Edinburgh Old Town traders being asked in a poll whether they want a Business Improvement District
‘Businesses in most recognisable part of Scotland have no collective structure to manage pressures of growing visitor numbers’ - BID advocates
A group of businesses in Edinburgh’s Old Town has launched a poll asking whether local traders want to explore a Business Improvement District (BID) for the area.
BIDs are business-funded partnerships that allow local businesses to invest collectively in the services, improvements, and projects they want to see, and to speak with a single voice to the council and other decision-makers.
A previous attempt to launch an Old Town BID, following the example of Essential Edinburgh in the New Town, was rejected in a ballot in 2019.
But the group behind the latest move says it has learned lessons and is taking a different approach. It is asking traders to take part in an online poll, emphasising it is not a decision and nothing is being proposed yet. “It's a quick, anonymous poll to understand if it's worth looking into,” says the group.
The poll asks businesses if they agree there could be improvements in tackling anti-social behaviour, cleansing services, care of street furniture, crowd control, signage and winter festival events.
The initiative is being led by local businesses, among them Mercat Tours and Vittoria Restaurants, two of the Old Town's most established names. They are joined by a steering group that spans retail, hospitality, tourism and culture, including Merchant Leisure, the Scottish Design Exchange, Elephant House, The Whisky Trail and Museum Context.
They argue there is a strong case for this being the right moment to launch a BID. “Edinburgh welcomed 2.56 million international visitors in 2024, an 11 per cent increase on the previous year and 16 per cent above pre-pandemic levels, spending £1.64 billion in the city.
“The Old Town sits at the heart of all of it, yet has no collective structure to manage the pressures that come with it, shoplifting, cleanliness, over-crowding, anti-social behaviour and vandalism among them.
“The Edinburgh Visitor Levy will be coming into effect in July, creating a funding stream that better-organised areas are already positioned to access, while the St James Quarter has reshaped how people move through the city centre. The conditions that make a BID both possible and valuable are in place, but whether there is the appetite to pursue one is what this exercise will establish.”
If the poll demonstrates an appetite for a BID, the steering group says it will seek dedicated funding to begin a structured, open engagement process with businesses across the area, working through what a BID would look like, how it would be funded, and what it would deliver.
“The longer-term ambition, subject to business support, is to progress towards a formal ballot in March 2027. None of that is predetermined. It depends entirely on what businesses say.”
Kat Brogan, managing director of Mercat Tours, said: "The Old Town works best when its businesses work together. A BID is one way to make that happen in a structured, funded, and sustainable way, with a genuine collective voice that can influence decisions, attract investment, and make this a better place to live, work and visit.
“There is no more recognisable part of Scotland than the Old Town and it should be the best-managed part too. We've seen what can be achieved with the success of Essential Edinburgh in the New Town. That is what a BID makes possible, but only if businesses want to build it.”
Arthur Mustard of Merchant Leisure said: "The Old Town faces real, shared challenges, especially around cleanliness, safety, security and the day-to-day experience of trading here. A BID would give businesses a collective voice and real resource to address them. By participating in this poll, businesses are simply helping ignite this conversation.”
And council leader Jane Meagher said: "Edinburgh’s world famous Old Town is one of the most popular and important parts of our city. We know from the continued success of Essential Edinburgh, the New Town's BID, what a well-run, business-led district can achieve, and look forward to hearing directly from businesses about whether an Old Town BID is something they would like to explore.”
The poll at www.oldtownbid.co.uk opened on Monday, May 18, and runs until Friday, June 5.