Edinburgh World Heritage (EWH) have issued their formal response to the proposed north-south extension of Edinburgh Trams.
The heritage watchdog says that they firmly support the expansion of the tram network. They praise the council’s suggestion of using battery operated trams on parts of the route. They say hybrid trams could be lighter, and comment that the proposal might avoid the need for overhead lines.
As one might expect of a heritage body they have “serious and significant concerns” about using any major heritage structures in the two areas of the city centre which comprise the World Heritage Site. (There are two World Heritage Sites in the Edinburgh area – the Old Town with the New Town and the Forth Bridge at South Queensferry).
EWH do not want the tram to travel across the A listed Georgian South Bridge which they say is a marvel of Georgian engineering. The body says that the engineering consultancy Jacobs, who were commissioned to write a report on the suitability of South Bridge as a tram route, have not provided any assurance. They claim that Jacobs have not made a technical assessment of the bridge as a possible tram route.
The council is coming to the end of a multi-year project during which North Bridge has been completely refurbished. However South Bridge is a shorter but important crossing to the south which has vaulted spaces underneath used as night clubs and storage.
The alternative suggestion from EWH is to use a new passage along Morrison Street and Lothian Road which would avoid the need to use South Bridge at all. It would also avoid the busy junction at the end of Princes Street next to the Balmoral Hotel.
The Dean Bridge option
EWH also have a view on Dean Bridge which is one of the two proposed routes from the city centre towards the south. (The other option is to run the tramline along the former railway on the Roseburn Path).
The body say they have read the report prepared by Consulting Engineers Jacobs about the structure of the bridge as a place for the tram and do not recommend using the bridge as a route to the north of the city.
The report says that the bridge is built with hollow piers and arch spans and that the extra load caused by running a tramline along it would affect the structure.
EWH recommend that the council prepares a detailed Heritage Impact Assessment.
Read the full statement by EWH below:
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