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    Public invited to take part in consultation about designs for West Princes Street Gardens’ future

    4th November 2019

    As part of the ongoing consultation on proposed enhancements to West Princes Street Gardens, the public is being invited from today (Monday 4 November) to hear more about the plans and view the latest designs from The Quaich Project.

    The Quaich Project’s vision is to 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.

    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. New visuals showing welcome centre, pavilion & amphitheatre, family area and path network will be unveiled as part of the consultation.

    Proposed design of Pavilion

    Proposed design of Welcome Centre

    Proposed design of Family Area

    From today, the consultation and feedback form will be online at thequaichproject.org before drop-in sessions are held in and around Edinburgh over the course of the month starting with the Central Library from this Saturday. The results of the consultation will feed in to design amends 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 2020 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 taken to full Council and unanimously approved by Councillors in the summer of 2020.

    David Ellis, Managing Director at The Quaich Project, said: “It’s incredibly satisfying to be at this point today where we’re launching our month-long public consultation on proposals to create a space for all within a revitalised West Princes Street Gardens. 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. The plans that have been drawn up by the internationally renowned architects working on the project will revitalise the Gardens, creating a space for all which will help safeguard one of the city’s most cherished green spaces.”

    Details of venues, dates and times for Public Consultation drop-in sessions

    Central Library 7-9 George IV Bridge, EH1 1EG
    Sat 9th Nov 19 10.30 – 16.30
    Mon 11 Nov 19 13.00 – 19.30
    Tue 12 Nov 19 10.30 – 16.30
    Wed 13 Nov 19 13.00 – 19.30
    Thur 14 Nov 19 10.30 – 16.30
    Fri 15 Nov 19 10.30 – 16.30
    Sat 16 Nov 19 10.30 – 16.30

    Morningside Library 184 Morningside Road, EH10 4PU
    Tues 19 Nov 19 13.00 – 19.30

    Leith Library 28-30 Ferry Road, EH6 4AE
    Wed 20 Nov 13.00 – 19.30

    Portobello Community Centre 3 Adelphi Grove, Edinburgh, EH15 1AP
    Thurs 21 Nov 13.00 – 19.30

    Drumbrae Library Hub 81 Drum Brae Drive, EH4 7FE
    Mon 25 Nov 10.30 – 16.30

    Have your say and complete our survey online

    Follow this link to view the plans

    Download a copy of the Public Consultation document here The Quaich Project – Public Consultation