The Friends of The Gyle Park have linked with local homebuilder Artisan Real Estate and building contractor Cruden Building East, as well as other partners, to raise the necessary funds to install twelve streetlamps along a busy walkway in and out of the park.

Other contributors to the project include The Careys Foundation and Scottish Water, with support from the City of Edinburgh Council. The newly illuminated pedestrian route links the Gyle Park Sports Pavilion, to the north of the park, to Gylemuir Road which is home to Artisan’s 93-apartment Rowanbank Gardens development, due for completion in spring 2023.

Tommy McLean, chair of the Friends of The Gyle Park, said: “This is a well-used walkway which provides an essential pedestrian link between the residential developments and shops either side of the park. It is also a convenient cut-through to the train station at South Gyle and is used by children going to and from the two primary schools in the area, avoiding the busy A8.

“The new street lighting means that we can now have safe and well-lit access to the park throughout the year, which will be a huge benefit to local residents and everyone who uses the park on a regular basis.”

Artisan moved on site at the adjacent Rowanbank Gardens in 2021, and the company was keen to get involved in a project which added to the development’s already superb connectivity with the local area.

Artisan’s development director for Scotland, David Westwater, explained: “Rowanbank Gardens is already making headlines for its low-carbon and sustainability credentials, and an important part of that is how easily it connects to its wider neighbourhood and public transport network, reducing the need for car travel. As such, we were delighted to work in partnership with the local community to improve access into the park and beyond, bringing significant value both to existing residents and to potential home purchasers at Rowanbank Gardens.”

Cruden Building East is the on-site contractor for Artisan at Rowanbank Gardens and Senior Project Manager Mike Howlett was also keen for the company to become involved. He added: “Our work at Rowanbank Gardens is much more than building homes. It’s also about being part of the community, so we are very pleased to support this important local initiative.”