Princes Street fire: Senior Tory councillor calls for 'more urgency' in reopening Edinburgh city centre
‘There is a strong public desire to get the city moving again’ - Cllr Jason Rust
A senior Tory councillor has called for "more urgency" in reopening the city centre following the fire at the former Debenhams store in Princes Street two weeks ago.
Jason Rust, a councillor since 2004, said he appreciated that detailed investigations were needed and there were significant safety concerns about the building.
But he said: "There is a strong public desire to get the city moving again. There is tremendous inconvenience for Edinburgh citizens going about their daily lives and trying to get to and from work.
"There feels a lack of impetus or clear timetable to get back to normal as soon as possible, and as we approach the Festival and Fringe and the influx of tourists the situation is only going to become more fraught."
Princes Street has been closed to all traffic between Frederick Street and South Charlotte Street since the fire in the early hours of July 9, with all tram services from the city centre to Newhaven suspended.
The council has said the Princes Street closure will continue "into August". Police Scotland has gone even further and said the street is expected to remain closed “for the foreseeable future”.
The council says the work to make the building safe while ensuring its historic features are preserved is expected to take “several weeks” to complete.
But the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe begin on August 7, doubling the city’s population.
The usual Festival-time closure of George Street has had to be abandoned because buses are being diverted along there since they cannot use Princes Street.
There have been complaints that without the trams, buses from Leith into the city centre have been so full that people could not get on and have been unable to get to work on time.
Several shops on Rose Street reopened on Saturday after being closed for nine days due to the fire, and Boots on Princes Street remains shut.
Cllr Rust said: "I understand concerns about preservation of the building, but this assessment has to be balanced against the practical realities of a living breathing capital city.
"We need answers about the structural integrity imminently and whether or not any of the facade can be preserved to get our public transport systems up and running fully.
"It is vital that the council works with all stakeholders to get some immediate progress given the wider impact on our city and residents."
In response. council leader Jane Meagher criticised Cllr Rust’s comments and hinted there might be more information on timescales soon.
She said: “These comments are ill-informed and unhelpful from someone who should know better. I think it goes without saying that we all want Princes Street reopened as soon as possible – but this can only be when it is safe to do so.
“The task of preserving and making the building safe is hugely complex, but our engineers are continuing to make good progress on site and now have a plan in place to secure the façade. We’ll be in a better position to confirm timescales next week, but I am now confident that we are talking weeks not months in terms of reopening Princes Street.
“This continues to involve a huge response from council teams and a whole range of partners, including Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams, and I’d like to thank all those involved for their hard work in the weeks since the incident.
“We’re letting everyone know that the city centre is very much still open for business and encouraging people to check our website for the latest travel advice and information on visiting the area.
“I want to repeat my thanks to everyone for their patience and understanding and look forward to another fantastic summer festival season here in Edinburgh this August.”
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