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 Community Council (MCC). This is great news for local residents!
The Council is now undertaking design work on a new road layout, and consultation with local businesses and with residents will soon follow.
To stay up to date, please sign up for project updates below, and we will share news and opportunities for input. You can also contact us to share your views.
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.

Project Background
In early 2022, MCC received a grant from the City of Edinburgh Council to carry out a community engagement project focused on the pavements of Polwarth. This looked closely at pedestrian safety and public amenity at and near the Polwarth Roundabout — at the junction of Polwarth Gardens, Polwarth Crescent and Granville Terrace.
MCC’s final report is here – Polwarth Roundabout Report. It proposed 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.
Following lengthy engagement with the City Council, MCC 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 was allocated for 2024-25 for design work, with implementation to follow probably around 2026.
MCC will make its own independent assessment of the City Council’s proposals. We will share our views with local residents before offering them to CEC. We hope many of our proposals – put forward in MCC’s June 2023 report on the Polwarth junction – will be reflected in CEC’s designs.
If you have not already done so, please sign up for project updates below so that we can get the latest information to you quickly.
What’s Next
Keep an eye on this section for more news. We will update it as the project develops. And if you want to express your views or get involved, please sign up for project updates and share your views on the contact us page.
To stay up to date, please sign up for project updates below, and we will share news and opportunities for input. You can also contact us to share your views.
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.