Makeover mood is rampant in capital

JAMES CRAIG is renowned as the man who put Edinburgh on the architectural map with his design of the New Town. Nearly 250 years later his work lives on and continues to draw people to Scotland's capital. But the city has changed hugely since Craig's day.

Now, with major redevelopment projects springing up across Edinburgh, comparisons are once more being made to the pivotal times in the 18th century when Craig made his mark. In fact, just today the Evening News has revealed a £200 million hotel development for the notorious gap site next to Haymarket Station.

City council leader Ewan Aitken says: "What's happening is a revolution for the city. In a sense the standard that James Craig set with the New Town is the standard we should be aspiring to today, and I see some signs of it."

So just what is happening and where?

QUARTERMILE

Twin Towers are set to pierce the Edinburgh skyline as one of the most controversial redevelopment projects starts to change the city landscape.

The renowned architect Sir Norman Foster has designed two 11-storey blocks of flats as part of a massive project transforming the former Edinburgh Royal Infirmary site into a modern complex of luxury homes and leisure facilities.

At £400m, the redevelopment is one of the most expensive in the city and includes the creation of more than 900 apartments.

And while some of the historic 18th and 19th century hospital buildings are to be retained alongside new ultra-modern glass and steel architecture, others, such as the old Simpson's maternity pavilion and the Queen Mary Maternity Home, have been bulldozed since work began in 2004.

Meanwhile, developers Gladedale say the complex will be completed by 2012.

GRASSMARKET

The famous area is to change as around a third of the parking spaces are converted into a new pedestrianised zone under a £7.5m project to transform the area into a centre for modern Continental cafe culture.

The council has worked with Glasgow-based architects Gillespies on the plans which will create pavement seating for the street's renowned eating and drinking establishments.

But traffic and parking will still be allowed on the main road through the Grassmarket following protests from residents and traders against earlier plans to wipe out every parking space.

The design of the project is expected to start within months if planners grant approval.

CALTONGATE

The£200m Caltongate development has sparked controversy. It has provoked furious protests by residents, who have set up a Save Our Old Town campaign group because of their anger at plans to demolish 1930s tenements to make way for a five-star hotel and a conference centre.

The masterplan features up to 200 new homes, offices, cafes, bars and restaurants and a public square, in and around the former New Street bus depot.

Council leaders made major changes to the original blueprint by Edinburgh architect Allan Murray, which was unveiled in March. They included demolishing one tenement block instead of two.

But campaigners are still angry over the loss of two listed buildings - the Sailors' Ark hostel and Canongate Venture offices.

London-based developer Mountgrange plans to start work on the site in the next 12 months.

ST ANDREW SQUARE

St Andrew Square is being revamped with an £8m scheme designed by Glasgow architects Gillespies to be very much in keeping with Craig's philosophy.

Ageing trees will be replaced and new lawns and natural stone walkways will be created, along with a pavilion and a "reflective pool". A coffee bar will be created and chairs brought into the square during the day to encourage people to use it. Work is due to begin next month and is set to finish next spring.

PARC CRAIGMILLAR

Pedestrians will have priority over cars, and pavements will become a thing of the past in the new Craigmillar.

The Dutch-style "home zone" streets pioneered in Holland in the 1970s are a key part of a 15-year scheme which will see more than £400m being pumped into the community.

Derelict estates are being torn down to make way for some 3000 new homes, including affordable housing, centred on Wauchope Square and Greendykes.

The masterplan includes designs for five new schools, a library and the transformation of around 150 acres of surrounding land into play areas and picnic spots. Residents are said to be happy about much of the scheme. But there have been concerns that local people will be priced out of the market.

City council-backed development company Parc (Promoting and Regenerating Craigmillar) says that while the first phase is due to start next month , the details are still subject to ongoing public consultation.

ST JAMES CENTRE

Few will mourn the passing of St James House as its reign as one of Edinburgh's ugliest buildings draws to a close. The office block is to be demolished and replaced with a new department store under a £200m scheme to revamp the St James Centre shopping complex. New owners, Henderson Global Investors, hope to start work next year, completing the project by the end of 2008.

WATERFRONT

Over the next 15 or so years, a £1bn regeneration programme is set to revamp the seafront. It is all part of an even bigger plan to create the "Forth Riviera" stretching into Leith and Newhaven.

Hotels, theatres, art galleries, shops, bars and restaurants and offices are also to be built along with schools, walkways and bridges. A public park, a marina, a concert arena and a cruise liner terminal have also been proposed. The redevelopment is expected to create up to 16,000 new jobs between now and 2015.

FOUNTAINBRIDGE

More than 650 new houses and offices are to be built. The project is set to be one of the biggest schemes in the city centre in the last 50 years. A developer consortium involving AMA, Grosvenor and RBS is behind the scheme.

The £70m plans will turn the old Tartan Club into two and three-bedroom flats, duplexes and penthouses, as well as offices.

Nearby, the first phase of the Edinburgh Quay development, a joint venture between British Waterways and Miller Developments is about to move into its second phase - a £60m project to complete the regeneration of Lochrin Basin. In a linked project, housebuilder Mactaggart & Mickel is hoping to join forces with Edinburgh Quay developers on a new £35m scheme to build more than 130 new homes.

Other major projects taking place around the city include a £2bn redevelopment of Leith Docks, a £1bn upgrade at Edinburgh international airport, a £200m science park at Little France and a £30m revamp at Fort Kinnaird.