The process of determining George Street’s future is moving forward.
Readers will recall the year-long Experimental Traffic Regulation Order period (August 2014–August 2015) in which the street was partially pedestrianised and peppered with plastic potting-sheds.
Over a thousand stakeholders (individuals, businesses, civic groups, transport and heritage bodies) made their views known about that trial via independent research questionnaires whose results were later explained and discussed at quarterly public meetings.
Overlapping these, Council-appointed consultants Ironside Farrar (IF) held a series of charettes (open drop-in consultations) at which locals of all sorts fed-in observations and opinions.
Some key findings which emerged from these consultations are summarised in the panel below.
Different parties involved in this consultation and trial will have their own impressions of how effective they have been, but at the very least there does appear to have been a genuine effort on the part of officials to gauge opinions and amass empirical data before establishing what (if any) reforms are required.
This kind of careful and transparent approach to introducing change could usefully be applied to other areas of CEC activity.
Principled design
All these feedback-flows informed IF’s subsequent formulation of design principles for the street; principles which have now been viewed and commented upon by a steering group including representatives from bodies such as the New Town & Broughton Community Council (2 members), Edinburgh World Heritage Trust (1), Cockburn Association (1), Essential Edinburgh (1), and senior Council officers from Planning (1) and Transport (1). Their deliberations will be concluded next week.
The finalised principles will appear in the appendix to a Report which goes before the Transport and Environment Committee in June, but if they are made public earlier we will add a link at the foot of this page.
To try and get a grip on all this, Spurtle yesterday interviewed Iain MacPhail, the CEC official who first came to our attention in this context as City Centre Programme Manager at the project’s outset.
MacPhail points out that IF’s design principles:
… will not contain the final detailed design, which is expected to go to committee for approval in Winter 2016/17, but they are a key stage in design terms.
They set out broad objectives for the space, and then the final design must seek to reflect these principles in all aspects of the detail.
It’s very encouraging, he continues, that:
… all interested parties, including local residents, heritage experts and others have been heard, listened to and influential. And that they are supportive of the principles which have now been nailed down.
Some of the key features are shown in the panel below.
The in’s and the out’s
At this point, it’s important to grasp what is and isn’t covered by the design principles. What the principles do not establish is, for example, the precise details of kerb stones or position/number of parking bays.
Nor do they address the potentially contentious issue of what additional uses George Street may be put to in terms of Events – their style, management and frequency.
These aspects will be resolved later, with uses in particular being determined by the provisions of a (yet-to-be-agreed) Public Spaces Manifesto.
We’ll have more to say about the PSM tomorrow.
If you have questions about the design principles at this stage, let us know and we’ll put them to the relevant staff at Ironside Farrar in a few days’ time.
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Dominic Berry Leave it alone! The Council is determined to present George Street as a problem that needs fixing. It isn't a problem, and it doesn't need fixing. Spend the money instead on filling in Edinburgh's potholes and clearing the litter from the city's streets.
Scobes @Scobesfoto@theSpurtle Lets try AstroTurf. I thought the wood decking, pot plants and UPVC conservatories were delightfully suburban.
@fatblackcatspaw @theSpurtle @fountainbridge Monetise all the spaces! Let nowhere be a free and uncommercial!