The next meeting of the City of Edinburgh Council’s Transport and Environment Committee on 10th September will be discussing the proposals for the next extension of the tram network. This was due to be a North-South tramline which would have gone from Granton in the north to the BioQuarter in the south, but the route of the northern section has long been controversial and now appears the Council may be getting cold feet on that section.
The controversy of the route between Granton and the city centre has been centred on the section which would have used the Roseburn Path. Although this was once a railway route it has more recently been converted to a public space and is used by many locals to walk and cycle their way around the area.
A local campaign has been taking place about the unsuitability of this as a route but the only other alternative put forward – via Orchard Brae – has also been found to not be particularly suitable which has left things at a bit of an impasse.
And now it seems that the Council are prepared to take the Granton to city centre section off the planning table for now with one of the recommendations in the report stating: “ Recognise that whilst there is a strong case for a tram connection between Granton and the City Centre, the Strategic Business Case shortlisted two alternative route options, both of which have deliverability challenges.”
It does go on to say that there should be agreement “to retain ambition to deliver a mass transit connection between Granton and the city centre, noting this section’s importance for the delivery of City Mobility Plan, City Development Plan 2030 and the Granton Masterplan; whilst recognising further work is required on route options before this section could be progressed.”
This would appear to suggest that when the Committee meet they will be asked not to support the plans for the Granton route and so the campaigning to stop it looks like it will have worked. The trouble the SNP administration have is that they only run at a minority and opposition parties have come out against the Roseburn Path option.
On the more positive side the southern section of the route is being recommended for approval: “Recognise that one of the shortlisted options in the Strategic Business Case settled on an alignment for a southern section of route (between city centre to Edinburgh BioQuarter / Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh) and that this section can complement the South Suburban
Railway feasibility work currently being advanced by Transport Scotland and Network Rail. Therefore, agrees that this section of route is the Council’s priority.”
The southern section of the proposed line is estimated to cost £1.7 billion and would go from Princes Street to North Bridge, Newington, Cameron Toll and terminating at the Royal Infirmary.
There is currently no funding in place for any part of this line and the Scottish Government have previously said that it is a Council project and their responsibility to fund it.