Friday July 17th 2026
Six were forced shut after the former Debenhams building, under renovation works to become a hotel, caught fire on July 8
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Joe Sullivan
Nearly £16k in non-domestic rates from shops forced to close during last week’s fire on Princes Street have not been collected.
Six were forced shut after the former Debenhams building, under renovation works to become a hotel, caught fire on July 8.
The council has confirmed it is waiving rates for the shops, and as a consequence the Scottish Government will lose £2,000 per day in rates, according to assessor’s data.
The council collects non-domestic rates on behalf of the Scottish Government, which then redistributes them to local authorities.
Some £1,438 per day of the losses come from the Boots on Princes Street near the Debenhams building, which has a value of 525,000.
The other five businesses, including a tailor, two shoe stores, a Timpsons branch and a vape shop, all on Rose Street, make up the remainder of the £1,986-a-day losses.
The fire began early on the morning of Thursday, July 9, and drew an immense response, with ten appliances present at the height of the blaze.
Crews finally left on Friday morning, after more than 29 hours on site.
The stretch of Princes Street adjacent to the building was re-opened for a short time, but the council announced earlier this week that it would be shut into August.
At the time, council leader Jane Meagher said she was ‘disappointed’ about the fire, but public safety had to be a priority.
The closure has had a significant impact on residents, with buses diverted and trams turning short in the West End.
Its impact is expected to be amplified as thousands of visitors are set to come to the city during the summer festivals.
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