After the explanation, three weeks ago (here), as to how Granton might provide a template for future urban regeneration, here’s another take…
IN a parallel universe, you could be admiring the bold architecture that skirts the Oslo Fjord in Norway.
And then you notice the weeds poking up between the paving slabs, the abandoned broken bicycles, the discolouring render and the communal rubbish bins without a specific place to call home (not much graffiti, to be fair).
No, we’re not in well-manicured Oslo, but Granton, the focus of an estimated £1.3bn regeneration project that unquestionably qualifies it as being of European significance.
Except that one hardly ever hears that much about it.
Apart from the occasional media announcement about - say - funding going into the restoration of Granton’s old lighthouse (here), it is a development shrouded in a certain amount of mystery.
We might know a fair bit about the work going on there, but - arguably - we don’t know a great deal more.
Including:
The target mix of housing types and tenures;
The provision of GP practices, shops, sports facilities, etc;
Who owns the land that is still vacant and what is planned for it;
The lessons from the buildings already on-site and how they might be incorporated into those still on the drawing board;
To what extent the whole area isn’t going to end up as just another ‘Edinburgh peripheral housing estate’;
The public transport ambitions for the area;
Vital statistics (demographics, car ownership, average income, etc);
Services specifically designed for older people, younger people, people with a disability, parents, etc;
Whether there is a single, constituted body, with a recognisable ‘leader’ and a clear pride in its work - that is perhaps not the city council - that is overseeing the regeneration;
How any new development will be linked to the role of the Granton campus of Edinburgh College, considered the single, largest ‘anchor’ institution in the area;
The wildlife / nature objectives for the area;
A breakdown of housing blocks that are all owner-occupied, plus a breakdown of those that operate common insurance;
To what extent a ‘street-first’ approach is being taken in the siting of housing blocks;
More details about the lighthouse restoration; for example, as reported here, in this richly-laden article on the website, Edinburgh Inquirer;
Where we are at with marina, hotel, public park, etc plans?;
Where we are exactly on energy generation and energy efficiency, including a proposed (but now abandoned?) district heating network;
A listing of the district’s historic buildings and their histories;
A listing of warehouses / industrial sites in the area (and how discussions are progressing, if at all, as to their possible futures);
The strategy, if any, to bring employers and their employees within walking distance of each other;
The stories of innovative practice; of the individual new-builds; of the families whose lives have been transformed by access to ‘good, affordable’ housing; and of the apprentices, etc who have worked on the construction sites;
How Granton might become economically prosperous; and
What’s on, where (to attract people from outside Granton, as well as locals).
In other words, it is an editorial shopping list that potentially calls for a ‘daily newspaper mindset’ - where, around every 11am, there are pages and pages of white space requiring to be filled.
Translated, that’s a dynamic that could be not only fast-paced, but hopefully hungry for ideas, supremely ambitious for everyone and media savvy.
No doubt, good things are being dreamed up for Granton, thanks to good people determined to do the right thing.
It’s just that we could all do with hearing about it.
It really is not too late to adopt a more proactive communications channel about Granton; there is so much vacant land still waiting to be developed, the regeneration has probably yet to reach the halfway stage.
There remains so much to play for.
Mike Wilson is editor of BuildEdinburgh
Agree? Disagree? Got 650 or so words in you that is positive and forward-thinking about Edinburgh’s built environment? Let’s discuss: editorialbuildedinburgh [at] gmail [dotcom]
Image details: Saltire Square; copyright Mike Wilson