FOR decades it was the industrial heart of Edinburgh - a proud tradition that continued until the demise of the Fountain Brewery just over two years ago.

Fountainbridge was already undergoing a radical overhaul when brewing giant Scottish & Newcastle signalled an end to 150 years of tradition in the area.

But since the doors were closed for the last time in June 2005, the area has been transforming. Almost everywhere you look in Fountainbridge there is activity.

Familiar landmarks have vanished in the space of a few months; huge swathes of land have suddenly opened up and shiny new buildings seem to be coming out of nowhere.

The biggest recent change has seen the clearing of part of Scottish & Newcastle's former bottling and distribution plant to make way for the first phase of the huge Springside development.

Around 650 homes and 2500 new jobs are envisaged for the 9.5 acre site, which will also boast a large student housing complex.

Work is already under way on the £8.5 million, 314-room development - due for completion within a year - as well as the first block of housing.

The developers behind the scheme, a joint venture between Grosvenor and AMA with the Royal Bank of Scotland, have also started work on a 250-space underground car park at the site.

However, the same consortium has even more development planned after securing a deal with Scottish & Newcastle to develop the bulk of the brewing firm's former site next to the Union Canal, on the other side of the main road where work on Springside is well under way.

The birthplace of Sir Sean Connery may be a very different place to where the star was brought up in a top-floor tenement, long since bulldozed. But the new-look Fountainbridge is merely the latest part of the city centre to benefit from the creation of the city's financial Exchange district in the early 1990s.

A stroll around Lothian Road, Tollcross, Fountainbridge and even down to Haymarket reveals the dramatic changes that have unfolded.

• The Edinburgh International Conference Centre has been a huge success since opening its doors in 1995. It is at the heart of the city's Exchange district, home to the likes of Scottish Widows and Standard Life.
  The area was designed by architect Sir Terry Farrell, who began work on the plans in 1989 after winning an architectural competition.
  However, plans for a major expansion of the EICC are on hold after the developers behind a new underground extension and office block pulled the plug on their involvement.
  
  
• The historic ABC Cinema was closed down for more than 18 months while a huge revamp of the site was carried out on the corner of Lothian Road and Morrison Street. The block, unveiled in 2002 by Rangers chairman David Murray's property company PPG, also now includes a Sainsbury's store, offices and an Odeon.
  
  
• Princes Exchange, the massive development on Lothian Road, which is home to HBoS's office New Uberior House, was unveiled almost seven years ago. The bank took around half the space in the complex, which was built on the site once home to the famous Goldberg's store.
  
  
• The £42m Fountainpark complex, developed by Scottish & Newcastle, opened in 1999, boasting a multiplex cinema, bars, restaurants and a nightclub. It recently became home to a new bingo hall and an upmarket casino. The cinema now hosts gala premieres for the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
  
  
• The site of the famous old Palais de Danse nightclub was recently home to a bingo hall. Its operators relocated to Fountainpark, and plans have been approved to replace it with a modern casino and shops facing on to the canal basin.
  
  
• Edinburgh Quay is the flagship development at the end of the multi-million-pound canal link between the Capital and Glasgow. Both phases of the development have now been completed and it features flats, cafes, bars, restaurants and offices.
  For the past three years, the opening party for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has been staged at Edinburgh Quay.
  
  
• Work began earlier this year on the transformation of the site of a former meat market - latterly home to Fat Sam's restaurant - into another phase of the city's financial district. Up to 1500 jobs are expected to be created under the £50m scheme being built by Scottish Widows.
  
  
• Work is also under way on the transformation of the site of the former Arnold Clark site at Tollcross. More than 130 homes will be created around a mini-canal basin as part of the £35m scheme.
  
  
• A former social club for staff working at the nearby brewery has been bulldozed to make way for more than 180 homes and office blocks. The old Tartan Club was a popular haunt for workers at the brewery, and boasted a function room, bars and a games hall. Plans for the new scheme include a bridge over the Union Canal.
  
  
• New offices are also nearing completion on the site of Scotmid's former headquarters building. The £50m Lochrin Square development is a joint venture between Scotmid and Gladedale Capital.
  
  
• One of the city's most notorious gap sites next to Haymarket Station will become home to a new development featuring two major hotels and three office blocks under plans being pursued by the Irish developer Tiger.
  The centrepiece of the scheme is planned to be a 16-storey hotel to be operated by the luxury chain Intercontinental.

For the people who have lived and worked in Fountainbridge, the changes in the area will be particularly marked.

Ruby Norman, 72, has lived on Viewforth Square for more than 40 years.

She recalls a butchers, bakers and grocers at Fountainbridge between the top of Grove Street and Lothian Road. "The area had many local shops," says Ruby.

"I remember a rag and bone man at the top of Grove Street. There was always a lovely smell of liquorice coming from MacKay's factory on Fountainbridge. It was unrecognisable to the Fountainbridge of today."

Dr Ali Afshar, director of AMA, said: "With the former brewery walls coming down, it is plain to see why Springside will become a key new urban quarter of the city. As the missing link connecting Bruntsfield with Haymarket, Springside will ensure this crucial western gateway to the city centre is a thriving destination for people to live, work and visit."