PLANS to transform Haymarket station into a sleek transport hub and an attractive gateway into the city have taken a step closer after the public overwhelmingly backed the move.

The results of a public consultation exercise commissioned by the City of Edinburgh Council in May and June this year have revealed that 93% of respondents support developing the station and its surrounding area in some way.

The consultation was based on a feasibility study, paid for by Transport Scotland, which produced a shortlist of three suitable options.

On the basis of the responses gathered during the study, it will be recommended that just one of the three suggested options for the site will be subject to further consultation.

These proposals were:

Option A would work with the existing character of the area and retain the listed buildings, creating a new user friendly, purpose-built facility to enable and encourage the use of, and interchange between, all forms of public transport. Full use would be made of the wider site – including expansion to the south and west – to the benefit of the city economy and local community.

Option B would see the whole site cleared enabling a purpose built multi-modal transport interchange to be built as the focus of a much wider and larger development which would extend over the entire site and the existing rail tracks. This option is a more ambitious plan than Option A or C, as it proposes removing all listed buildings and involves a major interchange and comprehensive development above the rail tracks.

Option C focuses entirely on the interchange addressing transport objectives and improving the operational efficiency for users of all modes of transport. This option is at a lower cost but allows for fewer wider opportunities for related development in the area.

Out of the 403 responses to the consultation, most people were in favour of developing Option A or Option C. On the basis of this, the Executive of the Council will now be asked at its next meeting on July 31st to approve plans for a further consultation into Option A.

If approved, this will take place in Autumn this year as part of the overall feasibility work . A final choice on the preferred option will be made in December this year.

Councillor Phil Wheeler, Executive Member for Transport, said: “There was a fantastic response to the consultation exercise, and almost everybody agreed that transforming Haymarket in some form will be the best course of action.

“These plans will create a modern transport hub which will act as a suitable gateway into the city, without losing the unique design features which make Edinburgh so unique.

“The fact that the consultation results have formed the basis of the recommendations being made to Transport Scotland show that public opinion is very important to this project. It is vital that the plans are supported by the people who will be using the station.”

Haymarket has become one of the busiest train stations in the country with around 4million people passing through it every year. With this growth set to continue, in the near future, Haymarket will not be able to cope with this increased demand in its current state.

There are further developments planned for the Haymarket area which will place extra demands on it. These include the redevelopment of the Morrison Street car park, the continued growth of the nearby Exchange financial District and the introduction of trams. The revamp of the wider Haymarket area is essential to ensure it works effectively as a public space and a gateway for trains and buses.

This study is expected to continue until the end of 2007. There are other transport improvements planned in the Haymarket area which will take place during 2008 – 2011. If one of the project options was to be taken forward, construction would be expected to start around 2014.
For more information, visit www.haymarketinterchange.com.

The Haymarket project takes into account other transport and development projects within the area, including the tram project and the station accessibility project.