£25m spend will polish and expand Edinburgh’s Muirhouse shopping centre

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Oct 21, 2016

Local authorities in Edinburgh are mulling plans for a £25m makeover of the Muirhouse shopping centre with the investment also set to generate extra foot traffic to stores from new homes and offices that are part of the plan.

The popular but down-at-heel location is in need of a makeover and in line with the trend for experiences to be mixed in with retail stores, the developers want to add in restaurants and a “civic square” to encourage community events.

Investment adding up to £150m has already gone into regenerating the area making it part of one of the largest regeneration projects in Scotland. Plans for new homes that will boost the residential population of the area by thousands, and to attract more businesses, will be key to the success of the reborn shopping centre.

Council leader Andrew Burns said the mall “has been in desperate need of upgrading and renovation for several years,” adding that: “It’s a big development – it will be a big, big change.”

Its status as a location in serious need of an upgrade was confirmed earlier this year when it was used as a gritty, urban location for the movie Trainspotting 2.