Ocean Terminal planning application approved

The planning application for a £100m redevelopment of Ocean Terminal has gained approval from the City of Edinburgh Council.The plans should enable the first phase of the 20-year-old shopping centre’s transformation, opening up the Leith waterfront and creating a new community-led complex.They were lodged in March by its Scottish owners, Ambassador Group, following extensive consultation, including two public exhibitions, which have shown support for the new vision.Under the approved scheme, the north end of the existing centre will be demolished and a new frontage constructed, with retail and hospitality units looking out on to new public realm.Detailed plans for phase two – a mixed-use development comprising a range of housing, commercial units and public realm with a new walkway and cycle tracks along the water line – can now be finalised for submission to the council this winter.Chris Richardson, managing director at Ambassador Investments, commented: “We are delighted that City of Edinburgh Council has supported our plans to reconfigure Ocean Terminal, enabling us to continue to shape the transformation of the centre and its important waterfront location.“We are consulting widely to secure Ocean Terminal’s future resilience and sustainability and even against a backdrop of continuing change within the retail and hospitality sectors, we have been encouraged by an overwhelmingly positive reception to our vision for a centre that meets the needs of the local community.“This is particularly reflected in tenant lease extensions, alongside the confirmation of new and long-term tenancies within the centre.”First opened in 2001, Ocean Terminal currently occupies three floors and 420,000 sq ft of leisure, hospitality and retail units.Its tenants include Vue Cinema, H&M, Boots, Nando’s and Pizza Express, employing more than 625 people on-site.