Edinburgh trams: Consultation on North-South route delayed until after school summer holidays

Transport and environment convener Stephen Jenkinson said he wanted to make sure as many people as possible were able to take part in the 12-week consultation, which will include the controversial issue of whether the tram route should go by Roseburn Path or Orchard Brae.

He said: "The consultation is being worked through at the moment. I have agreed with officers to delay the consultation to ensure it didn't land right in the middle of the summer holidays, which is when it would have been ready to go.

The proposed North-South tram route would run from Granton to the Royal Infirmary and the BioQuarter

“I agreed with officers we should delay the start of the consultation period until after the school holidays, so probably mid-August and then it will run for 12 weeks after that."

The consultation and the decisions which follow will feed into the business case for the North-South tram route which the council hopes will persuade the Scottish Government to fund it.

Cllr Jenkinson said he would probably have been criticised whether or not he postponed the consultation and accused of trying to cover something up.

But he said: "That is not the intention. I want this consultation to be absolutely as robust as possible, but I also want to ensure its content is detailed, accurate and fair so that the consultation period will be above any question that it is open and honest and fair.

"I'm confident the reason for the delay is justified because we want to make sure that we give ourselves every opportunity to do justice to the strategic business case by allowing as many people to take part in that consultation as possible."

The main controversy so far on the North-South tramline has been whether it should use the former railway line which is now a popular walking and cycling route, the Roseburn Path. That is the route which was planned when Edinburgh’s tram project began and the route which was approved by the Scottish Parliament.

But because it has now evolved into a well-used and valued green corridor, there is a strong campaign to prevent the Roseburn Path being taken over by the tram. And the council has explored an alternative route using Orchard Brae, but that would entail the major engineering challenge of taking the trams across the Dean Bridge.

Council officials recommended Rosebun Path as the “preferred route”, but the council says information and an assessment of the pros and cons of both options will be presented in the consultation.