Project overview and background
Edinburgh’s Old Town has a world-renowned landscape which attracts thousands of visitors and is home to many residents and people who work in the area, making the Old Town streets some of the busiest in the city.
This creates significant competition for street space, especially during the summer and festival season. By reducing the number of vehicles which have access to the area we can create a better and safer place for everyone.
Future changes will benefit anyone who lives, visits, works or travels through the area and will involve
- creating more space and improving conditions for people walking, wheeling and cycling
- maintaining access for loading vehicles and those with blue badges
- enhancing public spaces whilst respecting the heritage of the World Heritage Site, supporting businesses and cultural activity.
Background
The City Centre Transformation Strategy was approved by the Transport & Environment Committee on 12 September 2019. The strategy outlined proposals for selective street closures in the Old Town including the following streets within the project area:
- Lawnmarket (except coaches in the short term)
- Victoria Street
- Cockburn Street
- High Street between North Bridge and St Mary’s Street
In February 2023, the Transport and Environment Committee agreed to consult on draft actions to deliver Edinburgh’s City Mobility Plan. The outcomes of the consultation, which received a total of 3,826 representations, were reported to Transport and Environment Committee in October 2023, reaffirming proposals to remove traffic from these streets.
Our Future Streets – a circulation plan for Edinburgh and an update to the City Mobility Plan were approved by Transport and Environment Committee in February 2024. The committee agreed to an enhanced plan for the City Centre Transformation Strategy including an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) to close the Cowgate and associated streets such as Blair Street and Niddry Street and to accelerate implementing a permanent scheme at Lawnmarket.
Design proposals for other Old Town streets, including the Cowgate, are currently being scoped out to make sure these complement this part of the project.
