The tour was organised and hosted by Edinburgh property developer Qmile Group and contractor Sir Robert McAlpine (SRM) for members of Women in Property (WiP), a networking organisation for women working within the property and construction industry.        

The visit gave the opportunity for women from a range of professions, including architects, surveyors and engineers, to get one of the first looks at how the £350m development is progressing.

Individuals were given a presentation by Qmile Group chief executive Paul Curran followed by a tour of the site by Qmile Group and SRM, which included an overview of the development’s design process, its commitment to sustainability and emphasis on place making.

Haymarket Edinburgh is being delivered by Qmile Group, property fund M&G Real Estate, architect Foster + Partners and contractor Sir Robert McAlpine (SRM).

All four organisations, previously worked together to create Edinburgh city centre’s highly successful and award-winning £750m Quartermile mixed-use development.

Once complete, Haymarket Edinburgh will deliver more than 380,000 sq ft of much-needed Grade A office space along with hotel accommodation totalling 365 bedrooms and 40,000 sq ft of retail space.

Laura Banks, chair of the central Scotland branch of Women in Property, said: “We cannot thank Qmile Group and SRM enough for hosting our members.

“It was great to get back on site, not only to see and understand more about this inspiring project but to meet industry friends and colleagues for the first time since we all went into lockdown over 15 months ago.

“Haymarket Edinburgh is an extremely impressive development. The site is full of construction activity, and it was hugely exciting for our members to hear more about what to expect when works are complete.

“We were particularly interested to learn more about the site’s sustainability measures along with plans for improvements to the surrounding area and arrival from Haymarket train station. It was a very enjoyable event for all who attended.”

Once complete the four-acre site will comprise five buildings, three of which will be offices and the other two hotels. It is estimated that the office space alone will accommodate up to 4,500 workers.

In addition, at the heart of the development will be Haymarket Square, a vibrant new landscaped public space for the city centre which has been designed to offer leisure and retail opportunities as well as a social and events space. The development is expected to be complete in 2023.

Qmile Group chief executive, Paul Curran, added: “It was a real pleasure to welcome Women in Property to Haymarket Edinburgh and to show off all the outstanding work that is taking place to deliver this landmark development for the capital.

“We are very pleased with how works are progressing, particularly taking into consideration the necessary restrictions and safe working practices that were put in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We have successfully completed the superstructure of the first building, Building 1, and work continues on schedule to deliver Buildings 4 and 5.”