Edinburgh’s Princes Street is on track to open by the “optimistic” deadline set by the council, Scotland’s Deputy First Minister has said, as she announced £5 million in support for the fire-hit thoroughfare.
A blaze ripped through the former Debenhams department store on the Scottish capital’s busiest shopping street in early July, forcing the road to be closed ahead of its busiest period during the Edinburgh Festivals.
Visiting the site on Wednesday, Jenny Gilruth announced £5 million in support which will be administered by the council for those impacted by the disruptions as well as helping to secure the site.
Last week, it was announced the road would remain closed for another three weeks, which Ms Gilruth told the Press Association remains the case, though she admitted the timescale was “optimistic”.
“The timescales the council has set with contractors, and I was talking to them about this earlier on, it was three weeks from last week, so hopefully in the next two, two-and-a-half weeks,” she said.
“However, that’s also contingent on a range of other factors that are not in my gift and not in the gift of council officers – not least wind direction, for example.
“I was hearing a bit more about some of the challenge about the structure itself, but also in terms of how you make the building of that age safe.
“So there are wider issues there, but the council are working and as I understand it, they are on track for that reopening date that they set last week at three weeks.”
The Government has been accused by some of acting too slowly in the wake of the fire, with comparisons being made to the blaze on Union Street in Glasgow earlier this year, where a £10 million support package was announced by First Minister John Swinney during his SNP conference speech.
Council leader Jane Meagher was among those who believe the Government could have acted faster.
She told PA at the site on Wednesday she wanted to focus on the future and found she was “pushing at an open door” once talks with the Government began.
Ms Gilruth also rejected claims of inaction, saying: “I think the City of Edinburgh Council wrote to us in mid-July – we’re now at the start of August, so we’ve been working with them closely since the fire took place.”
She added: “I’ll also be quick to say that, unlike the funding we announced for Glasgow, this funding is being led by the City of Edinburgh Council – they know their city, they know the best way to respond.
“So this funding is for them as a local authority and that’s been a key ask of them throughout this process.
“We’ve worked with them on designing an approach that allows them to do that and we’ll continue to engage with them.”
Local Liberal Democrat MSP Sanne Dijkstra-Downie said: “I am glad that the Scottish Government has finally listened to the calls of my party and others and provided financial assistance, but it should never have taken this long.
“The council and businesses were kept in the dark about whether support was forthcoming at all.
“With the festival now under way, I hope that the Government will work closely with the council to mitigate any further disruption.”
