Picardy Place, which has not been fully free of roadworks for about the last 20 years according to the Transport Convener, Cllr Scott Arthur, will be completed at the same time as the Tram to Newhaven.
Cllr Arthur told The Edinburgh Reporter that before the end of the tramworks, the same contractor will make this a place to dwell while waiting for a bus or tram. He explained that his view is that in the past any road design at Picardy Place was all about getting cars into the St James Centre. He said this is a “difficult starting point to getting things right”.
But he said: “With that limited space we are going to create somewhere that people can dwell while they are waiting on a bus, or a tram in a relatively comfortable area. There will be seating there . We will have sustainable drainage, hopefully some tree planting a water cooler – one of the suggestions that came from the community. The thing that I am most interested in is the empty plinth, and hopefully we can work with the community to put up changing statues there. Perhaps more challenging things there that reflect the history of the community? It is a really important area of Edinburgh with a lot of history.”
Councillors on the Transport and Environment Committee will be asked on Thursday of next week to approve plans for the council to proceed with their preferred design, although there will be further changes to street lighting and bollards to provide for “hostile vehicle mitigation”. The feedback from consultations indicated that it should be integrated into the landscape features in low walls clad in granite. A definite view has been expressed that these should not obstruct pedestrians.
Since December 2019 public consultation has involved councillors, community councils, local businesses and members of the public. Recently since summer 2022 council officers discussed the proposals with Local Councillors and representatives from New Town and Broughton Community Council, Picardy Residents Association, The Cockburn Association, Living Streets and Spokes, the Edinburgh Access Panel and RNIB. The council confirms that their suggestions and feedback has been fed into the final design.
The central area has been used as a storage space for the Trams to Newhaven works but will become empty as the works draw to a close.
The idea of using the tram contractor, Turner & Townsend, to finish the public realm works is to keep any further disruption in the area to a minimum by finishing work on both projects at the same time. And the council claims it will save around £300,000 on the total cost of £2.7 million.
There will be CCTV in the square and also bike racks for cycle parking, (eight spaces) and a space for a bike hire station in case Edinburgh ever starts up another bike hire scheme.
But there will be no bins for rubbish, meaning that people may have to start thinking of taking their rubbish home with them.
The papers for the Transport and Environment Committee are on the council website here.
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