Edinburgh tram extension: disruption has become 'intolerable' for many residents, says councillor

Businesses being forced to close due to ongoing tramworks

The long-running disruption caused by the tramworks in Leith has become “intolerable” for many residents, the area’s Labour councillor Katrina Faccenda has claimed.

And she told fellow councillors that local businesses were struggling and sometimes being forced to close despite the support being offered by the council during construction of the extension from York Place to Newhaven.

Speaking at the transport committee, Cllr Faccenda congratulated the tram team on the progress of the line. She said: “Clearly lessons have been learned from phase one – we can see the project is remaining on schedule and within budget, which is quite an achievement given recent circumstances.”

But she continued: “My main concern is that as a council we are still underestimating the impact that the ongoing works are having on the residents of Leith. As a city we clearly recognise the importance of well-maintained pubic spaces, but people in Leith have been living in a permanent building site not for months but for years. And they are building sites which are not always kept as clan and tidy as they should be. Many of them act as litter traps and many are used as storage yards for long-term storage of materials. Many businesses have asked me why that's happening, why materials that are not going to get used for months are already getting piled up and stored, such as paving stones, right in front of their businesses. They really can't understand that there are not alternatives to this.”

Cllr Faccenda pointed to problems with buses and crossings. “I'm really not sure that anyone who doesn't travel regularly to and from Leith can appreciate the level of stress people are enduring on a daily basis. Negotiating public transport has become almost impossible if you don’t have access to a smart phone and even the bus app is of limited use because it can’t keep pace with the diversions. Buses are changing route on an hourly basis, there are changes in bus stops being serviced and we're now going into winter without very many bus shelters left – ironically we do have shelters but they're tram shelters.”

She said Leith had even lost a bus service, the No 22. “One of the reasons, it’s reported, is reduced use. A lot of the reasons buses have got reduced use in Leith are again because people who can walk or wheel are using that option, even when they'd prefer to use the bus, just because they’re never sure if the bus is going to come and which way it's going to go.”

The business support package had been welcomed by many businesses, but it had not been enough for others. “Well-established businesses are closing and last week another business, a small independent bar on Bernard Street, announced its closure. Cash flow is vital for small businesses and when you get an evening of voucher-payers it's not going to do much good.

People in Leith have been living in a permanent building site not for months but for years, says councillor Katrina Faccenda. Picture: Lisa Ferguson.

“I know that everyone appreciates that life in a city is going to involve roadworks and occasional disruption, but for one part of the city to have to put up with so much for so long has become intolerable for many. We have to acknowledge the level of disruption and stress to the people of Leith. We have to thank them for persevering despite all this and we have to recognise our strategic plans for the the city should be balanced with the wellbeing of the citizens in every part of the city as well.”

An update to the committee said the tram extension remained on schedule to become operational in spring 2023 and was still within the £207.3m budget. ”All major construction, including the full electrification of the line, is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2022, ahead of a period of testing and commissioning which will start in January 2023.”

Two-way traffic is scheduled to be back on Leith Walk and Constitution Street before the end of the year.