Wester Hailes
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, and may be said to contain the areas of Murrayburn, Clovenstone, Westburn and Dumbryden.[citation needed]
Wester Hailes borders on Kingsknowe and Longstone to the east. Bankhead Industrial Estate and Sighthill Park lie to the north.
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 (formerly Wester Hailes Shopping Centre), 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.
There is straightforward pedestrian and cycle access to the city centre, and in the other direction to 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.
History
Although named for a large private house, the area was not substantially developed until the early 1970s, which is reflected in the dominant housing styles, mainly purpose-built flats and tower blocks.
It was extensively redeveloped during the 1990s and 2000s with a large number of properties being renovated and some others, such as the high rise "slab block" flats at Hailesland Park (now Wester Hailes Park) being demolished and replaced with newer "low-rise" housing.
Also, numerous property developers have built private housing in what was initially an entirely council-owned district.
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 "The Westsider" which was closed down in October 2009 but re-opened soon after, a Jobcentre, a Council Housing Office, a branch of the City Library, a newsagent, a bingo hall, an Odeon 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.
Local education centres include Stevenson College (a short distance to the north in Sighthill), the Wester Hailes Education Centre (WHEC), the Sighthill campus of Napier University and the main campus of Heriot-Watt University to the west, in Riccarton.
There is a large swimming pool at the Wester Hailes Education Centre. A large outdoor children's adventure playground originally existed in the early 1980s[3] but was closed due to safety concerns.
Crime
The area has improved greatly since the 80s and 90s but like many estates in Edinburgh suffers from youth disorder and knife crime.[citation needed]
References
External links
Academia
Facilities
- 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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