Friday November 13th 2026
An artist's impression of how George Street could look following the proposed £20m refurbishment.
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Nicholas Malizia
Refurbishment plans for a car-free George Street have been greenlit today with councillors saying businesses urgently needed “clarity” after years of uncertainty regarding the road’s future.
Councillors voted 9 to 2 on a motion to proceed with development at the November 12 Transport and Environment Committee meeting.
Convener Stephen Jenkinson said: “George Street has been talked about for many, many years and the design has gone through many, many iterations. It has been contentious and a hot topic. We need to provide clarity and certainty to the residents and businesses going forward of how we are going to fund it and how we’re moving forward.”
Plans will see an expanded pavement which prioritises pedestrians and includes trees and benches. Though it was suggested last week that trees might be eliminated from the design to cut cost, councillors voted to reinstate them.
An estimated £34m was initially earmarked for the George Street project alone. This has now been reduced to an estimated £31 for city centre refurbishment, with funds distributed between George Street, Princes Street, and the Market Street area.
Funding for George Street is now estimated at about £20 with Princes Street receiving £10m. An additional £200,000 is allocated for Market Street to install a wider northern footway and a zebra crossing to the existing taxi rank on East Market Street.
Giving a deputation, William Duncan from the George Street Association urged councillors not to delay plans further. He called the refit proposals a “long saga” and hoped the project would move forward.
He said: “It’s a question of affordability. Compromises have to be made. If trees can be put in they will enhance the street, but they have to be cared for, which will involve additional work.”
Officers told councillors today that trees would cost around £350,000 with an additional £500,000 in associated costs for utilities and overheads.
Cllr Kevin Lang (Lib Dem) welcomed the new, more cost-effective plans, saying: “I’m really pleased with the work to make savings where they can be delivered and a big difference has been made. I think that’s really positive. [Further] delay will bring cost and I do think we need to get on with things.”
The Almond councillor said he would continue to “raise the alarm” about cost control as the project moved forward.
Cllr Neil Gardiner (SNP) concurred: “People have been looking at this for decades. The proposals strike a good balance between pedestrians, cyclists, George Street businesses, visitors and residents.”
However, the Conservative group shared concerns, with Cllr Jo Mowat saying the proposals were not the “best use” of allocated funding. She felt business owners wanted answers on “what, when, and how” funding could transform the shopping district, and was not confident they had been provided.
But Convener Jenkinson called the George Street discourse a “long and sometimes painful debate”, highlighting the need to draw a line under the issue.
He added: “Councillor Mowat said the business community is asking ‘what, when, how’. What we’re able to do today is answer those three questions.
“What we have is a proposal which is a compromise position. I do have some reservations on elements of it but we do need to provide clarity and to give people confidence to make future investment decisions on George Street.”
Councillors agreed on the plans and approved the distribution of Visitor Levy funds to pay for the city centre projects.
Cycle access will be maintained while construction work is ongoing. If further funding becomes available that can be spent on city centre public realm improvements, priority will be given to the delivery of the projects on George Street, Princes Street, and Market Street.
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