Princes Street closure hits locals and visitors - Ian Swanson
Edinburgh transport convener Stephen Jenkinson probably spoke for many when he came back from holiday and posted on Facebook about the fire at the former Debenhams store and the closure of Princes Street: "Look, if it was down to me I’ll just knock the building down and get the road reopened asap."
He quickly went on to point out it wasn't just down to him and the situation wasn't as simple as that. A number of considerations had to be taken into account, he said, including the obligation to preserve Edinburgh's heritage where possible and the fact that the council did not own the building.
It’s not clear what discussions, if any, are going on between the council and billionaire developer Asif Aziz about the building, which he was planning to convert into a hotel and pod hotel.
Councils have strong powers to demolish buildings which are a threat to public safety, but especially in Edinburgh, the heritage factor weighs heavily.
Nevertheless many people will be surprised that trying to save a Category B listed building seems to be prioritised over restoring transport services to Leith and ensuring that Princes Street is not out of action at the city's busiest time of year.
The current closure of Princes Street means inconvenience for many people who normally rely on trams or buses to get around and it is badly affecting businesses in Leith.
But with the Festival and Fringe getting under way at the end of this week, the closure and resulting disruption seems certain to have an even bigger impact on the city's vital visitor economy.
The council has said it recognises the problems people are experiencing and it has thanked the public for their patience, while insisting: “We’re doing everything within our power to reopen Princes Street as soon as it’s safe to do so.”
But a briefing to councillors on the state of the fire-damaged building makes clear there are major challenges and a lot of work ahead for the engineers trying to save it.
There seems little prospect of an early end to the current situation.