WORK on the first offices at Edinburgh's new Springside quarter, the site of Sir Sean Connery's birthplace, is set to start in June.
A five-storey office building is to be developed on the former Scottish and Newcastle brewery site in Fountainbridge.
Sir Sean, 77, grew up in a tenement on the site, although that was demolished long ago to make way for the brewery. And the consortium behind the latest office development on the site have said they are currently considering options to commemorate Sir Sean's links with the area.
A plaque marking the area as Sir Sean Connery's birthplace has been removed due to the ongoing development, but it is understood developers plan to replace it on the side of the office block set to rise on the site once occupied by his family home.
The 9.5 acre Springside quarter is one of the largest city centre regeneration projects seen in the capital in the past 50 years.
It will provide 600 new homes, as well as offices and a number of retail units including coffee and sandwich shops facing Fountainbridge.
Designed by award-winning Edinburgh architects CDA, the entrance to the new office building will be complemented by a landmark glazed tower.
There are also plans to create a £9 million, 650-space underground car park and a pedestrian-friendly "town centre" on either side of the main road.
The consortium behind Springside, made up of Grosvenor, AMA and The Royal Bank of Scotland, hope that the site will act as a natural extension to the Haymarket area and the Exchange financial district, but also cement Fountainbridge's reputation as a quality business location.
Dr Ali Afshar, director of AMA, said: "This will be a high quality commercial hub within a brand new urban district in the very heart of a dynamic city centre."
Sir Sean last year spoke of his pleasure at knowing the industrial site dominating the area would soon be no more.
"Growing up in Fountainbridge played a major part in my early experiences of Edinburgh," he said. "Its industrial legacy left an important imprint on my life – and on the rest of the city.
"I am pleased that now, at last, the walls are coming down."
John Irvine, director of Grosvenor, said: "The building will reinvigorate and reinforce Fountainbridge as a vibrant commercial centre."
• Sir Sean, 77, would consider a return to the James Bond franchise – as a villain, it was reported today.
The full article contains 419 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
