A revised plan for Edinburgh’s George Street will progress to the next stage of delivery, after approval by councillors.
Members of the Transport and Environment Committee voted in support of City Centre Public Realm proposals on Thursday. They also agreed the distribution of allocated Visitor Levy city centre public realm funding to George Street alongside improvement projects on Princes Street and Market Street/East Market Street.
The revised George Street plan will fill the gap in the cross-city City Centre West to East Link (CCWEL) and prioritises resilience for emergency bus diversions, taking into account the impact of the Princes Street fire in July.
The report approved at committee notes several other projects, both planned and in progress, to transform the city centre, including Cowgate and South Bridge improvements and Meadows to George Street.
Councillor Stephen Jenkinson, Transport and Environment Convener, said:
Our goal is to adapt Edinburgh’s historic city centre to create a safer, more welcoming and accessible environment, while retaining the area’s unique heritage.
We have several ambitious projects in the pipeline which will deliver the kind of change needed to achieve this, as well as maintaining the Capital’s public transport network. Recent events on Princes Street highlighted how important this is.
George Street and First New Town is central to these plans, and I’m pleased that we’re now able to progress the scheme alongside other major improvements across the city centre.
The programme of city centre public realm improvements aims to enhance public spaces to better support life in the city by prioritising walking, wheeling, cycling and travel by public transport while improving access. Interventions are informed by the overarching City Mobility Plan and City Centre Transformation (CCT).
Allocation of Visitor Levy funding to city centre projects follows approval by Full Council in September.
George Street and First New Town is a key project within CCT and the proposed plans maintain the core objectives to complete CCWEL and improve public realm. Revised designs look to make savings by reducing excavation and therefore utility diversions, replacing natural stone setts on the road surface with asphalt and making changes to the access control system. Trees will be retained on the street, following Thursday’s vote by councillors.
Read the full report, City Centre Public Realm Proposals.