Westside Plaza

Re-connecting the community and the civic square

Despite being the main transport hub for Wester Hailes and the location of important local amenities including the Library, Job Centre and shopping centre, the plaza that was once a thriving public space has fallen into decay and disuse. The space has been linked to issues of anti-social behaviour with a lack of interest and purpose, lack of greenery and sense of place. The Plaza has huge potential to become a welcoming civic space, a focal point for community activity and a catalyst for social, economic and creative regeneration building upon its history whilst looking towards a new future.

Community engagement

The community-led design process aims to give the community a voice for decisions made about the developments of the Civic Square.  HarrisonStevens and the Wester Hailes Community Trust worked closely with the local community and stakeholders to understand how the square is currently used, what the community thinks of the quality of the square and to collect thoughts and ideas on how to develop the space to encourage greater use and sense of ownership

The first consultation held was with multiple local stakeholders identify by the Wester Hailes community trust and involved a project introduction workshop session to plan how best to engage with the community. There were round table discussions and presentations from the key groups.

Further consultations were held with:
- Local schools
- Youth engagement through various local initiatives such as WHALE Arts, Edible Estates, Clovenstone boxing club and more
- Stakeholder engagement such as the Jobcentreplus, local GPs, police, Wester Hailes library, businesses and more

- Community engagement with Wester Hailes healthy living centre, Elderly and disabled communities, family clubs and more.

Various approaches included:
- Fliers & visual material distributed through local groups/initiatives
- Drop-in talks & presentation to various groups at multiple locations
- Active space shaper workshops with school children
- Public engagement on-site event with an interactive map, comments and discussions

Main outcomes:
- Activity – the square is boring, can there be more opportunity for play, active play and healthy fun?
- Colour – the square is bland, can there be more seasonal interest, a softening of the space and colour in the space?
- Heritage – the community has a recent but interesting history; can these stories and treasures be revealed through interpretation within the square?
- Access – the surface is uneven, dangerous and there are many steps, can the surfaces be smooth and safe, with improved ramp and accessibility for all?
- Stewardship – the square is poorly maintained; can the local community groups be encouraged to run and take care of some aspects of the new proposals?
- Safety – the square is considered unsafe with threatening antisocial behaviour, can the improvements find a solution to the antisocial gathering, with improved lighting, CCTV and re-purposing of the stepped space to the south of the library?

Initial concept design proposals were drawn up and visualised following this and presented in a final exhibition event on-site to get final comments and feedback before proceeding to the detailed design stage. The proposal was generally well-received by the public with some tweaks made in response to comments.

Design Development

The design has been developed in response to the main outcomes from the consultation process and in response to the immediate physical context of the site. The main elements include:
- Community green to soften space and create an area for recreation
- New bench seating to encourage people to sit outside and enjoy the plaza
- Seasonal trees and flowers
- Defined community square for markets and events
- New robust, even and safe paving surfaces
- Colourful children play area
- Existing columns to feature community Art and Signage
- Heritage panels to illustrate and celebrate the history of Wester Hailes
- Improved lighting and new CCTV to create safer and more welcoming space

Proposed materials and planting are of high quality to ensure durability and longevity. The proposal seeks to break the hard, grey landscape of the existing plaza and develop a series of spaces with planting, colour and recreational purpose.

Project Progression

Following the consultation and concept development of the project, we were fortunate enough to have the City of Edinburgh council take forward the project to the next stage to develop the design in detail for tender. Funding has been secured and the project has gone out to tender with a view to starting on site by the end of the first quarter.

The development of the works on site will face challenges due to the nature of it being an active site with many services and businesses operating across the site. The team will continue to develop a detailed programme of works with the contractor to ensure there are minimal disruptions and the site works maintain a high level of safety throughout the process.

Furthermore, discussions are being finalised on community benefits such as local apprenticeship schemes and school placements as an opportunity to engage local labour and learning. Community art projects are continuing to develop with ideas for the heritage panels and community gardening of some of the green spaces taking shape.

A Wester Hailes Hub

The works at Westside Plaza are a starting point to further developments. In collaboration with various surrounding schemes underway there are discussions and community consultations taking place to develop bigger ideas for Wester Hailes and connect further afield. These are in partnership with the Scottish Government, City of Edinburgh council, Wester Hailes community Trust, WHALE Arts, Prospect housing and more. These include:
- West Edinburgh link cycleway
- Promoting active travel connections
- Union canal links
- Extending the greenway & connecting surrounding green spaces
- Utilising derelict sites for community developments
- Connecting the railway

There are countless opportunities identified at the local and wider scales to establish a positive change in line with the local place plan work outlined by the Scottish government and define Wester Hailes as a main Edinburgh hub.