Edinburgh’s major events set to be ousted from new-look George Street

There are fears the city centre will be left without enough space for pop-up venues and attractions during Edinburgh’s summer and winter festivals due to new features being introduced to George Street.

The street’s proposed £36 million overhaul includes widened pavements, a cycling route through the middle of the street, and new seating and landscaping to introduce plans and hedges.

Essential Edinburgh, which represents businesses across the New Town, says it has repeatedly warned the city council about the potential impact of the new lay-out. The city’s new Christmas festival organisers say it would be “entirely counterproductive” to create new pedestrianised spaces which are unsuitable for large-scale events.

George Street is widely seen as one of the few parts of the New Town which are suitable for outdoor events and pop-up venues without putting pressure on green spaces in Princes Street Gardens and St Andrew Square. However, heritage groups raised protests over plans to bring the city's festive ice rink back there this year.

Originally introduced to East Princes Street Gardens in the late 1990s, the ice rink was previously ousted from St Andrew Square Garden due to concern over the level of damage being done The city council has also closed off a large section of the Assembly Rooms during the Fringe over the past decade to accommodate pop-up venues, stages, food stalls and bars.

The new vision for George Street is aimed at “transforming it from a place which is dominated by cars to one which is dominated by people”. The plan envisages George Street as a “business and cultural centre”, as well as “a key part of “Edinburgh’s unique cultural heritage.”

Under the new proposals, work on which could get underway as early as 2024, new “clutter-free” squares would be created in front of landmark buildings like The Dome and the Assembly Rooms. Although they will be designed to accommodate temporary events, the council’s own blueprint reveals the new “flexible” design for the thoroughfare “would not support larger-scale events seen in the past”.

It adds: “There is the option to close entire ‘blocks’ of George Street to create linear-style events, subject to council permissions. Regardless of an event’s location or proposed size, emergency vehicle access must be retained through the narrowing of the central carriageway, to a minimum legal width of 4m, which would also facilitate the needs of cyclists in future.”

However, Essential Edinburgh chief executive Roddy Smith said: “With wider pavements, loading restrictions, emergency access and a cycle lane, there will not be enough space for the size and scale of events we have at present.

"I cannot see an ice rink or structures outside the Assembly Rooms being used. The space simply doesn’t allow it. With the increased pressure on our green spaces, it is a real shame. George Street was and is not perfect, but it is a very useable and effective space

"We have not been overly supportive of the small areas that they believe could be event spaces. They will not serve much purpose unless you can close the cycle lane running through them.”

Al Thomson, director of Unique Events, which has formed a consortium with the operators of the Assembly Rooms during the Fringe to produce the Christmas festival, said: “For decades, Edinburgh has presented world-class events throughout various city centre locations, helping create global recognition as a welcoming, vibrant, festival city.

"As the city centre landscape has evolved in recent years, suitable hard-standing areas, which are invaluable to reduce the impact of large-scale events on sensitive green space areas, have greatly diminished. It is universally recognised that outdoor events and cultural experiences are essential for attracting visitors to generate economic spend and job creation.

"It would seem entirely counterproductive to create new, pedestrianised open spaces, without designing these to accommodate large-scale events.”

Hospitality industry leaders said they also had concerns about the George Street revamp, which has already been several years in the planning.