The public is being given the first opportunity to see the draft concept design for Edinburgh's George Street and New Town public realm design project.

The City of Edinburgh Council will hold a series of drop-in events on November 8, 9 and 10 at the City Art Centre to give people an idea of how the streets could look in the future, and the chance to offer feedback to help further shape the design. An online survey about the concept design will also be launched this month (November) and run until 25 January, 2019.

The project is a key element of the wider City Centre Transformation project and seeks to design a vibrant street environment that is safe for all users – one which significantly enhances its use for pedestrians while prioritising active travel and accessibility for all.

The design project, which is being led by the City of Edinburgh Council with support from Sustrans, builds on previous strands of input from residents, businesses and interested parties leading to design principles adopted last year following a year-long trial to provide more space for pedestrians and cyclists on George Street.

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Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Lesley Macinnes, said: "The City of Edinburgh Council is committed to creating a vibrant and people-focussed capital city centre through its City Centre Transformation Project, to improve community, economic and cultural life. Hearing the views of everyone is key to achieving a high-quality design and operation for the First New Town, and to achieving our aims for the future of the city centre. This draft concept design is an exciting step forward for the project.

"Members of the project team will be on hand at the drop-in sessions and we are keen to involve as many people as possible to ensure that we represent the needs and views of citizens, community groups and stakeholders in the design process."

Transport and Environment Vice Convener, Councillor Karen Doran, said: "This exciting project brings together ideas and aspirations for the area, following in-depth engagement with a wide range of stakeholders including community and specialist interest groups as part of the design development process. It is also exciting to see plans for one of the projects aligned to the City Centre Transformation being developed."

The drop-in sessions will be held on the fifth floor of the City Art Centre, Market Street, and will run from 2pm to 7pm on Thursday, November 8, between 11am and 5pm on Friday, November 9, and from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, November 10. 

The events follow on from drop-in sessions held earlier this year and at the end of last year when members of the public were offered the chance to help refine the project's design objectives.

The project's design team includes WYG Environment Planning Transport Ltd and urban design experts LDA Design, who were commissioned by the Council to develop this design project.