Susan Dalgety: A 16-year wait for Princes Street upgrade – let’s hope it’s worth it

The council has a new vision for Princes Street, Ross bandstand and Waverley footbridge

​I have no recollection whatsoever of the art that I saw that day, but I still recall my delight at the navy blue over-the-knee socks that I bought in Smalls, the department store that was to close only a few years later in 1977.

And I was beguiled by Princes Street itself. In my home village, there was a baker, a couple of grocery stores and a newsagent.

We bought our clothes from the Kays catalogue or our mother made them on her trusty electric sewing machine.

But in Princes Street, the world of fast fashion was laid out before me, like a sweetie shop.

And on the other side of the road was Edinburgh Castle and Princes Street Gardens – the magnificent cityscape that, for many millions of people across the world, is Scotland.

I could hardly believe my luck when a few years later I moved to Edinburgh, and Princes Street became my personal high street.

I still get the occasional thrill when I step off the number 10 bus in anticipation of a quick nose round Uniqlo.

The street has changed since the 1970s. Retail has moved to George Street and St James Quarter.

We buy far more online and Jenners, the grande dame of shops, closed four years ago. I still get upset when I see its faded façade.

And Princes Street Gardens feel a tad neglected, particularly the Ross Bandstand, which should be a lively focus of the Gardens, but which instead sits empty much of the year.

But councillors have just unveiled a Princes Street masterplan. Thankfully, it is far less drastic than the Abercrombie Plan, produced in 1949, which recommended razing Princes Street to the ground and rebuilding it to “restore uniformity”.

Luckily, that crazy scheme was ditched in the 1960s, but not before gorgeous Victorian buildings like the original New Club were knocked down.

The new blueprint is much less controversial and far more modest, with plans to upgrade pavements, improve access to the gardens and refurbish the Ross Bandstand.

My particular favourite element is the movable benches for the Mound, which will provide a “dwell space” when there are no events on the site.

The strategy includes upgrading the north end of Waverley Bridge at the junction with Princes Street.There would be more benches outside General Register House the west of the Wellington statue, and the installation of a continuous footway at the junction of Princes Street and West Register Street.

City planning convener James Dalgleish said: “This plan is a great opportunity to protect our World Heritage Site and by doing that we will be investing in Princes Street.”

There is one snag, or perhaps two. The council has not yet identified the cash for the improvements, though planning boss Cllr James Dalgleish has his eye on revenue from the city’s new tourist tax.

And even if the money is available, the changes won’t be complete until 2040.

Sixteen years seems a long time to wait but given that it can take up to 30 minutes to travel the 1.2 miles from my flat to Princes Street on a bus, perhaps it’s not surprising that the refurbishment of Princes Street will take a decade and a half.

Hopefully, it will be worth the wait.