Relief as Edinburgh's Princes Street reopens seven weeks after fire

Edinburgh's main thoroughfare, Princes Street, has fully reopened, seven weeks after it was shut by a major fire in a former department store.

Businesses in the east of the city say they have taken a hit during the usually-lucrative festival season, as disruption to public transport has hit footfall.

Bus routes have been diverted and tram services have only been operating in the west of the city while work to make the building safe took place.

Edinburgh council leader Jane Meagher said she was delighted the famous street was at last reopening but acknowledged it had been a difficult chapter for the city.

The Scottish government previously committed £5m to the recovery effort, allowing some businesses to offset lost revenue.

The fire happened on 9 July, with Princes Street's reopening coming two days before the last day of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on Monday.

Traffic on one side remains down to one lane for a short stretch of the street because the pavement outside the building remains shut.

Alistair Brown – founder of Bellfield Brewery, which runs Nobles on Constitution Street – said regular tram services meant the prospect of new customers every seven minutes.

Despite being optimistic about the return of the trams, Brown said it was too early to assess the full financial damage to his business.

He told BBC Scotland News: "I am relieved but still apprehensive. We have lost a lot of business through no fault of our own and it will take time to see how we recover from this.

"This is our busiest time of year that gets us through the quieter months from January to March but because of the disruption we have been quieter than March.

"So we will have to wait until next year to see the full impact.

"I never thought I'd be so excited to hear the ding of a tram. It just shows you don't fully appreciate things till they are gone."

Adam Barclay, manager of Argonaut Books, said businesses should be able to expect better from elected representatives after a month of "radio silence" from City of Edinburgh Council.

He said: "In what is surely some sort of cosmic joke, the trams will be up and running again just in time for the Fringe to be over - we missed the whole thing.

"The residents and businesses of Leith have been dealing with 20 minute plus delays on buses, massively reduced footfall and a council effectively asleep at the wheel.

"It has undoubtedly had a profound negative impact on our trading this summer and it will have knock-on effects far beyond this one month.

"In what should have been our busiest non-December period, we performed worse than an average month - this is factoring in 16 sold-out book Fringe events."

Chef Dean Banks, who runs restaurants across the city in the west end and on Constitution Street, said there was a drop in takings at all the restaurants due to the street closure and diversions.

"We are obviously delighted that the trams will be up and running again," he said. "It will bring business back down to Leith but to the city centre as well.

"What we found during the Fringe was that our city centre venues were impacted as well because members of the public were avoiding Princes Street and the west end.

"But in Leith we saw a huge decrease over the Fringe, the revenues were about 50% down."

The Masterchef star said the council could have done more as it was one of the busiest times of year for the city.

"It is great Princes Street is opening now but it does feel like it is a little bit too little too late for this time of year," he said.

"It could have been sorted out. I am disappointed with the communication with Edinburgh council and the way they handled it.

"They were given millions of pounds from the government.

"They could easily have moved those trams and helped the city flourish during its Fringe which puts Edinburgh on the world stage in August," he said.

At the nearby Castle Street Market, which has been popping up regularly for almost 20 years, traders were optimistic as they set out their wares on Saturday morning.

Alan Hannah, who runs a clothing and Scottish goods stall, said locals had been staying away due to the lack of buses going down Princes Street.

He spoke of his joy at Princes Street reopening, saying: "It's great, it's just such a delight to have it open and back to running."

Hannah said he was looking forward to a "bumper" day of trade with the street reopening.

Douglas Copland runs a jewellery stall with his wife Meredith and has been coming to Castle Street Market each summer for 12 years.

He said footfall had been lower in the weeks following the fire, which had "definitely" affected trade.

Copland said: "I'm grateful, the sun's out shining, this is our last two days of trading so we're hoping to go out on a high."

He added: "Perhaps with Princes Street opening it will be a tourist attraction in itself."

Andy McCreath, who runs Castle Street Flowers, welcomed the reopening but said Princes Street needed more support and had appeared "run down for years".

"Yes, it's a shame to lose a historical building, if it comes to that.

"But realistically something has to be done with the whole of Princes Street."

As Princes Street reopens to traffic, a section of the pavement directly outside the burnt-out building will remain closed while work continues.

Pedestrians will be partially diverted on to the eastbound road, which will be reduced to one lane at that section.

Three bus stops between Castle Street and Frederick Street will also remain closed to reduce congestion, but bus services will run along Princes Street, rather than the current diversion along George Street.

Council leader Jane Meagher acknowledged it had been an incredibly difficult chapter, particularly for businesses on the northern end of the tram line.

She said the council had worked closely with Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams to limit disruption.

She added that it had worked closely with partners to communicate how the fire affected the city through dedicated online channels.

"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," she said.

"Whilst their return will be most welcome, we need to consider how we can properly safeguard this vital service to meet the needs and challenges of our growing city."

A campaign promoting businesses in Leith and Newhaven will also be rolled out through the coming months and into the winter festive period to provide support.

Council officers have been out visiting premises in the area to explain how the More by the Shore campaign will work and listen to feedback.

Seb Fluchard, who owns a cafe and plant shop in Leith, said Saturday was one of the best days his business had over the summer.

He added: "Obviously, that does not make up for the last seven weeks of not having the trams and missing out on that footfall everyday - especially during August, which is supposed to be the busiest month of the year.

"One thing that is major and would make a big difference is communications and the other thing is to have a back up plan in place.

"They have nothing in place for when the trams don't work."