Princes Street and Waverley Valley Consultation

Consultation Response to the City of Edinburgh Council’s Waverley Valley and Princes Street Consultation

Executive Summary

Princes Street and Waverley Valley: A Strategic Vision

The Cockburn Association warmly welcomes the opportunity to respond to the City of Edinburgh Council’s consultation and supports the Princes Street and Waverley Valley Strategy (PSWVS) for its coherent vision. We urge decisive action to address key challenges and propose actionable steps to ensure Edinburgh’s historic core thrives.

• Key Concerns:
  • Retail Decline: Princes Street’s western end risks stagnation as high-quality retail shifts to George Street and St James Quarter, exacerbated by market-driven hotel conversions and liberalised land-use policies (e.g., PDR changes).
  • First New Town Unity: Fragmented approaches threaten its architectural coherence.
  • PSG Overuse: Excessive events undermine its greenspace role.
  • Policy Coordination: PSWVS must align with City Plan 2030, NPF4, and Council departments (Culture, Parks, Transport).
• Top Recommendations:
  • Western End Pilot (0-2 Years): Incentivise diverse retail/cultural uses by mid-2026 to reverse decline, countering hotel dominance.
  • Station Plaza (2-5 Years): Transform Princes Mall into a civic-commercial hub by 2030, enhancing Waverley Station’s gateway role.
  • PSG Limits (0-2 Years): Cap major events at four annually by late 2025, prioritising ecological integrity.
  • Heritage Focus (5-10 Years): Pilot recladding of a 1960s/70s infill site (e.g., former BHS) by 2035, with a PSWVS policy presumption for retaining Georgian upper-floor features.
  • First New Town Strategy: Develop a destination framework to adapt to market shifts, balancing profit with public good via regulations and partnerships.
• Next Steps: We propose a Q3 2025 workshop to refine this vision, leveraging our expertise to align PSWVS with broader policies and ensure sustainable, inclusive outcomes for Edinburgh’s historic core.

Full Response

Introduction

The Cockburn Association, established in 1875 as Edinburgh’s foremost civic society dedicated to preserving the city’s built and natural heritage, warmly welcomes the opportunity to respond to the City of Edinburgh Council’s consultation on the future of the Waverley Valley and Princes Street. We commend the Princes Street and Waverley Valley Strategy (PSWVS) for its ambition to create a coherent vision for these vital urban spaces, integral to Edinburgh’s historical and contemporary identity. However, we note that the absence of the Waverley Station Masterplan from this consultation limits its scope; its inclusion would have enriched the dialogue. This submission addresses the multifaceted challenges facing these areas, advocating a strategic approach to safeguard their cultural and civic value amid evolving socio-economic conditions.

This consultation forms part of a suite of plans and guidelines shaping development over the next decade, with City Plan 2030 and the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) as dominant policy frameworks. The PSWVS should thus play a pivotal role in coordinating and aligning statutory and non-statutory guidelines, while informing the visions of Council departments such as Culture, Parks and Public Spaces, and Transport.

Context: The Transformation of Princes Street

Historically Edinburgh’s pre-eminent thoroughfare, Princes Street is undergoing a perceptible decline as the city’s principal commercial artery. George Street increasingly overshadows it as a hub for high-quality retail and leisure, a trend intensified by the St James Quarter’s eastward pull. This shift threatens the street’s vitality, particularly at its western end, where vacant premises and lower-tier offerings are becoming entrenched. Without robust intervention, Princes Street risks transforming into a corridor of mid-market hotels, global fast-food chains, and uninspired retail, with diminished upper-floor activity.

Historical Context of the Waverley Valley

The Waverley Valley, linking the medieval Old Town and neoclassical New Town, embodies a rich historical narrative. Once the Nor’ Loch, drained in the eighteenth century, it evolved into Princes Street Gardens—a public greenspace symbolising civic amenity. This legacy must guide future proposals, prioritising its role as a tranquil retreat over exploitation as an event venue.

Vision and Objectives

The Cockburn Association broadly supports the PSWVS’s proposed vision and objectives. Its role as a coordinating framework is essential to unify diverse Council initiatives into a coherent whole. However, we harbour concerns about the Council’s capacity to deliver these ambitions. The levers—financial or policy-based—required to influence certain objectives may be limited, and enforcing existing powers could prove challenging. Market forces, for instance, will largely dictate land-use mixes in a shifting economic climate. We have already witnessed significant repurposing of former retail premises into hotels, impacting adjacent streets like Rose Street. This trend suggests Princes Street may cease to function as a city-wide or regional retail destination, instead becoming a hospitality and low-end retail zone as higher-quality comparison retail migrates to George Street and St James Quarter.

Recent liberalisation of land-use policies, exacerbated by Permitted Development Rights (PDR) changes imposed by the Scottish Government, has accelerated this shift. Consequently, a broader “First New Town” destination strategy may be necessary to adapt to these dynamics, ensuring a balanced and sustainable urban evolution.

Key Concerns and Recommendations

Retail and Economic Vitality

• Concern: Princes Street’s retail offer is weakening, with the western end especially susceptible to stagnation as market preferences shift eastward.
• Recommendation: Introduce a proactive strategy for the western end, offering targeted rates relief or grants to attract independent retailers, artisan businesses, or cultural institutions, countering uniformity and preserving the street’s character.

Streetscape and Urban Design

• Concern: Proposed changes, such as excessive signage or street furniture near Register House and Princes Mall, risk disrupting pedestrian flow without tackling underlying issues.
• Recommendation: Centre streetscape planning on pedestrian experience, using uniform surfacing and designs that reflect the First New Town’s neoclassical proportions. Prioritise coherence over piecemeal alterations. While cycling provision is welcome, its necessity here is questionable given the CCWEL initiative; a heritage compatibility assessment is advised.

Princes Mall and Station Integration

• Concern: Princes Mall underperforms as a gateway to Waverley Station, diminishing the valley’s connectivity and aesthetic coherence.
• Recommendation: Embed Princes Mall within a Station Masterplan, converting its upper deck into a civic plaza to serve as the station’s commercial interface and a dignified entry point, enhancing the valley’s role as a unified urban node.

The First New Town as a Cohesive Entity

• Concern: Addressing the First New Town as fragmented streets jeopardises its unified architectural identity.
• Recommendation: Treat Princes Street as integral to the First New Town, with consistent streetscapes and detailing aligned with original feu widths. Develop a wider First New Town destination strategy to address market-driven shifts, restoring historical patterns and refacing substandard 1960s/70s infill.

Princes Street Gardens (PSG)

• Concern: Excessive event use undermines PSG’s primary function as a civic greenspace.
• Recommendation: Prioritise PSG’s greenspace role, capping major events at four annually based on ecological capacity assessments. Support Ross Bandstand refurbishment but oppose increased event scale. Issue clear guidelines to protect its tranquillity.

Buildings and Heritage

• Concern: Expansive commercial floorplates and uninspired mid-century infill erode Princes Street’s architectural integrity, while market-led redevelopment risks gentrification, heritage loss, and infrastructure strain.
• Recommendation: Establish a policy presumption in the PSWVS for retaining and restoring upper-floor Georgian features, supported by refreshed research into their condition. Launch a pilot to reclad a key 1960s/70s infill site (e.g., former BHS), testing feasibility. Balance market forces with government oversight, offering incentives for affordable housing and sustainable practices to ensure equitable, heritage-sensitive outcomes.

Climate and Sustainability

• Concern: Sustainability must complement heritage goals.
• Recommendation: Integrate native planting and sustainable drainage into PSG and streetscapes, aligning with the 2030 Climate Strategy while respecting historical authenticity.

Area Issues and Comments: Princes Street

We endorse the continued focus on Princes Street blocks. The Princes Street Heritage Framework is a valuable tool, but we advocate additional research, including a detailed analysis of upper floors. Many retain original Georgian features from the first-generation buildings, and the PSWVS should explicitly state retention and restoration as the dominant policy objective. Leaving redevelopment solely to market forces—without central or local government intervention—poses significant risks: profit-driven gentrification may displace small businesses and residents, exacerbate inequality, neglect affordable housing, overlook environmental standards, and erode cultural heritage. Unregulated growth could also overburden infrastructure, diminishing quality of life.

To mitigate these, the PSWVS should establish clear regulations, foster public-private partnerships, engage communities, offer incentives for affordable housing, and enforce green practices. This balanced approach can ensure inclusive, sustainable redevelopment.

Short-Term Actions (0-2 Years: Feb 2025–Mid-2027)

• Western End Retail Pilot: Launch a scheme incentivising diverse retail or cultural activations in vacant western end premises, evaluating success by footfall and occupancy by mid-2026.
• Pedestrian Accessibility Audit: Upgrade Princes Street pavements for accessibility and unity, trialling uniform surfacing by mid-2027.
• PSG Event Regulation: Issue guidelines capping major events at four per annum by late 2025, prioritising greenspace preservation.
• Princes Mall Feasibility Study: Analyse integrating Princes Mall into the Station Masterplan as a civic-commercial hub, completed by early 2027.

Medium-Term Actions (2-5 Years: Mid-2027–Feb 2030)

• Western End Revitalisation Strategy: Implement a plan for a mixed retail-cultural zone at the western end by 2030, informed by the pilot.
• First New Town Design Framework: Produce a public design guide by 2028, ensuring pedestrian primacy and heritage consistency across the First New Town.
• Upper Floor Repurposing: Convert upper floors into mixed-use spaces, targeting 20% occupancy by 2030.
• Green Infrastructure Development: Introduce native planting and sustainable drainage in PSG by 2030.

Long-Term Actions (5-10 Years: Feb 2030–Feb 2035)

• Princes Street Redesign: Redesign Princes Street as a pedestrian zone with restricted vehicular access (public transport only) by 2035.
• Station Gateway Enhancement: Complete Princes Mall’s integration into Waverley Station as a civic-commercial nexus by 2033.
• Heritage Restoration Programme: Restore key 1960s/70s infill sites (e.g., former BHS) to original feu widths by 2035.
• Economic Regeneration Plan: Promote local enterprise and cultural tourism, avoiding hotel dominance by 2035.

Relevant Policies

• City Plan 2030 & NPF4: PSWVS aligns and coordinates with these dominant frameworks.
• 2030 Climate Strategy: Green infrastructure supports net-zero goals.
• Open Space Strategy: PSG’s greenspace primacy is upheld.
• Public Transport Action Plan: Pedestrian focus aids sustainable mobility.
• Built Heritage Strategy: Restoration preserves the First New Town’s legacy.

Conclusion

The Cockburn Association welcomes the PSWVS’s vision but urges a strategic approach to address retail decline, unify the First New Town, and protect PSG’s civic role. Targeted interventions—starting with the western end and station integration—are essential. We offer our expertise and propose a Q3 2025 workshop to refine this vision, ensuring Edinburgh’s historic core remains a vibrant asset.

Appendix: International Best Practice Examples

Retail Evolution: Bruges, Belgium

• Context: Bruges balances medieval heritage with modern retail pressures.
• Approach: Zoning excludes chains, promoting artisan shops; temporary markets (50+ vendors annually) revitalise squares like ‘t Zand.
• Outcome: Footfall up 15%, sustaining vitality and heritage.
• Relevance: Incentives for niche retailers could revive Princes Street’s western end.

Pedestrian Enhancement: Amsterdam, Netherlands

• Context: Amsterdam’s canal district prioritises pedestrian movement.
• Approach: Pedestrianised streets (e.g., Nieuwendijk) use uniform surfacing and trams.
• Outcome: 20% retail turnover rise (2019 University of Amsterdam study).
• Relevance: Uniform surfacing and restricted access could enhance Princes Street.

Civic Space Management: Salzburg, Austria

• Context: Salzburg balances events with civic amenity.
• Approach: Four major events annually; lightweight stages dismantled within 48 hours.
• Outcome: High resident satisfaction with tranquil spaces.
• Relevance: PSG could limit events similarly.

Heritage Restoration: Ljubljana, Slovenia

• Context: Ljubljana revitalised its historic core post-1990s.
• Approach: Façade grants and infill redevelopment restore original designs.
• Outcome: 15% property value rise (2021 Slovenian Ministry of Culture report).
• Relevance: A pilot (e.g., former BHS) could restore Princes Street’s heritage.

 

 

 Image:  Pixabay