Construction works beginning on Monday 8 August as part of regeneration of Prestongrange
The first stage of construction works for the development of a heritage park within the former Prestongrange Colliery and Brickworks between Prestonpans and Musselburgh will begin on Monday 8 August with ground preparation works for the construction of a new Engine Shed. The Engine Shed will be a purpose built location to house the locomotives, rolling stock and artefacts which are currently in the Bathhouse.
To complement the Council’s allocated capital budget (of £1,531,750 over the period 2020/21 to 2023/24) for this project, funding of £685,921 was received from the Scottish Government RCGF (Regeneration Capital Grant Fund) in March 2021 and recently secured a further £150,000 funding from this fund in March 2022.
Councillor Colin McGinn, Cabinet Spokesperson for Community Wellbeing, said: “The construction of the Engine Shed is the first major part of work on site and kicks off an integrated project to develop a heritage park at Prestongrange. This area has a rich industrial heritage and the heritage park will not just acknowledge the industries and developments of the past but also integrate these into both current and future education and action around climate change and environmental impacts.”
“The regeneration of Prestongrange is welcomed by the local community and I would like to thank the many supporters of this initiative and the funding bodies for their help in progressing this vision. The current visitor centre, operated by East Lothian Council’s Museums Service with the support of community volunteers, receives thousands of visitors annually and the heritage park is expected to increase visitor numbers considerably providing invaluable opportunities for the local economy including employment.”
The works to construct the shed are expected to take around 30 weeks for completion and the locomotives, rolling stock and artefacts will be moved in once the shed is finished. Improvements work has already been completed on the Hoffman kiln chimney, the pithead winding frame and the lifting beam on the power house. The next stage, expected to begin in early 2023, will be the renovation of the existing Bath House.
The overall vision of the project is to deliver a new, accessible carbon neutral community hub as well as commercial and indoor community education space primarily within the derelict pit-head baths and outdoors in the surrounding parkland.
The site will include a multi-purpose activity room, accommodation for local groups, stores, accessible toilets and showers. It will also provide development space in support of new revenue generation, education, and employment uses, as well as improving access to a nationally important landscape, green network and heritage site.