New visuals for The Quaich Project show the welcome centre, pavilion & amphitheatre, family area and path network.

The project’s vision is to reimagine West Princes Street Gardens as a space for all to celebrate and enjoy in new ways – with improved accessibility, dynamic architectural designs and innovative facilities.

The public consultation is being organised to give Edinburgh residents, the wider community and visitors to the gardens the opportunity to feedback on the proposed designs.

From today, the consultation and feedback form will be online at thequaichproject.org before drop-in sessions are held in and around Edinburgh over the course of the month starting with the Central Library from this Saturday. The results of the consultation will feed in to design amends which are planned on being presented to the public in late February 2020.

The consultation will explain who is involved and why, summarise the work done to date and the work that is planned, provide detail on the designs of the key elements of the project and how these have been developed from consultation work to date. The public will also be able to learn about the Environmental Impact Assessment that has been conducted, the investment and the mechanism to deliver the project as well as the programme for continued engagement.

Discussions around this project date back to 2015 when a replacement to the Ross Theatre was being considered and the Council suggested looking at improvements for other areas within the gardens as well as the Theatre. Amended plans for a new vision for the whole of West Princes Street Gardens were taken to full council and unanimously approved by councillors in the summer of 2016.

David Ellis, managing director at The Quaich Project, said: “It’s incredibly satisfying to be at this point today where we’re launching our month-long public consultation on proposals to create a space for all within a revitalised West Princes Street Gardens. These latest designs represent over four years’ worth of feedback and advice from key stakeholders and organisations across the city.

“Before we go any further, we need to make sure that the wider public is properly consulted and we’re keen to hear from them what they think about the designs. We’ll then act on feedback received.

“It is essential that we make the correct improvements and that the people of Edinburgh get the chance to have their say on how that is done. We believe that West Princes Street Gardens can become one of the best public spaces in the world. The plans that have been drawn up by the internationally renowned architects working on the project will revitalise the Gardens, creating a space for all which will help safeguard one of the city’s most cherished green spaces.”