{"id":693773,"date":"2026-01-13T19:30:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T19:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/693773\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T19:30:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T19:30:19","slug":"plans-lodged-for-new-art-installation-in-edinburgh-green-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/693773\/","title":{"rendered":"Plans lodged for new art installation in Edinburgh green space"},"content":{"rendered":"

PLANS have been lodged for a new public art installation, made entirely of concrete, in a park in Bingham<\/a>\u00a0in the south of Edinburgh.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The plans have been\u00a0submitted\u00a0by the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (WWCT)<\/a> (formerly known as Sustrans<\/a>), cycling charity and custodians of the National Cycling Network<\/a> with support from the City of Edinburgh Council<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The artwork, which features an orange circular motif supported by a longer, grey, right-angled piece of concrete, has been designed by\u00a0Littlewhitehead, a duo of Scottish artists.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is hoped that the artwork, which will be\u00a0adjacent to\u00a0a stretch of the National Cycle Network which runs through a green space in Bingham<\/a>, would make the \u201cunderutilised\u201d park more inviting and accessible.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>The installation will provide a striking landmark to what is a mostly barren and neglected green space (C) Walk Wheel Cycle Trust<\/p>\n

Littlewhitehead\u00a0is a duo of two Scottish collaborative artists whose work \u201cinvestigates how sculpture, relief, and painting can capture memory, touch, and the stories of a place\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If approved by the city council, the new installation would sit alongside a shared use path, providing a point of interest in the greenspace near the old south Edinburgh railway.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The circular orange section and the larger, rectangular section would both be made of concrete and would be supported by concrete foundations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The structure, in total, will be 2.65m tall and 0.7m wide at its foundational base layer, with the main components of the artwork being 0.4m wide.<\/p>\n

In a statement today, WWCT explained the rationale for the installation\u2019s location: \u201cThis project builds on the success of the 2024 Connect project which saw a new mural painted in the nearby Niddrie\/Bingham Tunnel \u2013 aiming to make it feel like a safer and more pleasant place.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs well as the mural, the project also improved lighting in the tunnel, with work carried out by City of Edinburgh Council Lighting Department.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the Connect project an intern programme was created.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis gave 3 local young people the opportunity to gain skills and experience in community engagement and public art, whilst being paid the Real Living Wage.<\/p>\n

\u201cFollowing the project, 100% of post-survey respondents agreed that the artwork made the route more attractive, with 85% saying that it increased their enjoyment of the route.\u201d<\/p>\n

They added: \u201cThe Bingham Medway Park project will build on the positive relationships that were fostered during the previous tunnel project, both with young people and the wider community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith ongoing issues of anti-social behaviour, the aim is to continue making the area more attractive and feel like a safer place for all local people to spend time in.\u201d<\/p>\n

The project is full funded by the Scottish Government via Walk Wheel Cycle Trust\u2019s\u00a0National Cycle Network Development programme.<\/p>\n

In a statement,\u00a0Littlewhitehead\u00a0explained the design and material choices, saying:\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWe aim to create a practice that goes beyond aesthetics, considering the long-term impact of our work on the environment, communities, and future generations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis project is considered holistically within this vision.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cConcrete has been chosen as the primary material because it allows for an extremely durable, low-maintenance work within budget.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTo reduce the environmental impact, we are using recycled aggregates sourced locally.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the areas of greatest waste in our practice is mould-making, which traditionally relies on single-use virgin materials.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have developed a new process using primarily wax, which can be remelted and reused repeatedly, significantly reducing production waste.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough concrete can attract negative opinions, we are introducing pigmentation to enhance colour and ensure the work responds sensitively to its surrounding landscape.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

They added: \u201cThe design is intended to be visible from surrounding paths, allowing people to experience it even if they do not approach it directly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cUp close, the concrete will feature tactile recesses,\u00a0possibly an\u00a0extruded name plaque, and textures to explore by touch.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe base of the sculpture will retain rainwater, adding a secondary material and a playful element for children to interact with.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>The Trust have now commenced a wider consultation with locals and community groups (C) Walk Wheel Cycle Trust<\/p>\n

Information about the artwork has also been included in the design, with the name of the artwork, identity of the artists and commissioners, as well as date of completion included.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The design for the installation has been in the works for some months now, with the WWCT and\u00a0Littlewhitehead\u00a0engaging with locals, art groups, and stakeholders.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Art Buds Collective, a social enterprise aimed at sustainable art education for children,\u00a0facilitated\u00a0an extensive community engagement, with over 200 adults and children from local schools asked for their views on the project.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a design statement, WWCT said of the consultation: \u201cThe idea of a\u00a0site-specific\u00a0artwork has been met with enthusiasm and a resoundingly positive response from\u00a0local residents.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring workshops we have visited the site with groups and encouraged a direct response to place, sharing images of public artwork and surveying path users.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLocal children say they do not see the area as a park or as an inviting space to visit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth children and\u00a0adults\u00a0comment that cyclists speed up along the main path and create anxiety amongst the elderly and those with young children and dogs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNon-residents cycling or walking say they would be happy to engage with artwork and felt the area is underused.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLocal residents have requested the creation of safe space adjacent to the cycle path.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

WWCT says\u00a0that further engagement with residents who live\u00a0in close proximity to\u00a0the project will be conducted while the planning application progresses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A preliminary ecological assessment of the area surrounding the proposed installation was carried out, with no adverse impacts to protected species or greenspace amenity being\u00a0identified.\u00a0<\/p>\n

City planners will\u00a0make a decision\u00a0on the proposals by 13 February.<\/p>\n

It is hoped that the artwork\u2019s construction will be completed sometime in May 2026.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PLANS have been lodged for a new public art installation, made entirely of concrete, in a park in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":693774,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8816],"tags":[119804,209444,748,1102,209445,37802,4884,209446,209447,46943,712,95705,16,15,209448],"class_list":{"0":"post-693773","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-edinburgh","8":"tag-bingham","9":"tag-bingham-art-installation","10":"tag-britain","11":"tag-edinburgh","12":"tag-edinburgh-art-installation","13":"tag-edinburgh-council","14":"tag-great-britain","15":"tag-littlewhitehead","16":"tag-national-cycle-network","17":"tag-planning-application","18":"tag-scotland","19":"tag-sustrans","20":"tag-uk","21":"tag-united-kingdom","22":"tag-walk-wheel-cycling-trust"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115889453296977145","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/693773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=693773"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/693773\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/693774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=693773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=693773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=693773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}