John McLellan: A public transport scheme that doesn't cost ₤ 165m.

We are assured the ₤ 165m tram completion to Newhaven is not a done deal, but is anyone really wagering against the scheme going ahead?Nothing recommends the SNP/Labour administration is not determined to press ahead, and it was informing that the Conservative group, the only party still opposing the scheme, was kept in the dark about a considerable statement about the tendering process.The naming of

the 4 companies contending for the contract last month was a significant moment, but in an official instruction about the task's development for Tory councillors the night before oddly there was no reference of it. As the kids state, whatevs, however we still await an explanation.But it's also fair

to state that the determination to proceed in concept does not imply there will be no changes to the information, and passing current experience then the proposed Leith Stroll roadway lay-out will be changed following the public consultation.As reported here, although agreements were signed for changes to the Picardy Place junction, that didn't stop the administration jamming on the anchors when pressured by the biking lobby and purchasing a reconfiguration which will cost the tax-payer an additional ₤ 6m. With loud problems from the very same sources about the Leith Walk proposal, a re-think

is not only possible however probably inescapable, no matter the monetary ramifications. Which brings me to a conundrum. A proposal exists which could improve public transport, develop a quicker

connect to a major transport center, will not interfere with existing traffic circulation and, exactly what's more, it's at minimal expense to the tax-payer. Yet those behind the plan say there has been scant interest from the council. How can this be?It involves the new access roadway Edinburgh Airport wants to create through the site made available by the closure of the initial Turnhouse runway which finally headed out of action recently. The so-called Crosswind project intends to develop the wedge of airport land running to the Gogar Junction with the brand-new roadway running from Myreton Drive to the heart of the terminal.Mindful of the political problems of anything motivating vehicle usage, the airport is now prepared to commit the route to public transportation, which would take buses from the city centre off the A8 and the chaotic Eastfield Roadway. Lothian Buses has responded positively, but airport sources believe a fear that successful industrial growth would harm the International Service Gateway job on the north side of the Glasgow Road lags the council's hesitation to engage in positive discussions.On the sandwich store principle of opening one beside another, a business success on one site next to the airport ought to encourage others, but at the minute all that exists of the IBG are artists'impressions.Such is the exasperation, the airport is now considering using its preparation exemptions to get splitting with the preparatory work to bring the brand-new road right up to the limit and, in the meantime, explore exactly what can be made with the minor road access to the Cargo Village off Turnhouse Road.None of the council's admirable aspirations to tackle the real estate crisis and beat social exemption can be achieved without financial development and the airport is main to Edinburgh's worldwide competitiveness on which so much wealth creation will depend. It would be a lot much easier to work with the airport rather than discover factors to hold it back, and with the Scottish economy growing at half the speed of the remainder of the UK, the city needs all the assistance it can get.-- It's hard to argue with the Old Town Neighborhood Council's observations about the state of the streets; the

Lawnmarket in specific is more like a river bed than a roadway. Their dossier was produced in November and raised at the council by my coworker Jo Mowat in December, however a last official reaction

is still some way off.World Heritage strategy fails By typical authorization the brand-new World Heritage Site management prepare for the next five years ought to be a positive relocation for both those concerned about hazards to Edinburgh's historic core and those wanting to benefit from all it needs to use. Clearly setting out the dos and do n'ts of development in such a delicate websiteought to actually make it easier for

designers who will know exactly what to avoid if their plans are to pass muster. Or so the theory goes.That depends on the clarity of the assistance, yet the 100-page file is controlled by woolly recommendations which have such latitude for analysis as to be practically worthless as a means of preventing conflicts like India Structures or Soco.A wonderfully showed and well-written short history of the Old and New Towns it certainly is, but it falls brief of being the bible for city centre planners.Near tragedy shows council can't skimp on preparation and structure control As emphasising the need for financial investment in the upkeep of Edinburgh's public structures, the Audit Scotland report into the Oxgangs Main wall collapse highlights the importance of improving the city's building control and

assessment departments. The city can't operate without effectively resourced planning and building departments-- applications don't get processed rapidly enough and issues emerge the more the departments are under pressure. Skimping on this is an incorrect economy and it was almost a terrible

one.

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