DELIGHTED bosses of Edinburgh’s newest style bar have welcomed a blueprint to create an ambitious watersports destination on their doorstep.
Hyde Out is a stylish, £1million venue due to open in November at Edinburgh Quay, an area which has already enjoyed a dramatic turnaround in fortunes in the past five years.
Now the thriving quarter has been given another boost, with the unveiling of a blueprint to turn a stretch of the Union Canal into a haven for watersports and houseboats.
Rory McWhirter, director of L.A.White Leisure, the company behind Hyde Out, said: “We are delighted at the council’s proposed plans to create a ‘canal quarter’ and hope that as a new business opening in the area we can benefit from the interest and footfall the scheme looks set to create.
“Picking the right area to open a new bar is one of the most important things you can do and we definitely think we have got it right with this site.
“The Edinburgh Quay area attracted us because of its potential for regeneration. These new plans can only be beneficial to us as and this fantastic but much underused area of Edinburgh.
“The scheme has our full support and it would be great to see the canal opened to its full potential and have it bustling with canal boats and even canoes or kayaks.”
Economic development bosses hope the ‘canal quarter’ will boost existing businesses, while attracting other new businesses like Hyde Out.
The new proposal was unveiled this week (Sep 27) and will focus on the 16 kilometre stretch of the Union Canal between Harrison Park and Fountainbridge.
It aims to turn the area into a major base for recreational water activities such as canoeing and kayaking as well as providing a potential development of floating homes.
The canal strategy, which will go out to public consultation later this year, also proposes new boat moorings and explores the possibility of creating a marina – which will create a Riviera style atmosphere.
Councillor Jim Lowrie, convener of planning at Edinburgh Council, said: “The development and the regeneration of the Edinburgh Quay area is set to take off over the next few years and a bar venue such as Hyde Out will be an added bonus, providing extra footfall and much needed vitality to the area.”
Work is currently under way at the site and completion with a view to open looks set for the beginning of November.
Hyde Out promises to be a striking addition to Edinburgh’s bar scene, featuring a host of exclusive design features that will inject quirky style into a sector which has been hit by the smoking ban and the recession.
Press release issued on behalf of Hyde Out by public relations agency the Holyrood Partnership.
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