The Council Leader, Jane Meagher, announced on Thursday that the street will reopen fully on Saturday 29 August.
After a period of weeks since the fire took place in the early hours of 9 July during which time Edinburgh Trams has had to end its service from Edinburgh Airport at the West End stop, and passengers to Newhaven and the north of the city on Lothian Buses had to make alternative arrangements, this will be welcome news.
The last remaining part of the street immediately outside the former Debenhams store at 109 Princes Street has remained shut while contractors made the façade safe.
Buses have been rerouted along George Street causing city centre congestion, and Assembly’s festival shows which would have been sited on George Street had to be moved to St Andrew Square.
Cllr Jane Meagher said: “t’s a huge relief to many across the city. A great deal of hard work has gone on behind the scenes to make this possible, and I’ve witnessed some of that myself when I visited the site on more than one occasion. And my thanks go to our council teams and engineers who carried out such painstaking work to make the building secure as quickly and safely as possible.”
She added: “I’m fully aware of the effect that this has had on the city, particularly during our busiest time of year, and I also want to thank Lothian bosses and their drivers for keeping the city moving, and our residents and visitors for their patience.”
Cllr Lesley Macinnes demanded that the council leader offered an apology to the people living in the north of the city for the disruption that the lengthy closure of this main street has caused. She said: “While I am absolutely delighted to hear about the reopening on Saturday of Princes Street, given the serious impact of the Princes Street fire on businesses and residents across Edinburgh and particularly those in North Edinburgh will the council leader offer an apology?”
The Council Leader said that she regretted the “disparaging remarks” from the opposition group leader.
Council Leader Jane Meagher said: “The reopening of Princes Street is a significant step in the city’s recovery from, what was, a devastating fire – and I’m sure it will come as a great relief to many. This has been an incredibly difficult few weeks for the city, not least given the timing, and I’m pleased that we can now turn our attention to getting Edinburgh back to normal as helping those businesses most affected to get back on their feet.
“A great deal of effort has gone on behind the scenes to make this possible – and my thanks go to our council teams and engineers who have carried out painstaking work to make the building secure as quickly and safely as possible. I also want to thank Lothian Buses, and their drivers, for keeping the city moving and our residents and visitors for their patience.
“I think it’s fair to say that this period has further underlined the critical importance and popularity of our tram network, not just to the north of the city but to the whole of Edinburgh.
“With that in mind, I’m pleased that our business support campaign ‘More by the Shore’ is taking shape – and will soon be encouraging more residents and visitors to explore Leith, the Shore and Newhaven, and visit the fantastic local businesses there. This activity is planned to run well beyond the reopening of Princes Street, over the festive period and into the new year.”
Sarah Boyd, Chief Executive of Lothian and Edinburgh Trams said: “We welcome the news that Princes Street is due to reopen on Saturday 29 August.
“Our teams are now focused on reinstating bus and tram services along one of the city’s most important transport corridors and we encourage customers to check the latest service updates and allow extra time for travel.
“I would like to thank our customers for their patience, understanding and support throughout this period of continued disruption. We are also grateful to our colleagues, whose professionalism, flexibility and commitment continued to keep Edinburgh moving during a particularly challenging time.
“Finally, we would like to acknowledge the close collaboration of our partners, including the emergency services, the City of Edinburgh Council and other agencies involved in responding to this incident. Their collective efforts have helped ensure services can begin to return safely and efficiently for the benefit of Edinburgh’s residents, visitors and businesses.”
A council spokesperson said: “Subject to successful testing overnight on Friday, trams will run to their full route from the Airport to Newhaven and all city centre bus diversions will end.
“Passengers are being encouraged to continue planning ahead and checking for the latest travel updates and information on the Council’s website. Operators will publish updated timetabling information ahead of the weekend.
“The three eastbound bus stops between Castle Street and Frederick Street will remain closed, with westbound bus stops unaffected.
“Remedial work on the site will continue, which requires the pavement on the north side of Princes Street to remain closed. One lane of the eastbound carriageway will be used as a temporary pedestrian walkway.”
The council also confirmed that:
Significant work has been carried out over the past seven weeks to make the building safe, including:
- The front façade of the building has now been fully stabilised with supporting steel beams
- The eastern gable of the building has been secured and made safe. This involved reducing it in height by approximately two metres and supporting it with scaffolding
- Several tonnes of bricks and unsafe stonework – some weighing as much as 850kg – from the upper levels of the façade have been carefully removed and stored for reuse
- Several tonnes of debris and dangerous materials have been removed from the building.
The closure has had a significant effect on the city, particularly on businesses on the northern section of the tram route, including Newhaven, Leith and The Shore. Ongoing work to support these businesses includes:
- The development of a promotional campaign More By The Shore to drive footfall to businesses in the area
- The campaign will involve special offers, a voucher scheme, events and more – with more details to follow in the coming weeks
- Direct Engagement and Communications – officers will continue speaking directly to businesses in the area over the next few weeks, holding online briefings and issuing information and other advice.
