Leader: Gardens project is too important to get wrong

BUILDING anything in Edinburgh is never easy as we know.

Plans and artist illustrations of the proposed development of the Scottish National Gallery

The best laid schemes on paper gang aft agley when the Capital historic streets are dug up.

But for a major project to run into problems before it even starts is impressive, even for Edinburgh.

So seems to be the case with the £16.8 million project to overhaul the Scottish National Gallery by extending it into Princes Street Gardens.

Investigations over the last six months are said to have revealed that the project will be “potentially more expensive to implement than originally anticipated.”

That will ring alarm bells around a city well used to spiralling construction costs and projects dogged by delays.

In this case, we should be thankful that the problems have been identified early so that a revised and realistic building timetable can be devised.

The location of the work - in the heart of the city and World Heritage Site - means it is too important to get this wrong.

Decisions which we take now will shape the Capital for generations to come. The buildings will stand long after we are all gone.

A delay of a few months or even longer is a price worth paying to get it right.