An ambitious £35m redevelopment plan for George Street has been supported by councillors, as concerns were raised that securing funding for it might not be possible.
Edinburgh’s transport convener said ‘vast benefits’, including improved safety, sustainability and accessibility, would result from the street’s transformation.
A decision on the project was made in May of this year. But at a meeting on Thursday, councillors reaffirmed that support, and agreed on a preference for the most expansive – and expensive – version.
Coming in at an estimated £35 million, the project will see George Street transformed, with the street being completely closed to traffic for most of the day.
Planters, natural stone setts and eight trees will be installed, as will benches, in hopes of making the street a better place to congregate.
In addition, ‘hostile vehicle mitigation’ – in the case of George Street, retractable bollards – will be installed to help prevent vehicle attacks on the space.
They will also be used to close off the roadway to most traffic, with a small subset of vehicles only being allowed in at certain times.
Six of the 11 councillors in the Transport and Environment Committee voted to pursue the most ambitious plan.
The two Conservative members of the committee voted against funding any redevelopment, and instead wanted to see £10m put towards road maintenance on George Street, funded by road parking charges.
Earlier in the meeting, Conservative councillor for the City Centre ward Joanna Mowat addressed the committee, expressing concerns over the scheme’s practicality.
Currently, the plan is to fund the bulk of the project’s price tag through grants from various public bodies, and possibly use some money from the city’s upcoming visitor levy.
She said: “Here we are again, talking about George Street. We’ve been talking for nearly 11 years now.
“The elephant in the room is that we still don’t have any money, and are reliant on applying to third parties and having this money granted to us before we can put a shovel in the ground.
“I think the position we’ve got to, looking at the wider financial situation across the council, Scotland, and the UK, is we’ve no money, and we need to look at what money we have, and what we can do.”
The committee’s SNP group wanted to see more detailed information about the costs of the project presented to councillors, but their amendment was not supported.
Details of their amendment that asked for more frequent updates and for the committee to be provided with several options for traffic restrictions along the street were included in the final version of the motion.
In addition, the Green group’s amendment, which requires that a two-way cycle route be included along the street during construction, and a Liberal Democrat amendment which asked councillors to ensure the hostile vehicle mitigation portion of the project was retained, were both passed.
If adequate external funding for the project cannot be found, councillors will be able to scale back to one of several less ambitious options for the project.
With the decision on Thursday, city officers will now start seeking the necessary traffic regulation orders required to enable construction to start.
If funding is found, work is set to begin in autumn 2027.
Labour councillor and Transport and Environment Committee convener Stephen Jenkinson said: “I’m really pleased that we’ve taken the decision today to move forward with the George Street and First New Town project.
“The project is rooted in making the area safer, more sustainable and accessible for all.
“This is a unique opportunity to bring one of Edinburgh’s most important streets into the modern world whilst still maintaining its unique history and features.
“The wider potential improvements are vast, from benefits to local residents and businesses to enhancing Edinburgh as a visitor destination, and beyond – we’re on our way to delivering a bold new vision for George Street and our city centre.
“Whilst we’re committed to this important project, we’re also committed to making broader improvements across the city for the benefit of all our residents.”
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