Sir Sean Connery to have street named after him in Edinburgh

He is Edinburgh’s best-known son, a cinema legend who remains a pin-up at the age of 74.

Sir Sean Connery has picked up a knighthood in the Capital, was awarded the freedom of the city and is patron of its world-renowned film festival.

Now the former James Bond is set to be honoured by having a street named after him in a multi-million-pound new development in his former stamping ground - reports the Edinburgh Evening News.

Developers behind the transformation of a former brewery site in Fountainbridge have unveiled plans to pay tribute to Sir Sean to mark the fact he was brought up in the area.

The 900,000sq ft site was once home to the tenement building where Sir Sean grew up. A humble plaque to mark the spot was erected on a wall beside the main road by Scotland’s national film agency in 1997 as part of celebrations to commemorate 100 years of cinema in Scotland.

But the developers of the Fountain North want to line up a more fitting tribute to Connery and plan to approach him personally to seek his seal of approval.

Strict city council regulations on the naming of streets mean there is a presumption against using names of people who are still alive - although it can happen in exceptional circumstances.

The rules were softened following an embarrassing dispute over a luxury homes development near Murrayfield which was planned to be named after rugby legend Gavin Hastings but had to be re-named after an obscure 16th-century paper maker.

City council leader Donald Anderson today threw his weight behind a new tribute to Sir Sean, saying he had "no problem" with celebrating people while they are still alive.

Councillor Anderson last year unveiled plans to mark the achievements of the city’s "modern-day heroes", like J K Rowling and Dame Muriel Spark.

He said today: "The most important view will be Sean Connery’s and it will be important to have his backing for whatever is planned. We should celebrate Edinburgh’s successes and he is the city’s most famous son."

The naming of a street is believed to be the favoured option of the consortium behind the development, which includes Grosvenor, AMA (New Town) Limited and the Royal Bank of Scotland.

But they have promised to consult local residents to see if another form of tribute would be more appropriate, including naming a major new public park in the development after him or commissioning a sculpture of the star.

The development - work on which is due to start next year - will see the former McEwan’s beer-kegging and distribution plant transformed by 160,000sq ft of office space, 650 new homes, tree-lined boulevards, shops and a park. Up to 2500 jobs are set to be created.

A spokesman for the consortium, Fountain North Limited, said: "Of course, Fountainbridge’s most famous resident was Sean Connery.

"The development presents us with a wonderful opportunity to celebrate his association with the Fountainbridge area and we’ll be writing to him to inform him of our plans."

Sir Sean, though, seemed less keen to turn up for the unveiling of the plaque marking his birthplace in the tenement building at 176 Fountainbridge. He even joked about it last year, saying: "You would have to be ten feet tall to see it."

A spokeswoman for Connery today said she did not believe he had been officially approached about the offer. She said: "The key to the city of Edinburgh is his proudest award."

Thanks to `JP` for the alert.

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