With the project a transformation complete join us to celebrate this June – details above
A Community-Led Transformation for Leith
The Coalie Park Improvement Project has now been completed, transforming a neglected riverside space in Leith into a vibrant, accessible and wildlife-friendly community park.
Led by the Water of Leith Conservation Trust in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council, local residents, artists, youth groups and funders, the project has delivered a lasting environmental and social legacy for the local community.
Between 2021 and 2025, the project focused on improving access, enhancing biodiversity, celebrating local heritage and creating welcoming spaces for people of all ages to enjoy.
What Has Been Delivered:
- New riverside amphitheatre-style seating and accessible ramps
- Upgraded pathways featuring the distinctive “silver thread” resin design inspired by the Water of Leith
- New benches, cycle parking and social seating areas
- Habitat improvements including oak tree planting, native hedgerows and pollinator-friendly meadows
- Floating wetland ecosystems to support wildlife and improve water quality
- Solar lighting to improve accessibility and safety
- Community-led mural artwork created with over 75 volunteers
- Wildflower planting and creative landscaping
- “The Dock” — an inclusive skate, wheel-skills and social space developed with young people and the Edinburgh Wheels Project
The park officially reopened to the public in May 2024, with final elements completed during 2025.
The Dock: One of the most exciting outcomes of the project is The Dock — a community-designed skate and social space created in partnership with the Edinburgh Wheels Project and Odyssey Skateparks. The Dock combines recreation, creativity and employability training, with local young people contributing directly to the build while gaining accredited construction and health & safety qualifications.
The space includes:
- Wheel-skills and skate features for all abilities
- Mosaic seating and public art installations
- Community planting and creative landscaping
- Inclusive seating and social spaces
A standout feature is the Gaudí-inspired mosaic seating area created with local artist Campbell Barclay and youth-led mosaic teams using recycled and donated materials reflecting Leith’s industrial heritage.
The Mural – Another transformed space is our vibrant community mural was created by artist Kate George and a small army of volunteers.
Community involvement has been at the heart of the Coalie Park transformation.
Throughout the project:
More than 75 volunteers took part in mural painting and planting sessions
Young people gained practical training, skills and work experience
Local residents helped shape the design through consultations, workshops and events
New opportunities for creativity, recreation and connection have been created in the heart of Leith
Funders and Supporters
The Coalie Park Improvement Project was made possible thanks to the support of our funders, delivery partners, local businesses, artists, volunteers and community organisations. Together, these contributions helped deliver more than £550,000 of investment into Coalie Park and the surrounding community.
Project Funders
We gratefully acknowledge support from:
- Paths for All – Ian Findlay Fund
- City of Edinburgh Council – Place Based Investment Programme
- Leith Community Fund
- Avondale Environmental – Scottish Landfill Communities Fund
- The Mushroom Trust
- Sustrans Scotland – Network Development Fund
- Sustrans Scotland – ArtRoots Fund
- The National Lottery Community Fund
- Garfield Weston Foundation
- Robert Barr Foundation
- Scape Scotland
- Longstone Foundation
- Private donors and supporting companies
Project Partners and Supporters
Special thanks to the many organisations and individuals who contributed expertise, materials, creative input and community support throughout the project, including:
- Edinburgh Wheels Project
- Odyssey Skateparks
- Balfour Beatty
- TP&E
- P1 Solutions
- Network Rail
- Dulux Decorating Centres
- First Stage Studios
- Campbell Barclay
- Kate George
Community and In-Kind Support for The Dock
The final phase of the project — The Dock — received additional support and donated materials from:
- Sunbelt Rentals UK
- City Access Scaffold
- Jewson
- BRC
- The NWH Group
- Breedon Group
- Under Pressure
- Tile Star
- Graham Construction
- Three Brand
We also extend heartfelt thanks to the volunteers, trainees, artists, local residents and community groups who helped shape and deliver Coalie Park over the course of the project.
Installing Biomatrix platforms was the first thing we did in May 2023 We now have two ‘Biomatrix – floating habitat platforms’ in the river. One by the Walkway alongside Coalie Park and the other near Great Junction St bridge by the old State Cinema building. Top of the wish list these provide a space for nature to flourish above & below the water
Click on this link to see a video of the installation https://youtu.be/KOr2NDbZhF8
Project Background – At the end of the tidal flow of Edinburgh’s river lies The Coalie – a coal depot, railway yard and place for ship repair. Regenerated in the 1980s, the area became known as Coalie Park. The site is an important ‘blue and green space’ and access route for the local community while being home to a surprising variety of wildlife. But there is great pressure on this dilapidated space now plagued by littering, graffiti and anti-social behaviour. Leith is also one of the most densely populated areas in Scotland and lacks quality greenspace for its residents and wildlife. During this project, we aim to:
- Enhance the ‘blue and green space’ for biodiversity.
- Improve the flow of user movement and re-establish peoples’ connection with the Water of Leith.
- Engage with local people and interested groups to see what practical steps can be taken to improve the area, what improvements local people would like to see in the area going forward.
To improve the area in 2020/21 a Landscape Proposals Document was produced by ELGT which was then used a mechanism for capturing feedback and for a period of community engagement. Due to COVID this was presented online and driven by social media and a local poster campaign. This community engagement was dubbed the ‘Coalie Conversation’, a frank conversation which needed to be had with the community and stakeholders to help finalise design ideas so funding the transformation can begin. This was completed in March 2021 and 450 people participated in an overwhelmingly positive way. A summary of the results are in the infographic below.
To drive this project forward we have formed the Coalie Collective – a project steering group made up from landowners, stakeholders, community group and local people. This group includes; Edinburgh and Lothian’s Greenspace Trust, City of Edinburgh Council, Scottish Water, The Community Council, Edinburgh Wheels, Friends of the Water of Leith Basin, SOS Leith, Leith Lates, Citadel Youth Centre, and the Community Police.
Thanks to funding from the National Lottery Community Fund in January 2022 we published a Coalie Park Improvement Plan – click on the link above to take a look. Over the past year we have been working on refining the plans and gathering support and funding to deliver this bold and transformative plan.
See the results of our Community Engagement below
