Dijkstra-Downie urges Swinney to help with Edinburgh fire after supporting Glasgow

Scottish Liberal Democrat Edinburgh MSP Sanne Dijkstra-Downie has today written to First Minister to ask whether his government will deliver funding to help the council and businesses following the Prince Street fire, as she highlighted the Scottish Government’s £10 million support package for the Glasgow Union Corner fire.

The fire which broke out on Princes Street in July has caused significant disruption across Edinburgh.

Tram services have been suspended between the city centre to Leith and Newhaven. This has left many businesses in the north of the city experiencing a dramatic drop in footfall.

In the wake of the Union Corner fire in Glasgow, the Scottish Government provided £10 million to help the council and city centre businesses.

No equivalent package of support, however, has been offered to City of Edinburgh Council or affected businesses following the Princes Street fire.

Sanne Dijkstra Downie MSP’s letter to the First Minister is as follows:

Dear John,

I am writing to you following the fire which broke out on Princes Street in Edinburgh on Thursday 9th July.

As well as causing extensive damage to the historic building in which it began, the fire has also led to significant travel disruption across Edinburgh, including the suspension of tram services between the city centre to Leith and Newhaven.

The Princes Street fire has been widely compared to that which destroyed Glasgow’s Union Corner in March. In the wake of that fire, the Scottish Government provided a financial package worth up to £10 million to help Glasgow City Council, businesses and agencies “rebuild and renew” the affected area of the city.

Indeed, within a week of the Glasgow Union Corner fire breaking out, the Scottish Government announced this financial package. The response was extremely swift. Three weeks on from the Princess Street fire, no similar or equivalent package of support has been offered from your government.

Businesses across Edinburgh have experienced a dramatic loss of footfall since tram services were suspended, with some reporting revenue falling by up to 60%. City of Edinburgh Council are doing all they can to minimise disruption, but they need to be supported in making sure Princes Street only reopens when it is safe to do so.

As we enter the festival season, I believe it is incumbent on the Scottish Government to ensure businesses do not miss out on the opportunities that the next few weeks will undoubtedly offer.

I am, therefore, writing to ask whether your government will act and deliver a package of funding to support City of Edinburgh Council, businesses and agencies in dealing with the impact of the Princes Street fire.

I look forward to receiving your response.

Yours sincerely,

Sanne Dijkstra-Downie

MSP for Edinburgh Northern

Sanne added:

“The Princes Street fire has dealt a heavy blow to businesses across the city, including for those as far away as Leith and Newhaven.

“To make matters worse, there seems to be no help incoming from the government. Neither the First Minister nor his government have even bothered to share any updates or information on social media about it.

“The council are trying their very best, and they can only reopen Princes Street and tram services when it’s safe to do so, but they need to be properly supported, just as the council and businesses in Glasgow were following the Union Corner fire.

“We are just days away from the festival beginning, one of the most important seasons for businesses and venues across the capital.

"The Scottish Government must urgently support the council and businesses in getting back on their feet and seizing the opportunities of the busy weeks ahead."