THE £25 million project to improve West Princes Street Gardens in the heart of Edinburgh is now to be submitted for public consultation.
Called the Quaich Project, the team behind it say the plans will “reimagine West Princes Street Gardens as a space for all to celebrate and enjoy in new ways – with improved accessibility, dynamic architectural designs and innovative facilities.”
Drop-in information events will be held across Edinburgh throughout November, and people can find out about them and also give their views online at www.thequaichproject.org/consultation.
New visuals showing the planned welcome centre, pavilion and amphitheatre to replace the Ross Bandstand as well as the family area and path network, are being unveiled as part of the consultation
The Quaich Project team stated: The public consultation is being organised to give Edinburgh residents, the wider community and visitors to the gardens the opportunity to feedback on the proposed designs for West Princes Street Gardens.”
The drop-in sessions will start at the Central Library from this Saturday. The results of the consultation will feed in to design amendments which are planned on being presented to the public in late February 2020.
The consultation will explain who is involved and why, summarise the work done to date and the work that is planned, provide detail on the designs of the key elements of the project and how these have been developed from consultation work to date.
The public will also be able to learn about the Environmental Impact Assessment that has been conducted, the investment and the mechanism to deliver the project as well as the programme for continued engagement.
Discussions around this project date back to 2015 when a replacement to the Ross Theatre was being considered and the Council suggested looking at improvements for other areas within the gardens as well as the Theatre.
Amended plans for a new vision for the whole of West Princes Street Gardens were unanimously approved by councillors in the summer of 2016.
David Ellis, managing director at The Quaich Project, said: “It’s incredibly satisfying to be at this point today.
“These latest designs represent over four years’ worth of feedback and advice from key stakeholders and organisations across the city.
“Before we go any further, we need to make sure that the wider public is properly consulted and we’re keen to hear from them what they think about the designs. We’ll then act on feedback received.
“It is essential that we make the correct improvements and that the people of Edinburgh get the chance to have their say on how that is done.
“We believe that West Princes Street Gardens can become one of the best public spaces in the world.”
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