Construction begins on £19.4 million walking and cycling route

Work got underway yesterday on the £19.4m  City Centre West to East Link (CCWEL), a major new cycling and walking route linking the east and the west of the Capital.

Transport Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes was joined in Roseburn by Patrick Harvie, Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights, and Karen McGregor, Portfolio Director for Sustrans were joined by children from Roseburn Primary School and project managers to mark the occasion.

The project is funded by the Scottish Government via Sustrans.

When complete, the scheme will connect Roseburn to Leith Walk via Haymarket and the West End with a safe and direct cycle route, as well as significantly enhancing streets for those walking, wheeling and spending time there.

This will tie into a new George Street cycling thoroughfare delivered as part of the George Street and First New Town project.

The project, overseen by contractors Balfour Beatty, is leading the way in sustainable construction, with measures to cut carbon emissions. Site compounds will utilise ‘EcoSense’ cabins in conjunction with an ECONET power management system, which significantly reduces energy consumption and water usage.

Project officers will also use e-bikes rather than cars to travel between the site compound and works areas wherever possible, and cycle training has been provided as part of this.

Construction is expected to last around 18 months, with full details of plans available on the dedicated CCWEL website. In the first phase of the section between Roseburn and West Coates there will be some lane closures and changes to parking and bus stops, though traffic will be maintained in both directions.

Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convener, said: I’m thrilled that we’re now delivering the CCWEL, one of the largest pieces of safe walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure the Capital has seen yet.

“It’s been really exciting to visit the site and see work get underway – before long, this route will benefit so many people walking, wheeling and cycling to and from the city.

“The CCWEL project is just one of a range of bold initiatives to transform the way we travel around Edinburgh. We are committed to becoming a net zero city by 2030 and a key element of this is encouraging and supporting clean and sustainable modes of transport through projects like this.”

Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, said: “CCWEL has been years in the making, so today marks a real milestone for Edinburgh. Once complete it will provide an essential link between key parts of our existing cycle network to and through the city centre, as well as significantly improving the streetscape along the way.

“Not only will the project impact on the surrounding environment, reducing traffic, air pollution and noise, but it will help benefit people’s health and wellbeing through active travel and relaxed surroundings to spend time in.”

Minister for Active Travel Patrick Harvie said: “I’m pleased to see Scottish Government funding enable the construction of the City Centre West to East Link. It’s a vital connection which will help people to walk, wheel and cycle in Edinburgh as the natural choice, leading to better health, less congestion and a better environment. 

“I want to see many more schemes similar to this in communities across Scotland. That’s why we’re nearly tripling what Scotland invests in active travel over the next three years to at least £320 million a year.

“I’m committed to making sure those record levels of investment lead to real change in our cities, towns and neighbourhoods, delivering safe, attractive places for many more people to walk, wheel and cycle.”

Portfolio Director for Sustrans, Karen McGregor, said: “The City Centre West to East Link is a major breakthrough for active travel in Edinburgh. Not only will this deliver safe and accessible walking, wheeling and cycling routes for anyone travelling through the heart of our Scottish capital, it will play an important part in connecting communities in the city’s western and northern suburbs to make their everyday lives healthier and easier.

“The route will also link to several other ambitious projects Sustrans is working on with City of Edinburgh Council. These include the George Street and First New Town project and the Meadows to George Street scheme, which we believe will set the standard for active travel in Scotland going forward.”

Scott Ritchie, Senior Project Manager, Balfour Beatty, said: “We are pleased to be working with the City of Edinburgh Council to deliver this incredibly important scheme which will transform the way people travel, moving from a reliance on cars to active travel.

“The City Centre West to East Link route will reimagine our public spaces in Edinburgh; positively impacting local communities and residents by reducing traffic congestion and air pollution in the city centre and driving down carbon emissions.”

The route, which will be delivered in three sections, will include two-way segregated cycleways from Roseburn to Haymarket connecting via quiet streets to one-way segregated cycleways on each side of Melville Street.

Two-way cycleways connecting George Street with Picardy Place via St David Street, Queen Street and York Place will also be introduced. There will be significant improvements to public spaces along the route, as well as new pedestrian crossings, enhanced pavements and street trees.

By supporting people to travel by foot, bike and wheel, the CCWEL project aligns with our City Mobility Plan 2030, which envisions a clean, connected and net zero carbon future.

It links into several other schemes to overhaul travel to and through the city centre, including the George Street and First New Town project and Meadows to George Street, both to be delivered as part of Edinburgh City Centre Transformation.

The £19.4m CCWEL project, which includes a £13m construction contract with Balfour Beatty, will be principally funded by Transport Scotland through Sustrans’ Places for Everyone programme, with additional funding from the Scottish Government and the Council’s transport budget.

To minimise disruption, the programmed resurfacing of the A8 will be carried out alongside CCWEL construction, funded separately by the Council.

Find out more on the City Centre West to East Link website.

£2 million support for Scotland’s international festivals

Expo fund recipients announced

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Scotland’s major festivals are to benefit from a share of the Scottish Government’s £2m Festivals Expo Fund.

The funding has been awarded for events that run across the year including Edinburgh’s international, book, film and fringe festivals as well as Glasgow International Festival and Celtic Connections.

Since the annual fund was set up in 2008 it has given out over £30 million to support the development of Scottish-based artists and practitioners to create a legacy of important new work for a range of Scotland’s international festivals.

Funding this year will also support festival resilience plans following the Covid-19 restrictions.

Culture Minister Neil Gray said: “As many of our world-class festivals return to full operation following the pandemic, the Festivals Expo Fund plays an important role in building innovation across the sector.

“This helps to maximise the opportunities both nationally and internationally for emerging and established creative artists to showcase and tour their work at home and abroad.”

Sorcha Carey, Chair of Festivals Edinburgh said: “The welcome news today from the Scottish Government’s Festivals Expo Fund opens up a world of opportunity for our country’s artists and thinkers, by helping us invest in their talent and showcase their work on our ​world-renowned platforms.

“After two years of event restrictions and financial hardship for artists, freelancers and cultural organisations, including our festivals, this Expo investment lays a solid foundation for revival in our 75th anniversary year and speaks strongly of Scotland as a creative, outward-looking nation.”

Lorna Duguid, Multi-artform Manager at Creative Scotland said: “The support from the Scottish Government Expo fund is invaluable to Scottish artists and companies in enabling them to present work to international audiences and promoters.

“As Scotland begins to recover from the pandemic this opportunity to reconnect with audiences around the world is more important than ever as part of the recovery for the arts and creative sectors.

“The funding will enable the festivals to extend their reach and provide ambitious and innovative programmes for audiences at home and abroad.”

The 2022-23 Festival Expo Fund has a budget of £2 million. The fund is managed by Creative Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government.

Details of the 2022-23 allocations are as follows:

Operator(s)                                                         Funding Awarded
Glasgow International Festival£140,000                       
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues£120,000
Edinburgh International Film Festival                         £110,000
Edinburgh Art Festival                                                £140,000
Edinburgh International Festival                                 £110,000
Edinburgh International Book Festival                       £110,000
Scottish International Storytelling Festival                  £140,000
Celtic Connections                                                      £110,000
Imaginate  £110,000
Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society                               £550,000
Festivals Edinburgh                                                    £200,000                                            
Edinburgh Science Festival                                         £130,000
Hogmanay     £  30,000