions. Examples include outside of the Chain Pier Pub, outside Newhaven Asda, at the end of Fort Street and along much of Lindsay road.
Newhaven main street has already benefited from small scale landscaping improvements at the eastern end. These have had a positive effect on the street mitigating the negative effect of bins by giving them a delegated space. Street trees have also been introduced down the street, which have a wide variety of benefits.
Planting could be continued down Newhaven Main Street as shown here in this visualisation. This would allow the rest of the street to benefit from greening and would create more of a continuous character along the street.
The area around the Chain Pier Pub in an example of a surplus of dead space. This could be used to add to the existing planters and street trees round the front of the pub to create a green pocket along on the Great City Street. The Pub would also benefit greatly from the proposed hanging gantry and could possibly having seating spilling out onto it.
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Parklets
Small scale landscape interventions although worthwhile can be expensive and require ongoing maintenance. It would be possible to take an approach that allowed the spaces to be ‘trialled’ before long term interventions to test their necessity and popularity.
Parklets in San Francisco. These were created by the Planning Department City Design Group’s Pavement to Parks Program in 2010. They have been so successful the approach has been replicated in many other cities.
By creating temporary small greenspaces throughout the hinterland of the Great City Street it would possible to observe where to invest in the long term. This draws inspiration from the American ‘Parklet’ movement which began in San Francisco where temporary landscape interventions taking up one or a couple of parking spaces were installed. These often integrate seating, planting and bicycle parking. It takes the street away from the car and gives it back to the pedestrian. The Parklet approach has been adopted in many other cities across the United States and Europe. There area huge number of places which would benefit from small scale ‘Parklet’ interventions. Cafes and Restaurants may be prepared to contribute money towards the creation of one it they are able to use it for their own seating. Numerous establishments along the shore as well as Porto&fi at Starbank roundabout might want to be involved in this. Parklets do not need to be expensive to create. Open competitions could be started to generate ideas for their design. Live projects with Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design university courses could also generate ideas and manpower. There is a huge potential to create exciting spaces and stimulate interest in areas with initiatives like this. The Great City Street could benefit from it.
Possible locations for Parklets include 1.Outside the Newhaven Asda 2. Outside cafes and restaurants along the Shore 3. The New Kirkgate shopping centre 4. Outside Porto&fi at Starbank Roundabout.
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Emphasising Entrances
A problem along the entirety of the Great City Street is a lack of clarity at entrances to both routes and areas. One location where this is a problem is the entrance to Western Harbour. This should be considered with reference to further development on Western Harbour. The beginning of cycle routes are also very poorly signed. There is an opportunity here to improve this with better signage or alternatively by introducing archways indicating the beginning of a cycle and pedestrian route.
Poorly indicated beginning of the Haymarket - Ocean terminal Cycle Route
Uninspiring entrance to Western Harbour Pier
Archways indicating the beginning of cycle/pedestrian routes would raise their profiles and make them clearer
The beginnings of the Haymarket - Crammond Cycle Route and the Haymarket - Ocean terminal Cycle Route could be easily improved with clearer signage
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Summary
This document has demonstrated steps which could be taken to improve the route of the proposed Great City Street and it’s hinterland. Stalled development has caused many problems in these areas. It is important to address this issue by dealing with the vacant plots. Creating a strong framework of cycle and pedestrian routes and greenspace will benefit the existing community and will also serve new communities which will form in the coming years. Strengthening connections, providing destinations places and improving the environmental quality of the route through permanent and temporary interventions will create a strong vibrant street. The route of the A901 will be able to evolve into a widely valued part of the City of Edinburgh and a Great City Street.
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