Tram works drive one fifth of pedestrians off Princes Street

THE number of people visiting Princes Street has dropped by nearly a fifth and more than half of city centre parking spaces are standing empty, a gloomy new economic report has revealed.

The full impact of tram works in the city centre has been laid bare by new council statistics, which show an 18.7 per cent fall in pedestrians on the city's main shopping street in the year to March.

Nearby George Street has had a near tripling in pedestrians with the switching of buses there from Princes Street.

But the ongoing roadworks and traffic diversions also appear to be putting drivers off, with 60 per cent of available city centre parking spaces lying empty during March, up from 50 per cent in March last year.

Edinburgh was already lagging behind other UK cities on the number of people visiting its busiest shopping streets before the tram project started.

It is hoped a string of new hotels and shops planned for Princes Street, along with the lifting of major tram works by November, will give the city centre a boost.

City leaders today said the figures were "disappointing but perhaps not unexpected".

Local councillors said the statistics illustrated the damage being done to the heart of the Capital.

SNP city centre councillor David Beckett said: "I think everyone is aware of how much the city centre is suffering and these figures just illustrate just how much people are being put off coming to the area. This is one of the reasons I am against the tram project.

"Unlike the arguments put forward by the project's proponents, I don't think all of this disruption will be worth it in the long term.

"Businesses are closing and people are voting with their feet."

Councillor Tom Buchanan, the city's economic development leader, said: "It's likely the changes in footfall are because of the closure of Princes Street to traffic. This becomes clear when you look at figures for George Street which has seen an unprecedented 192.9 per cent increase in pedestrian activity.

"We will soon see work get under way for a number of exciting developments across the city centre but that initial investment in change can be challenging for residents and visitors."