Edinburgh Council to offer £2.4m to businesses impacted by tram extension

Edinburgh Council has released details of plans to offer a £2.4m relief package to businesses in Leith if the tram extension goes ahead.

The package includes £500,000 hardship fund and £500,000 for shop front improvements and window cleaning.

It also includes funding for a promotional campaign and local guides for visitors.

Proposals - which are due to be voted on this December - would see the service extended to Newhaven.

A consultation on the support package will run between 3 and 30 September.

Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport Convener, said: “If the project goes ahead, supporting businesses along the route, both during and after construction works, will be a top priority. From next week, we are inviting businesses’ views on a raft of business support proposals through our online consultation. The range of measures we would put in place if the project gets the green light should cater to everyone’s needs as effectively as possible. Our key aim is to make sure the whole area stays as vibrant and accessible as possible, not just during but also beyond the essential construction phase.

"Plans for taking Trams to Newhaven continue to take shape and we’re hugely indebted to businesses, residents and interested organisations for all their help in developing the proposals. We were delighted with the significant level of engagement and feedback in the first phase of public consultation in the spring. We then held a series of very useful workshops to focus on key points brought up during that six-week consultation process. The project team is currently using all the feedback to refine the plans ahead of further engagement at the end of next month (September). This will feed into the Final Business Case going before councillors at the end of the year."