MSP welcomes progress on Princes Mall
Edinburgh Central MSP Marco Biagi has today welcomed the news that the Scottish Government is considering changes to the Waverley Market site in the Long Leases Bill, which would currently resolved in its transfer from public ownership to private hands for a trivial sum estimated at 40p. The site is owned by The City of Edinburgh Council and leased to Sir David Murray’s property company for a peppercorn rent. We wrote about the council’s own involvement in this in January.
Commenting on the Scottish Government announcement, Mr Biagi said,
“I am glad that after speaking to the government in person on two occasions, and raising concerns formally in writing with the Minister,the Government now intends to re-examine the question of the Princes Mall. Improvements to bills like this as anomalies emerge, are a natural part of the parliamentary process.
“The Long Leases Bill is intended to abolish the last remnants of feudalism on large estates, not give away public assets because of deals signed in the 1980s.
“The bill has also thrown up the issue of how accurate each local authority’s register of common good land is. I hope this is an issue we can return to in Holyrood.”
