The first 1km (0.6-mile) section of a new promenade between Silverknowes and Granton has been unveiled as part of plans to create a continuous 16.8km (10.4-mile) waterfront route for Edinburgh.

A 'destination point' has been created at Birnie Rocks at the heart of the new 6m (19.7ft)-wide walkway and cycleway, which has cost £210,000 to develop and is the first stage of the City of Edinburgh Council's (CEC) 30-year scheme to link Cramond and Joppa. Approximately 11.6km (7.21 miles) of the planned promenade already exists, which will eventually form part of the Scottish Coastal Path and the North Sea Trail. CEC plans to spread the cost of the project over the 30-year construction period, with around 40 per cent to be met by developers.

CEC's Tom Buchanan said: "The Edinburgh Promenade will offer residents of all ages the opportunity to enjoy a walk, run or cycle along the sea front and to enjoy the wonderful views across to Fife. "Beyond that, the Promenade is a key element in our plans to make the waterfront an attractive visitor destination and, through increasing visitor numbers to the area, we expect to bring an additional £12m per year to the city and create over new 1,000 jobs."

The Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP) for South of Scotland, Alasdair Morgan, added: "The development of a continuous high quality coastal Promenade route here in Edinburgh will be a major asset for the waterfront, the city and for Scotland." Work on the first stage of the promenade started in January 2009, with the next stage from Silverknowes and Granton Harbour set to take shape from May 2010.