As Scotland prepares to host Waterfront Expo Scotland 2011, we thought we'd broaden our horizons beyond the usual Clyde Waterfront fare, to introduce you to Scotland's other two major city waterfront regeneration projects, in Dundee and Edinburgh.
All three Scottish Waterfronts will be showcased at the Expo along with success stories from Barcelona, Marseille, Chicago and Yokohama.
Dundee Waterfront Regeneration
In Dundee, the vision is to transform, energise and connect the
city to the waterfront.
The £1 billion project encompasses 240 hectares of development
land stretching 8km along the River Tay. It's a strategic, focussed
and forward-looking 30 year project (2001-2031) that is propelling
the city to international acclaim.
Perhaps best known is the V&A's new £45 million outreach
building, V&A at Dundee, which is due to
open in 2015. The museum will create a brand new attraction at the
heart of a newly designed city centre waterfront area.
Other development zones include a digital media and creative
industries business area as well as commercial, retail and leisure
facilities fit for an expanding city.
Currently there are opportunities for developers, investors and
a wide range of business ventures. Hotels, businesses and retailers
are already reaping the rewards with expectations of around 7,000
jobs to be created through the waterfront project.
Find out more about Dundee Waterfront.
Edinburgh Waterfront
The scale of development in Edinburgh is similar to Dundee, with
an investment of around £1billion. Here, the vision for waterfront
regeneration is to deliver over 26,000 new homes as well as more
than 450,000 square metres of new commercial and retail space,
creating a new urban quarter for Scotland's capital city.
Three companies - Waterfront Edinburgh Ltd, Forth Ports PLC and
National Grid Property - are overseeing the flagship £1 billion
project which is transforming 300 hectares of brownfield land along
the river Forth.
Since the area was master-planned in the early 2000s it has
undergone significant change, with approximately 1,400 new homes in
the Granton area and 900 in Leith, new food retail stores at both
destinations, and approximately 16,000 square metres of commercial
office space. The new Telford College building provides a facility
which caters for 20,000 students and 600 staff.
The Scottish Government offices are based at Victoria Quay in
Leith and a new shopping centre at Ocean Terminal offers 41,000
square metres of space with a multiplex cinema. Tourist attractions
such as The Royal Yacht Britannia, hotels and serviced apartments
encourage visitors to Leith and over 30 cruise liners stop at Ocean
Terminal each year.
With more to come, this is an area which has already seen massive
transformation. Read more about Edinburgh Waterfront.
And of course, Clyde Waterfront
Back on home territory, our vision for the Clyde is to develop a
vibrant, thriving River Clyde with people and communities at its
heart.
Already around £2bn has been invested in the area, mainly from the
private sector. The total value of investment between 2003 and 2025
is estimated at around £5 - 6 billion along the 20 km river
corridor. The regeneration project has the potential to create more
than 50,000 jobs, along with thousands of new homes and commercial
accommodation.
Right now, Clyde Waterfront is continuing to make the headlines.
Recent news includes the announcement that the Scottish Government
will provide £40m of funding for the Clyde Fastlink rapid transit
bus system, an important infrastructure link from the city
centre along both sides of the river. Two major city centre
property developments at Central Quay and Broomielaw
have just received planning consent, representing a major boost for
the IFSD.
Waterfront Expo
Read more about Waterfront Expo 2 - 3 November
2011 here.