The Polwarth Pavement Project

Great news: change is coming to the Polwarth Roundabout!

We are delighted to report that the City of Edinburgh Council is redesigning the Polwarth roundabout junction to improve safety, following a campaign by the Merchiston and Districts Community Council (MDCC). This is great news for local residents!

The City of Edinburgh Council has now released designs for a new road layout, which were developed in close consultation with MDCC. We welcome these designs and we encourage residents to review these and share their views before 21 September 2025.

Please get involved! This is a once-in-a-generation chance to redesign our neighbourhood, making it pleasanter, greener and safer for the whole community.

Artist's impression of the redesigned roundabout as T-junction, highlighting the enlarged and relocated zebra crossing at Polwarth Gardens. The image shows a person crossing the zebra crossing. There is a large planter with greenery at one side of the widened pavement.

Review the designs and share your feedback

You can read MDCC’s independent assessment of the City Council’s proposals.

To stay up to date, please sign up for project updates, and we will share news and opportunities for input. You can also contact us to share your views.

Project background

In spring 2022, MDCC received a grant from the City of Edinburgh Council to carry out a community engagement project focused on the pavements of Polwarth.  The project focused on the Polwarth Roundabout — at the junction of Polwarth Gardens, Polwarth Crescent and Granville Terrace. Over 12 months, MCC collected community feedback, commissioned traffic surveys, and analysed pedestrian safety and public amenity issues.

The Polwarth Roundabout Report was published in July 2023. It proposes radical changes to the layout of the roundabout in order to improve safety, increase space for pavement users, reduce vehicle volume and speed, introduce much-needed facilities for cyclists, and ‘green’ the environment.  The executive summary summarises MCC’s recommendations.

MDCC has been using the report to undertake lengthy engagement with the City Council.

In August 2024, MDCC was delighted to learn that a new ‘Local Traffic Improvement Programme’ had been set up; and that improvements to the Polwarth junction would be included in it.  Some £100,000 has been allocated for 2024-25 for design work, with implementation to follow probably around 2026/27. 

What’s next?

Keep an eye on the news page below for the latest updates as the project develops. And if you want to stay up to date with developments, please sign up for project updates using the form on this page, and share your views on the contact us page.