30 April 2008
On Wednesday 30 April, PARC celebrated a significant milestone in its regeneration of Craigmillar by marking the completion of the structural phase of development for the new £16m primary schools' joint campus at Wauchope Square.
The 'Topping Out' ceremony was held to lay the final slab at the top of the new building, which brings together St. Francis and Niddrie Mill primary schools on one site. The head teachers and pupil representatives from both primary schools were present at the ceremony, along with Councillor Marilyne MacLaren, Convener for Children, Education and Families, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the Head of the Catholic Church in Scotland, Councillor Gordon Mackenzie, the Chair of PARC and also representatives from the companies involved in the construction of the project.
With a joint school roll of around 700 children, the new campus will be one of the largest and most impressive sites in the city. The campus is set around an eye-catching, horseshoe shaped central building and will offer a wide range of classrooms, art and technology facilities, a library, computer suite and assembly hall - plus an outdoor playground and sports pitches, including an all weather pitch, that will be shared by both schools.
The new school has been designed to accommodate a variety of different activities and will not only benefit the pupils, but the Craigmillar community as a whole.
It will be completed, following fit-out, on time and on budget in early summer 2008 and will be handed over to The City of Edinburgh Council ready for the new term in August.
How many sleeps 'til August?
Pupils at Niddrie Mill and St. Francis are getting excited about starting the new school year at their new school campus.
Preparations to leave their old school buildings are underway and pupils are helping to fill a time capsule to celebrate their time in the existing school buildings. The time capsule will be buried on the new school site and hold objects and memories from the current pupils so future generations can learn about what the old schools meant to pupils and also a little about life in 2008!
Homes
PARC has now launched the next phase of its new ParcLife homes in The Square. There will be 18 homes available for private sale and four additional homes for Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association. The new homes have been put on sale following the excellent level of sales in the first phase, which were snapped up by buyers after their release back in February.
With 2-bedroomed houses starting at £163,000, PARC is expecting a high level of interest in the new properties.
In addition to houses for sale, there will houses for rent built to the same quality, which will be allocated to residents in Craigmillar who have a right to return to a new house in the area.
For further information on ParcLife, please call 0845 220 5000, email parclife@rettie.co.uk or visit www.parclife.co.uk.
Homes for Scotland Quality Awards
PARC has received not one, but two prestigious awards at the Homes for Scotland Quality Awards 2008. The company spearheading the regeneration of Craigmillar was named first in the Masterplanning category for its masterplans of both Greendykes North and Wauchope Square.
PARC picked up the accolades at an awards ceremony on Friday 9 May, attended by 750 guests from across Scotland's house building industry and the Minister for Communities, Stewart Maxwell MSP.
The judging panel made the following comments about each masterplan:
Greendykes North
“The masterplan is genuinely impressive with some outstanding detail creating an identity that will be unique. High quality public realm and public spaces are proposed that look set to change the function and perception of the area. The approach to landscaping has been both bold and imaginative, changing how cars and pedestrians will integrate.”
Wauchope Square
"Outstanding work has been done to take account of the location and views to Arthur Seat. Streets are being created that deliberately slow vehicles by design, and allow pedestrians and vehicles access without conflict. This approach has drawn well on practise from elsewhere, but been applied sensibly in a local context.”