City of Edinburgh Council leader Jane Meagher welcomes Princes Street reopening

City of Edinburgh Council leader Jane Meagher has welcomed the reopening of Princes Street. The Capital’s main thoroughfare has returned to full Lothian Bus and Edinburgh Tram services for the first time in seven weeks following the devastating fire at the former Debenhams building.

The reopening was first pencilled in for Monday—however, this has now been brought forward. Cllr Meagher thanked those involved in the reopening.

She said: “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to reopen Princes Street ahead of schedule today. It’s fantastic to see buses, trams and pedestrians making their way down our main thoroughfare after what has been an incredibly challenging few weeks for the city.

“A great deal of hard work has gone on behind the scenes to make this possible – and I want to reiterate my thanks to our council teams and engineers who have carried out painstaking work to make the building secure as quickly and safely as possible. I also want to thank Lothian Buses for keeping the city moving over the past seven weeks, and our residents and visitors for their patience.”

Council leader Jane Meagher (left) with Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth in Princes Street

Cllr Meagher said that the complexity of the works carried out on the fire hit building “cannot be understated”. Stonework and debris was hand-removed by specialist engineers. The seven-week closure drew frustration—in particular from businesses in Leith and Newhaven— following the suspension of tram services beyond Princes Street - West

A “More by the Shore” campaign has been launched to support businesses alongside a £5 million recovery fund.

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Cllr Meagher said: “A lot of people have asked me why it has taken so long to make the building safe and the answer is that it has all had to be done painstakingly by hand.

“While this devastating fire would have undoubtedly caused disruption at any time of year, the timing couldn’t have been worse, with the city getting ready to welcome the world’s biggest arts festival. I acknowledge how difficult it has been for our residents and visitors – and of course the knock on effect this has had on businesses. We’re committed to supporting these businesses to get back on their feet and have outlined a range of measures, including our business support campaign ‘More by the Shore’, to support them not only in the here and now but well into the Christmas period and beyond.

“My thanks once again to all who have made it possible to reopen Princes Street today – council officers, engineers, and our transport partners, Edinburgh Trams and Lothian Buses. I think it’s fair to say that this period has further underlined the critical importance and popularity of our tram network, not just to the north of the city but to the whole of Edinburgh.”

The upper levels of the former Debenhams department store on Princes Street were left destroyed by the fire. | City of Edinburgh Council

A £5 million recovery fund was announced in early-August by the Scottish Government. Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth welcomed the reopening of Princes Street whilst pledging plans for future resilliance.

She said: “News of Princes Street fully reopening will provide relief to business and commuters who have had to adapt during the widespread disruption in the city.

“The Scottish Government has been determined from the start to ensure that we support the council in assisting those affected and this is why we provided funding of up to £5 million to keep the city moving and to enable long term recovery.

“We will continue to engage closely with the council and partners while work on the building continues and support for affected businesses continues. This will include examining plans for future resilience.”