One of Scotland’s leading placemaking and transport experts has been appointed to head up a major city centre transformation project for the Capital.

Daisy Narayanan, Deputy Director at Sustrans Scotland, has taken up a one-year secondment to the City of Edinburgh Council as lead officer on the Central Edinburgh Transformation project. Daisy brings a wealth of experience in the placemaking, planning and transport sectors gained through the public and private sectors.

The project, whose outline scope was approved by the Transport and Environment Committee in October 2017, is intended to improve the public realm in the city centre of Edinburgh, and improve conditions for access for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport.

Transport Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “We are absolutely committed to making the centre of Edinburgh a great place to live, work and visit. I am delighted to welcome someone of Daisy’s calibre and experience to this very exciting project. Daisy is hugely respected and well thought of right across the placemaking and transport sectors. She will bring exactly the kind of holistic overview we need for the Central Edinburgh Transformation project. I look forward very much to working closely with her as we take this project to the next stage.”

Sustrans Scotland National Director John Lauder said: “Sustrans is very proud of Daisy’s secondment to the Central Edinburgh Transformation Project as Project Director. Not only is it an incredibly exciting role but a confirmation of our strong relationship with the City of Edinburgh Council and the skills sets of Sustrans’ team.

“The move is also a fantastic opportunity for Sustrans to continue its strong relationship with Edinburgh in helping it become an exemplar for place making and putting people and active travel at the heart of design and development in the Capital.”

A progress report on the Central Edinburgh Transformation project is due to be brought to the Transport and Environment Committee in May.