3.

Covering the Railway

It has been proposed that a decked area should be created above the railway through East Princes Street Gardens.

This could be used for theatre and ice skating.  In recent years, an ice skating rink has been set up on the putting green in East Princes Street Gardens, between the railway line and the Scott Monument.

Edinburgh City Council will consider these proposals, but it has commented that the proposals are only at an exploratory stage.

1. Edinburgh Evening News, 18 March 2003:     2. The Scotsman  19 March 2003

4.

Tunnel under The Mound

A proposal to create a pedestrian tunnel under The Mound in order to link East and West Princes Street Gardens -  possibly linked with the underground gallery of the National Galleries of Scotland is being considered by Edinburgh Council

Edinburgh City Council will consider these proposals, but it has commented that the proposals are only at an exploratory stage.

1. Edinburgh Evening News, 18 March 2003:     2. The Scotsman  19 March 2003

5.

Visitors' Centre and Cafés

Edinburgh Council is considering a proposal to convert  the Gardener's Cottage at the east end of West Princes Street Gardens, below the Floral Clock, into a visitors' centre and Café.

It is also considering a proposal to create a permanent Café with seating in West Princes Street Gardens, to replace the temporary Cafés that arrive each summer.

Edinburgh City Council will consider these proposals, but it has commented that the proposals are only at an exploratory stage.

1. Edinburgh Evening News, 18 March 2003:     2. The Scotsman  19 March 2003

Update  -  August 2003

No immediate action is likely until the Council has sought further legal views on how they will be able to make changes and still comply with a District Council bylaw from the 1990s restricting further developments in the gardens.

Edinburgh Evening News,  19 August 2003,  p.9

6.

Floral Clock

Summer

For the last hundred years an electrically driven floral clock has been a prominent feature in Princes Street Gardens, immediately to the west of the Mound. 

The clock mechanism and cuckoo mechanism, is maintained  by Ritchie & Co, who are responsible for maintaining many of Edinburgh's public clocks.

The clock face has featured a different subject each year.  In 1961 it commemorated the Centenary of EPS.

This year, 2003, to mark its Centenary, a replica of the clock, with 30,000 plants was exhibited at the Chelsea Flower Show in London, where it was awarded a Gold Medal.

Much of the info above has been taken from an article
 in the Edinburgh Evening News,  2 June 2003,  p.3

Winter

The clock has normally been on display from June to October, but Edinburgh Council is now considering creating a winter version of the clock with more resilient plants, to be planted in October and left on display until May.

Edinburgh Evening News,  2 June 2003,  p.3

7.

Ross Bandstand

Edinburgh Council has been considering how it might replace the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens.

However, no immediate action is likely until the Council has sought further legal views on how they will be able to make changes and still comply with a District Council bylaw from the 1990s restricting further developments in the gardens.

Edinburgh Evening News,  19 August 2003,  p.9

Update - January 2004

The 2004 Edinburgh New Year Party in Princes Street Gardens was cancelled at about two hours' notice as a result of storms, during which part of the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens was found to be potentially unsafe and not suitable for the planned entertainment.

This will, no doubt, result in priority being given to upgrading or replacing the Ross Bandstand

Update - September 2005

Architects, Make Ltd, who designed the Gherkin building in London and are working on the master plan for Granton Waterfront have been asked to design a bandstand to replace the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens.

Approval from the Scottish Parliament is needed for any new buildings in Princes Street Gardens.  However the Council hope that a suitable new venue can be created to attract more top-name pop acts to Edinburgh.

Edinburgh Evening News,  6 September 2005,  pp.1,5

Update - April 2006

Edinburgh City Council has announced that it intends to bid for lottery funding to help meet the cost of a creating a new multi-functional performance space on the site of the Ross Bandstand beneath Edinburgh Castle in West Princes Street Gardens.

©

Architects, Make, have provided three possible designs to stimulate debate.  All feature a 'new bandstand' built into the landscape of the gardens, one in the form of a leaf, one a shell, and one a grassy knoll. 

They propose that a new bridge should be built over the railway to give access to the back of the bandstand, and that there should be lifts giving access for disabled from Princes Street to the Gardens.

The 'new bandstand' is expected to hold 10.000 spectators for the larger events, including 4,500 on the grassy banks on either side of the main seating.  The total cost might amount to £14m and it may take five years from 2006 to complete the project.

Edinburgh Council and other stakeholders are now considering the results of the feasibility study that accompanied the three designs.  A brief for this development is to be drawn up and the firm to take the project forward is expected to be chosen through an international competition.

The notes above are based on:

1. Edinburgh Evening News,  April 19, 2006,  pp.1,10,11,12

2.  Brief description of the three proposals from architects, Make

3.  Edinburgh City Council News Release, April 21, 2006

Update - August 2006

Current legislation could cause a long delay in the replacement of the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens.  The current 1991 legislation prevents the building of any new structures in Princes Street Gardens, Calton Hill, the Meadows and Leith Links.

However, Edinburgh City Council intends to make a "fast-track" bid to change the law, specifically to enable the new £15m concert venue to be built on the site of the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens.  They hope that this can be achieved within a year and that building work can begin during 2007.

This would enable events ranging from pop concerts to sporting events and open-air cinema screening to be hosted at the new venue.

Edinburgh Evening News,  August 25, 2006,  p.25

7.

Arena / Amphitheatre

A two-page article with illustrations appeared in the Edinburgh Evening News on 20 January, suggesting that plans to build a large arena in West Princes Street Gardens, below Ramsay Gardens should be resurrected.  It proposed that the new arena should replace the Ross Bandstand.

The article was written by Raymond Muzsinsky, principal director of the architects Morris & Steedman, who prepared plans for such an arena in 1989.   The firm claims that this would enable Edinburgh to host major musical and entertainment events and that it could also be a venue for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

These proposals are likely to provoke strong reactions.  The Edinburgh Military Tattoo has been held on the Castle Esplanade for all of its 53 years, and the chief executive of the Tattoo claims that he no wish to move from this unique location. 

An investigation into the cancellation of the New Year Party is about to be held.  This investigation will involve the Ross Bandstand, so the Council is not commenting at this stage on the Arena proposals.

Edinburgh Evening News,  20 January 2004,  pp.19,20