The Gyle Shopping Centre

Gyle Shopping Centre is a shopping center located in the South Gyle area of Edinburgh, Scotland. The main centre has two anchor tenants, Marks & Spencer and Morrisons (formerly Safeway), at opposite ends of the shopping centre.

Gyle Shopping Centre
LocationEdinburgh, Scotland
AddressSouth Gyle Broadway
Opening date1993
1994 (food court)
OwnerCapital & Regional
No. of anchor tenants2
Total retail floor area9,290 m2
Public transit accessNational Rail Edinburgh Gateway
Edinburgh Trams Gyle Centre
Websitewww.gyleshopping.com

Construction

A new district shopping centre for West Edinburgh was proposed by a public inquiry in 1987. The findings of the West Edinburgh Inquiry of 1989 were approved by the then Secretary of State for Scotland. The floor space in the shopping centre, which was originally called Maybury Park, was later scaled down to 9,290 m2 (100,000 sq ft) to protect nearby retail areas, such as Wester Hailes and Corstorphine.[1]

The management contractor, Wimpey Construction, began work on The Gyle in April 1992, and it opened in October 1993.[2] A food court was later added in the beginning of 1994, by the Catering Development.[3]

Expansion

The food court was added shortly after opening. Marks & Spencer have since added more shop space of their own, and took the opportunity to change their floor layout - adding a larger food hall - during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.[4]

The centre applied for planning permission to expand the food hall and add a cinema in 2019.[5] The plans would have moved the bus stance away from the front of the centre, and were ultimately rejected by the City of Edinburgh Council's planning committee due to potential issues with public transport and cycling that the changes could cause.[6][5]

Ownership of the centre then changed and the new owners started looking at grand plans to change the nature of the shopping centre to closer resemble a local town centre rather than an out of town shopping centre.[7]

Ownership

Gyle Shopping Centre opened in October 1993. The centre began as a joint development between Edinburgh Council, Marks and Spencer and Asda, although by the time of opening, Asda was replaced by Safeway. In 1997, Gyle was purchased outright by Marks and Spencer, who then sold the centre to USS in March 2000.[8]

Ownership of the centre changed again in late 2020 or early 2021. A failed planning application to expand the food court and add a cinema to the centre has hit the complex hard, along with the pandemic. [6]

In August 2023, the centre was acquired by Capital & Regional for £40 million.[9]

Current stores

 
Gyle has many stores, including WHSmith, Next, Virgin Media, Boots, Bank of Scotland, Marks & Spencer, Pandora, JD Sports, Holland & Barrett, Schuh and River Island. The food court was refurbished in 2005, and currently contains four outlets.[10] The centre also previously had a Disney store until 2021, when it closed.

Transport

 
Gyle Centre is supported by its own tram stop and by Lothian Bus services 2, 12, 21, 22, 36 & Skylink 400 and McGill's Scotland East services 20, 63 & 68 and is close to the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass road. It is also linked by an underpass to Edinburgh Gateway station.
Preceding station   Edinburgh Trams   Following station
Edinburgh Park Central
towards Newhaven		   Newhaven - Edinburgh Airport   Edinburgh Gateway station
towards Edinburgh Airport

References
  1. The Gyle Impact Study - Research Findings Archived 11 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Bovis and Wimpey hand over £68m Gyle Shopping Centre Construction News, 14 October 1993
  3. Catering Development Archived 4 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine page 17
  4. "Sushi fans are in for a treat at the new M&S food hall at Edinburgh's Gyle Centre". www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  5. "19/02604/FUL | Extension to shopping centre to include new retail, class 11 leisure and restaurant/cafe units with associated servicing, relocated bus/taxi facilities and reconfigured car parking and landscaping. | Gyle Centre Gyle Avenue Edinburgh". citydev-portal.edinburgh.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  6. "Plans to extend the Gyle refused".
  7. "Gyle Shopping Centre set to transform".
  8. "History of Gyle Shopping Centre". The Gyle Shopping Centre.
  9. "Landmark Edinburgh shopping centre anchored by M&S changes hands in £40 million deal". The Scotsman.
  10. Gyle Shopping Centre, Edinburgh|Shop 'til You Drop At Edinburgh's Premier Shopping Centre

55°56′20″N 3°18′50″W

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