Edinburgh's George Street revamp includes £4.8 million for anti-terrorism measures
The revamp of Edinburgh's George Street as a largely pedestrianised area will include £4.8 million worth of reinforced bollards and super-strong planters to stop terrorist attacks by vehicles being driven into crowds.
The "Hostile Vehicle Measures" (HVM) will be installed at all junctions along the street. And the bollards on the carriageway will also double as a method of controlling access, being raised or lowered to allow vehicles into the area at the permitted times.
The move follows government anti-terrorist advice and is designed to prevent incidents like the attacks on Christmas markets in Europe, when people were killed by vehicles driven into crowds.
The bollards and planters will look like normal street furniture but they will have reinforced foundations so they can block even heavy vehicles. Transport convener Stephen Jenkinson said: "If someone decides to drive a car into one of these planters, it's going to wreck the car."
Councillors will this week be urged to back the £35 million George Street scheme - which would see parking removed, vehicles excluded from the street between 10.30am and 7pm Monday-Saturday and 12.30-7pm on Sundays and trees planted at each end of the street. But they will also be asked to keep options open for potential future savings.
However, there appears to be consensus that the anti-terrorist measures must be kept as a crucial part of the plans.
Cllr Jenkinson said: "We're all aware of the terrorist incidents there have been, and it's the one aspect of the project that unites all the parties - that we need to ensure, whatever we do with George Street, that it is safe.
“Unfortunately we live in a world these days where we have to consider hostile vehicles and ensure we have mitigation in place.
“The pavements are going to be significantly widened on both sides and the concept design is that it will be a much more outdoor cafe type culture in George Street, so the street will be used in a different way and there will be people not just walking, but also sitting enjoying George Street.
“An assessment of the plans has been done by officials in the Scottish and UK governments and the Home and this is the recommendation that's come from above - that when we design streets we have to ensure we are protecting pedestrians and taking these issues into consideration."
In London in 2017, eight people were killed and 48 injured when attackers ploughed into pedestrians on London Bridge in a hired van before launching a deadly knife attack in nearby Borough Market.
On 20 December 2024, an SUV was driven into a crowd at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, killing five people and injuring around 300 others.
And there had been previous Christmas market attacks in other European cities, including Berlin in 2016, when a truck was deliberately driven into the crowd, leaving 12 dead and 56 others injured.
Lib Dem transport spokesman Kevin Lang agreed the HVM measures were essential for George Street.
He said: “One area we definitely o not want to be scrimping and saving on is the security measures planned at the junctions, which would effectively prevent vehicles from driving through what is going to become a pedestrianised area.
“Given the events we have seen, not just in the UK but in other parts of the world, I think we need to recognise that this is a high profile street in Edinburgh and as part of the improvements there is significant investment planned in these measures to stop heavy vehicles from getting access.
“When we are looking at how to save money, which is a legitmate thing to focus on - we’re very keen we get absolute value for money, one area we definitely don’t want to see being removed are these safety measures.
“Whatever way you look at it, the number one most important thing is protecting the safety of the people who are using George Street.
“I think we need to recognise that if we're investing in George Street there is always the potential it becomes a high profile target and if we are moving forward with pedestrianisation that every measure is taken to ensure pubic safety comes first.”