Wester Hailes

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Union Canal, Wester Hailes

1 Location
2 Transport Links
3 History
4 Demographics and Facilities
5 References
6 External links
- 6.1 Academia
- 6.2 Facilities

[edit] Location

Wester Hailes is a suburb in the south west of Edinburgh, Scotland. Depending on the definition, Wester Hailes sometimes takes in Sighthill, the Calders and other surrounding areas. It also contains, not exclusively and in no particular order, the areas of Murrayburn, Clovenstone, Westburn and Dumbryden. It borders on Colinton and Juniper Green to the south, and Kingsknowe and Longstone to the east. Bankhead Industrial Estate and Sighthill Park lie to the north.

[edit] Transport Links

The main points of arrival and departure for Wester Hailes are the string of bus stops located on the northern edge of Westside Plaza, and the railway station only a short distance to the south. Bus services arriving here are the 3, 18, 20, 30, 32 & 33 provided by Lothian Buses, with destinations including the City Centre and the New Edinburgh Royal Infirmary (New ERI) (see section entitled "The Present Site") in Little France. Service 44 passes nearby to the south on its way to Balerno; services 25, 34 and 35 pass nearby to the north, with destinations including Edinburgh Airport, Hermiston Park & Ride and Heriot-Watt University's Riccarton Campus.
Furthermore there is excellent pedestrian and cycle access to the City Centre, the Falkirk Wheel and all points in-between via the Union Canal towpath, many parts of which have recently been resurfaced. The canal itself is increasingly seeing occasional narrowboat traffic following extensive renovations along its length, including new and refurbished jetties.

[edit] History

The area has seen a great deal of urban regeneration in the 1990s and early 21st century, with the demolition of various high-rise flats, and also the cleaning up, renovation and reconstruction of the Union Canal between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The area consists predominantly of 'modern' 1970s housing styles, mainly purpose-built flats. It has been extensively developed over the past decade with numerous property developers building private housing in what was initially an entirely council-owned district.

[edit] Demographics and Facilities

Wester Hailes is generally considered to be one of the more deprived parts of the Capital - for example, it was recently revealed as having the cheapest road in Edinburgh^[1]. Use of illegal drugs is a major concern here^[2].

Westside Plaza is the main social and shopping hub of the area, comprising a large public house, a Jobcentre, a Council Housing Office, a branch of the City Library, a newsagents, a bingo hall, a cinema and a collection of shops both adjacent to and inside the Wester Hailes Shopping Centre. A Post Office can be found in the latter. Westside Plaza is also close to Tesco 3438, the first Tesco in Scotland. Local education centres include Stevenson College (a short distance to the north in Sighthill), the Wester Hailes Education Center (or WHEC – see External Links below), the Sighthill campus of Napier University and the main campus of Heriot-Watt University to the west, in Riccarton.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

[edit] Academia

[edit] Facilities

Tesco - Wester Hailes Branch
Edinburgh City Libraries - Wester Hailes Branch
The Wester Hailes Education Centre (WHEC) offers leisure facilities, such as a public swimming pool - see link above.
Jobcentre Plus: Westside Plaza, Edinburgh, EH14 2SP. Telephone: 0131 456 4300

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