Edinburgh’s Historic Bridges: A Heritage at Risk

Edinburgh’s Historic Bridges: A Heritage at Risk

On 26 August 2025, the Edinburgh Evening News revealed that consultants working on the proposed north–south tramline had even considered the demolition of Dean Bridge as one option for carrying trams south from Granton to the Royal Infirmary. Although the City of Edinburgh Council has since stressed that no such plan exists, the suggestion itself illustrates the risks of treating heritage as an obstacle rather than a starting point.

For the Cockburn Association, this news highlights parallel concerns about South Bridge, the fragile spine of the Old Town.

South Bridge is not simply a traffic corridor but a vital thread in Edinburgh’s World Heritage tapestry, linking the north and south of the city. Beneath its surface lies a complex vaulted structure, built in the 1780s, with layers of later infill and development.

The South Bridge too may be structurally incapable of supporting the weight of modern trams without costly and invasive reinforcement. The Jacobs review of Dean Bridge reached a similar conclusion: historic bridges of this era were never designed to bear the dynamic loads of heavy rail vehicles, and adapting them could prove technically and financially prohibitive, both in terms of engineering costs but also compensation to the myriad of private owners.

The bridge is already under strain. Narrow carriageways, heavy pedestrian flows, and intense bus traffic make South Bridge one of the most congested streets in the city. Adding trams would only exacerbate these pressures and risk undermining the structure.

South Bridge is also listed as a building of historic importance.  It sits within the Old Town Conservation Area.  It is entirely likely that changes to facilitate the tram here would have profound consequences for the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site. Reinforcement works could scar its historic fabric, while diverting displaced traffic risks creating new rat-runs that damage surrounding neighbourhoods.

The Jacobs report into Dean Bridge advised against forcing trams onto structures that were never intended to bear them. The same realism must apply to South Bridge. Consultation exercises should prioritise heritage at the outset, not treat it as an afterthought.

The Cockburn Association supports the ambition to reduce car dependency and expand sustainable transport. But this cannot come at the expense of the historic environment that makes Edinburgh unique. Alternative alignments exist, routes that bypass fragile historic crossings or employ modern infrastructure designed for heavier loading. Forcing everything down Princes Street is not a great strategy.  A different alignment could help spread congestion and provide benefits to other parts of the centre, such as a Haymarket to Lothian Road alignment continuing on to Bristo Square, as originally proposed in the City Centre Transformation Project. These should be seriously explored if the tram network is to expand without sacrificing the city’s fabric.

We call for a heritage-first approach to the tram consultation: ruling out tram routes across South Bridge and Dean Bridge, developing solutions that protect the integrity of our World Heritage Site while meeting future mobility needs.

Edinburgh deserves a transport system fit for the future — one that strengthens, rather than compromises, the legacy of its past.

Sources and Further Reading

• Edinburgh Evening News, 26 August 2025: “Edinburgh’s north–south tramline: consultants looked at demolishing Dean Bridge and building new crossing as part of plan.”
• City of Edinburgh Council (2024). Future Streets – circulation plan for Edinburgh. Consultation material.
• Cockburn Association (2024). Council Meeting Papers, 12 March 2024: Central Edinburgh traffic proposals and North–South Tram line.
• Lord Hardie (2023). Edinburgh Tram Inquiry: Final Report.