Princes Street fire: 'I’d knock the building down and get the road reopened asap' says Edinburgh transport convener
The road has been closed since July 9
Edinburgh's transport convener has said if it was up to him, he would knock down the fire-hit former Debenham's building and get Princes Street open again "asap".
But Stephen Jenkinson said the situation was “fast-moving” and so not as simple as that.
Princes Street has been closed between Frederick Street and South Charlotte Street since the fire on July 9, with tram services suspended between the city centre and Newhaven and buses diverted along George Street. The council has said the closure is likely to continue "into August".
Senior Tory councillor Jason Rust called earlier this week for "more urgency" in reopening Princes Street getting the city moving again. He said people faced "tremendous inconvenience" going about their daily lives and trying to get to and from work.
Cllr Jenkinson, who has just returned from holiday, having been out of the country at the time of the fire, posted on social media: "Look, if it was down to me I’ll just knock the building down and get the road reopened asap however like most things it isn’t quite as simple as that as Cllr Rust well knows."
Speaking to the Evening News, Cllr Jenkinson said: "As transport convener, my priority is always to keep the city moving. If it was solely down to me - which it is not - I would knock the building down and get the city moving as soon as possible.
"However, as people are no doubt aware, these things are never as clear as that. It is quite a fast-moving situation. There are a number of considerations that need to be taken into account - things like the heritage nature of the building, the fact that the council are not owners of the building, and that we do have an obligation and protect the heritage of Edinburgh where and when it is possible.
"That is the current situation - things may change, based on the professional recommendation of engineers and officials."
Asked about restoring tram services, he said: “I want to try and get the trams running, carrying passengers, as quickly as possible, and I’m going to ensure it’s done in the right and proper way.”
Trams have not been able to operate a reduced service between the city centre and Newhaven because all the tram vehicles were in the Gogar depot at the time of the fire and the state of the building is such that even running an empty tram past it, to get to the Newhaven side of the city centre, would risk further damage from vibrations.
In his social media post, Cllr Jenkinson said: “I do think that Edinburgh Trams need to rethink their one depot strategy though. Hopefully that is a single point of failure that can be addressed as we expand the network in the future.”
Council leader Jane Meagher has said that the task of preserving and making the building safe is hugely complex, but engineers are making good progress and she is confident that “we are talking weeks not months” for the reopening Princes Street.
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