My search for a new home to make my writer's life a reality has started. So I recently travelled to Edinburgh to view a place and do some inversitigation of the shoreline of Scotland's capital. The northern shore of Edinburgh can often seem like the city’s forgotten frontier. In recent years there’s been a renewal of Leith Shore and Portobello, their popularity increasing immensely. However there is a long stretch of the shore that is still something of a no-mans-land. The stretch between Newhaven and Crammond is almost entirely forgotten about. This looks to change in the near future though, as Edinburgh readies to make real use of its entire shore front like never before. So in this article I'm going to deviate slightly from my usual focus on the historical and cultural elements and look at the future of Edinburgh's shoreline and the city as a whole.
Granton and Trinity are little known on the whole and yet Granton harbour is the largest single harbour basin in Edinburgh. Both areas were of great importance to Edinburgh’s industrial and trading past. Today they are somewhat run down and forgotten, yet there is something charming about this area. There is a walkway along almost the entire length of the waterfront here. The only major interruption being where Granton harbour lies. This makes for a pretty good place to go for a long stroll or a run. It’s becoming increasingly common to see young families walking this length of shoreline. There isn’t the pleasant beachfront of Portobello. Near Crammond there’s a bit more of a respectful beach but as you approach the Almond river it’s mostly mud flats.
The area doesn’t have the cafe’s, restaurants and the like that you’ll find in Newhaven but they are gradually starting to edge in from that side. There isn’t much of a shift in such attractions from the Crammond end but that will likely change in the next few years. One of the key changes that is likely to affect the area from spring 2023 is the completion of the tram line. This light rail infrastructure did face some delays but at present looks to have caught up and even got ahead of schedule. The route will take a pleasant scoot around the Leith Shore, pass alongside the Ocean Terminal shopping centre and home of Royal Yacht Britannia, finally ending up in on the edge of Newhaven and East Granton. This will greatly increase the accessibility of the area.
This isn’t the only major infrastructure to affect Granton though. The harbour is due to be going through major works to create a significantly sized marina with lock doors to maintain deep water in the marina. This proposed marina development will see close to 200 berths including several spaces large enough to accommodate super yachts. As such this Edinburgh marina will be the only one of its kind on Scotland’s East Coast. With several new housing developments and a science and technology industrial park sitting alongside it this plan could dramatically change this part of the city. Recent announcements from Edinburgh City Council have indicated that Cruden Group are going to be in charge of the development of this area in keeping with the city’s 20 minute neighbourhood model.
With this new development on the western side of Granton there will be an increased demand for transport links. As such the third phase of light rail development in Edinburgh is planned to head north from the East End of Princes Street to Granton harbour. The line will extend south down Nicholson Street to the Bioquarter beyond Little France. I’m personally quite excited by the prospect of what this could do for getting around Edinburgh and minimising car use. I’d be interested to find out if there’s been any thought about reinstating some of the old rail lines to create a semi orbital rail route to the south of the city centre. An expansion of regional rail in the area would be pretty beneficial too. The city is growing and quite quickly so such considerations do need to be made. What’s more is an extremely pressing concern is housing. Edinburgh is getting outlandishly expensive, almost on a par with London.
Edinburgh Council also seems to hold similar concerns though and appears to be planning for this future. In Granton, as with several other places around the city there are a number of new homes being built. Many, if not all, of these new properties are being built to a net zero carbon standard and are mixed affordable, rented and purchasable homes. All areas are being developed with mixed use retail, leisure and residential. There are many more developments like this about to take place across the capital under a dramatic ten year plan due for completion in 2030.
This is going to see some dramatic changes made to Edinburgh, supposedly the greatest change in a century. In some ways the oncoming changes are getting close to the ambition of the building of the first New Town. In the way that people will live and interact in the city there has probably not been such a socially effective plan since the draining of what is now Princes Street Gardens. This posits further questions? What were the effects of the New Town developments in Edinburgh and what are the lessons learned from that and other developments implemented today? Those are questions I hope to answer in future articles.
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