A £2 million programme of work to renovate a busy car park at a popular city beach spot is being considered by the council
The Cramond Beach car park is currently an unpaved lot, with no ground markings. It faces a large amount of traffic on busy days.
But the council’s capital budget report is eyeing a spend of £1m to £2m to improve the car park, in addition to the cost of adding new public toilets at the beach.
According to the plans, the car park would be paved over with markings painted on the ground, which officers expect would increase its capacity from 120 cars to 150.
The changes would mostly be funded by a new parking charge at the site, with the council report proposing that £1.47m of the total cost be borrowed against future income from the car park.
It suggests that external funding for the rest of the project, such as through grants or lottery winnings may be hard to come by, meaning funds for the remaining sum would have to come through the council’s budget.
In the report, the council also proposes spending £450,000 to erect new toilets, which would remove a ‘huge barrier’ to residents’ enjoyment of the site.
A set of public toilets already exists on the site, but is not wheelchair accessible.
Locals have complained that the facilities are run down and are in need of renovation, and also that they do not have enough capacity to meet demand at busy periods.
The new toilets would feature Changing Places facilities, unisex cubicles and baby changing stations.
The site would also include CCTV coverage of the area around the toilets, as well as energy efficient lighting and a green roof to help with sustainability.
By Joe Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
