The greenspace at Leith Links could be regenerated after a major funding boost from Edinburgh’s forthcoming visitor levy.
The levy – a “tourist tax” – is expected to raise tens of millions for the council in its first few years and is hoped to eventually bring £50 million per annum when fully implemented in a few years’ time.
Just under £10 million over three years is set to be on the city’s “premier parks”, including Bruntsfield Links, the Meadows, and, crucially, Leith Links.
Council documents specify that the funding will aim to add a “destination skatepark, climbing wall and new cafe/community space” with an additional focus on upgrading the park’s paths and street furniture.
Details are currently thin on the ground, but a group campaigning for the transformation of a disused bowling green next to Leith Links has been working on plans with the council’s Thriving Greenspaces team for years.
They want to see the disused plot converted into a new activity space and have outlined the potential for several different activities.
Ideas include a bike track area, roller rink, parkour area, skate park, bouldering area, table tennis tables, and chess tables.
Plans are in their early stages, however, and none of these are set in stone.
In documents outlining visitor levy funding, however the council appeared to confirm parts of the Leith Links masterplan:
“It is recommended that Leith Links receives a £4m capital contribution to develop an Activity Hub, which is a community priority but will also encourage more visitors with a destination skatepark, climbing wall and new café/community space.
“Additionally, there would be a focus on delivering the park masterplan with upgraded paths, street furniture and an improved entrance.”
This was agreed upon at a special meeting of The City of Edinburgh Council alongside a range of funding in other sectors.
The Leith Links Activity Park – the pressure group behind the plans – reacted to the news in a statement, saying: “This is a huge milestone for the Activity Hub project, which sits at the heart of the masterplan.
“Final designs were published in December, so the opportunity to benefit from Visitor Levy funding has come at exactly the right time.
“We don’t yet have detail on precisely what elements will be delivered through this funding or the delivery timeline, but we’ll share updates as soon as more information becomes available.
“Five years on from the community putting forward ideas and choosing a future for the former bowling greens, this announcement brings that shared vision one step closer to reality.”
They plans went through years of planning and consultation, with more than 1000 being consulted and 84% of respondents supportive of plans.
The council has expressed excitement at the possibilities opened up by the new funding.
Council Leader Jane Meagher said: “We’re rightly proud to be the first local authority in the UK to push ahead with a city-wide visitor levy scheme, and I can’t stress enough just how big an opportunity this is for our city, our residents and our visitors.
“We can now invest further in our plentiful parks and greenspaces, transform our city into a cleaner, greener and more welcoming environment, put more police on our streets and bring much-loved cultural venues such as the Royal High School and Leith Theatre back into use for the first time in decades. The list goes on.
“Agreeing these investment programmes today is a significant milestone in delivering a scheme that has been many years in the making, and is the result of a huge amount of development and engagement; engagement that, I’m pleased to say, will continue with communities making spending decisions in their local areas.
“I’m grateful to the many council officers, Forum members, businesses and residents for their valuable contributions and for helping us to make this happen.
“I’m sure, like me, they’re looking forward to seeing the many benefits the levy will bring to our historic and beautiful capital city.”
