Transformation work in East Princes Street Gardens starts

The next step in the redevelopment of the Scottish National Gallery will begin this month as work starts in East Princes Street Gardens.

The building project will make the gardens more-easily accessible for people with impaired mobility and wheelchair users as the steps there are widened.

An accessible toilet on the Mound will be removed, with the area joining Edinburgh City Council's community toilet scheme.

It is part of the £22million redevelop the Scottish National Gallery which is transforming old office, storage and display spaces that will make the gallery accessible from the East Entrance of the gardens.

A fly-through video has been produced and shows the vision developers have for the project.

It does mean the main gallery shop and the Scottish Cafe and Restaurant will temporarily close until the Spring.

Sir John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland, said:

“It has been very exciting over the autumn to see work on this project get started, and as we move out of winter and into spring we are looking forward to some of our first milestones becoming a reality.

"Landscaping will start shortly and by the spring our new accessible route into Princes Street Gardens will be complete and our restaurant and enlarged shop will reopen to welcome the public.

"Unavoidably there will be some disruption around the site over the coming weeks, and we are grateful for the public’s patience while we create these improvements to the galleries and the surrounding space.

"We want the Scottish National Gallery to be a place for everyone to enjoy. We have two years to go before opening, but we hope that as this year progresses people will already begin to feel the great benefits of the work we are doing here.”