The three City of Edinburgh Council committees with lead responsibilities for place issues have been reviewing a draft strategy for this key zone in the city centre before public consultation. 

Designed to improve connectivity between the historic Old and New Towns of Edinburgh and target regeneration within the World Heritage Site, the Draft Princes Street and Waverley Valley Strategy  includes the following measures: 

climate resilience and biodiversity measures to protect the existing Waverley Valley and Princes Street Gardens and to plant more trees and flowers 

placemaking projects at intervals along Princes Street to create rest points, improve accessibility, enhance existing spaces and viewpoints 

new access ramps and steps to West Princes Street Gardens, strengthening links between the New Town and the Waverley Valley greenspace 

paving to create an even surface for walking and wheeling, incorporating sustainable urban drainage where possible. 

Having been approved by the Planning and Transport and Environment Committees this week, the draft goes to the Culture and Communities Committee in October. A public consultation phase will then take place before the draft strategy is finalised in 2025. 

Once finalised, the Strategy will be a material consideration in decisions on planning applications and will guide the Council’s place management decisions.