A new public plaza is to be built in one of Edinburgh’s most historic streets.

The development will see performance space built outside the National Museum of Scotland in Chambers Street.

The Scotsman has reported how the project will see a statue of Scottish architect William Henry Playfair built to stand alongside the existing monument of publisher and scientist William Chambers.

But it has also emerged that dozens of parking spaces will be removed under the plans, due to be considered by planners this week.

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NMS director Gordon Rintoul said: "The museum is one of the finest Victorian buildings in Britain, but it’s hemmed in by parking and the street is a cut-through for drivers. This project is about breathing new life into Chambers Street and creating quality public space."

The scheme will involved a major section of the museum’s Caithness paving extended north into Chambers Street.

This will create a pedestrianised plaza which will result in the loss of 39 parking bays.

The statues of Chambers and Playfair will be located within the new space.

Mr Rintoul said: "All major cities have a quality public realm and what this proposal will do is vastly improve Chambers Street for the benefit of the public and will make for a far better setting for the NMS. In other major European cities, a building like ours would always have a public presence out the front. What this plan amounts to is the creation of a new square – a focal point for the area and the city."

(IT)