Councillors to consider latest proposals for city centre projects
A report about the existing programme of proposed city centre projects, as well as the planned investment and funding sources, has been published ahead of the Transport and Environment Committee.
At the committee on 12 November, councillors will consider the report which outlines proposals for allocating the Visitor Levy city centre public realm funding (£31Million) to projects including George Street and Princes Street. This follows the 12 February 2026 Special Council Meeting when councillors asked for a further report on how Visitor Levy funds could be used to prioritise investment for public realm improvements in the city centre.
The George Street and First New Town project is central to our plans for the city centre. The committee will be considering a revised option for George Street that considers several factors, including:
- the need to ensure resilience for public transport, highlighted by the recent building fire on Princes Street
- the desire to fill the City Centre West Edinburgh Link (CCWEL) gap as soon as possible
- the need to deliver the project within a challenging financial environment.
The proposal for the reduced design option has been re-costed and is estimated at £19,978,545 (reduced from £34,794,962). More information is available in the report, but in summary, the new design would:
- replace natural stone setts on the road with asphalt
- remove the proposed trees
- change the specification and number of bollards, which allows us to considerably reduced costs as less excavation would be needed for diverting utility supplies.
We will update the webiste once a decision has been made by councillors.
You can watch the committee live online from 10am on Thursday 12 November.