NEW images of a revamped entrance to the Ocean Terminal shopping centre were unveiled today as plans were submitted to the city council.
Local landowner Forth Ports has given its full support to the scheme, which includes two new shops, an extension of the lobby area, a new canopy at the front of the building and pavement improvements.
The new project is designed to give the appea
rance of the shopping centre a boost and will coincide with the introduction of trams.
It will be the first step in a series of major changes at Ocean Terminal, which will eventually include a new public plaza and an extra 16,000 square metres of retail space.
Forth Ports has already secured outline planning permission for the massive regeneration of Leith Docks, involving 15,000 new homes, as well as shops, offices, parks, schools and a cultural quarter.
Nine "urban villages" will be created, and the first detailed masterplan, for the area around Ocean Terminal dubbed The Hub, is expected to be published later this year.
In the meantime, the application submitted on Tuesday will go through the council's planning process.
It includes two new small retail units at the front of Ocean Terminal covering 396 square metres in total.
A Forth Ports spokesman said: "This renovation to the entrance of Ocean Terminal is aimed at improving the main access area to the shopping mall and building on the sense of place we are creating at the waterfront.
"These plans are scheduled to be carried out in late 2009 or early 2010.
"They would be completed in advance of the new tram service coming on stream."
Late last year, a deal was struck between Forth Ports and tram firm TIE to divert traffic away from Ocean Drive on a new road, which will lead to the creation of a new square.
The harbour authority said that it would also work with TIE and its contractors to ensure the design, particularly around the shopping centre, was "delivered in the most cost efficient and attractive way".
As part of the multi-billion Leith Docks regeneration programme, Forth Ports will be forced to meet a huge number of requirements, including a larger-than-expected contribution to the city's tram network of nearly £29 million.
This will need to be paid as soon as the legal agreements are signed, or before planning consent is granted for the first masterplan area.
A spokesman for TIE said: "This expansion at Ocean Terminal is more evidence of business development in Edinburgh being supported by tram investment."
City leaders believe that the new-look Leith Docks will help boost Edinburgh's retail image, despite the concerns from some quarters about the new development.
Bosses at John Lewis have argued that Ocean Terminal is effectively an out-of-town shopping development and should not receive council backing.
The full article contains 484 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
