Council has made the right choice for Princes Street - Kevin Buckle
It has been some time since I have felt obliged to watch a council meeting but, on Wednesday afternoon, the Princes Street and Waverley Valley strategy was being discussed by the planning committee and that of course includes the Waverley Market roof, so I felt I should keep informed on what the council decided.
There had been some chatter online about the overcrowding outside Waverley Market caused by the large number of people exiting the station via the Waverley Steps then turning right into the large number of people who are regularly at the two bus stops with all of this taking place on what is quite a narrow pavement so I thought there would be some discussion if nothing else about that.
However as it turned out the councillors focus was actually on deciding which option of the two in front of them would be the way forward for improving Princes Street. Option 1 described as an "ambitious pragmatic" design approach for the Princes Street and Waverley Valley strategy focused on deliverable street enhancements rather than more radical overhauls was the choice made.
Option 1 was summarised as Pavement & Space: Widen the southern footway of Princes Street by 1.5 meters using a new stone surface to reduce crowding and improve walking and wheeling.
Traffic & Transport: Narrow the south-side carriageway while keeping two lanes in each direction for buses and trams, alongside a potential new bus gate at the east end to cut congestion.
Gardens & Culture: Extend opening hours and add new lighting in Princes Street Gardens, upgrade the Ross Bandstand and amphitheatre, and repurpose park shelters into small cafes.
Facilities & Cycling: Add new public toilets, drinking fountains, and a cycle hub at Waverley Station with improved bike parking along Princes Street.
Option 2 was cast as a radical rethink involving a major transformation of the thoroughfare rather than basic enhancements. It involved quite a lot of structural work that would have caused disruption to Princes Street. One part of the plan was to create access to Princes Street Gardens via lifts and ramps. It also proposed building new commercial frontages to accommodate restaurants which I didn’t really see the need for.
Closer to home it was to feature extensive tree planting across the area including the Waverley Market roof so it was a relief that was not going ahead. Such an idea was completely impractical and ironically had been dismissed by the council in plans for George Street for all the same reasons it was not a good idea for a shopping centre roof.
With regards to the roof I read recently that the business that was originally meant to have taken over the pub there had been acquired by the food experience brand Togather so hopefully that will at least mean that its reopening will get back on track.
I don’t know what plans there are if any for the rest of the roof but while tree planting is not the answer there certainly needs to be something done as the amount of antisocial behaviour has gone from bad to worse.
Certainly it would appear that the council made the right choice in going for a plan that can begin now rather than an unpriced plan with no starting date.