Edinburgh roads: Long-running saga of George Street revamp reaches another decision day

George Street is back in the headlines as councillors consider whether to go ahead with the latest revamp proposals.

Over the years there have been many plans, debates, schemes and trials concerning the future of George Street, described in one study of Edinburgh as the "noblest of Auld Reekie's highways".

The reduced design for George Steet removes the trees and setts from the original plans | Edinburgh council

In February this year it seemed agreement might have been reached, after much discussion, including with the street's businesses and hotels, on partial pedestrianisation - and money was available in the shape of £31m from the tourist tax.

But the plan was blocked at the last minute in full council when the SNP successfully argued that the George Street scheme should be "paused and reprioritised" so officers could take a broader city centre approach including Princes Street as the city's "primary civic and commercial thoroughfare".

The George Street plans had to be rethought after full council decided the money earmarked should be used more widely across the city centre | Edinburgh council

The problem with that was that while the plans for George Street were more or less ready to go, plans for Princes Street were not even on the drawing board. Indeed a draft masterplan for Princes Street and the Waverley Valley had been rejected as lacking vision and imagination.

So trying to take forward the redesign of the two streets in tandem threatened more delay.

Competing ideas for Princes Street were presented to councillors in September and they opted for the less radical approach, described by one councillor as "a glorified resurfacing project", but that has still to be developed in any detail.

However, council officials have worked quickly to revise the George Street plans so they do not use up the full £31m now earmarked for the wider city centre including Princes Street.

The most obvious changes are the removal of the trees which were planned for each end of the street to provide shade and absorb water from extreme rainfall; and the use of asphalt instead of setts for the cycle-only carriageway.

Labour's transport convener Stephen Jenkinson hopes the £20m "reduced design" for George Street can go ahead while the Princes Street plans are being worked up. But the other political groups will have their own views.

Thursday will be decision day - or will it?

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