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Edinburgh’s St James Quarter, a 1.7m sq ft lifestyle district that will house the UK’s second ever W Hotel, has officially been opened by Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal.
She was joined by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, councillor Robert Aldridge, where she unveiled the foundation stone for the development, which will include W Hotel Edinburgh and a 75-bed Roomzzz aparthotel.
Before the opening ceremony, HRH The Princess Royal was taken on a tour of the £1bn project, which includes 850,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space and an Everyman Cinema as well as 52 residential apartments called New Eidyn.
HRH The Princess Royal, who was introduced to businesses along the shopping galleria, ascended to the site’s highest point at what will be the UK’s second ever W Hotel, to “take in the newest panorama of Edinburgh”.
She also met representatives from retail and hospitality academy FUSE Edinburgh, which in partnership with St James Quarter is helping boost local employment through training and job opportunities on site and throughout the rest of the city.
Her tour was rounded off by the official opening ceremony, where HRH The Princess Royal unveiled the foundation stone. She also gave a short speech in front of guests and members of the public and was gifted a scarf custom-made out of St James Quarter tartan.
Martin Perry, director of Development, Real Estate, Europe at Nuveen Real Estate, said: “We are immensely grateful and honoured to have hosted Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal.
“St James Quarter is at the heart of Edinburgh’s success story and, as the city bounces back, we see time and time again why we chose to invest here. A city with transformation and growth at its core, we are delighted to be able to provide such a revolutionary offering.”
Lord Provost and Lord Lieutenant of Edinburgh, councillor Robert Aldridge added:
“It has been a great honour to receive Her Royal Highness in Edinburgh today, and to accompany Her on a tour of this transformative project for the city. The opening of St James Quarter is the fruition of over a decade’s work to deliver a retail and lifestyle district unique to Edinburgh, which celebrates its spirit, history and culture.”
