Princes Street, tartan tat and the St James development - listen to this week's Edinburgh Briefing podcast

The ‘tartan tat’ shops appearing on Princes Street and the ‘walnut whip’ shape of the W hotel are among the topics discussed in the new episode of The Edinburgh Briefing podcast.

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Out now and available to listen to wherever you normally get your podcasts, the this week the Edinburgh Briefing looks at how and why Princes Street is changing, and what the future holds for the famous thoroughfare.

Host Conor Matchett is joined by Edinburgh Evening News reporter Elsa Maishman to talk about the changing face of Princes Street and the city centre.

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Elsa talks about the findings of her annual audit of Princes Street, revealing that, despite the complaints about ‘tartan tat’, only 6% of the high street is occupied by tourist shops.

With more cafes and bars part of the council’s vision for Princes Street, Conor discusses how these plans will make the street more European.

They also talk about the 1.7 million square feet St James development which includes lots of new retail outlets and the controversial, ‘walnut whip’ style W Hotel.

You can listen to The Edinburgh Briefing wherever you get your podcasts, or you can download the Entale app on iOS and Android for exclusive immersive content to accompany this podcast.

What does the future hold for Princes Street? That's the subject of this week's Edinburgh Briefing podcastWhat does the future hold for Princes Street? That's the subject of this week's Edinburgh Briefing podcast
What does the future hold for Princes Street? That's the subject of this week's Edinburgh Briefing podcast
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