Traffic has returned along the full length of Princes Street in Edinburgh after the road was reopened following a major fire at the site of a disused Debenhams store on 9 July. Barriers were taken down early on Saturday, allowing buses and trams to resume their normal routes after a seven-week disruption that coincided with the city’s high season for visitors.
Transport restored but restrictions remain
Officials said services were able to run after safety works to the damaged, B-listed building. Trams completed an initial test run shortly after midnight and have returned to their full route between Edinburgh Airport and Newhaven. Buses were also able to revert to their usual routes, although traffic on one side of Princes Street remains reduced to a single lane while the pavement directly outside the building stays closed.
- No-one was injured in the blaze, which began on 9 July.
- A section of Princes Street had been closed for seven weeks while stabilisation work was carried out.
- The City of Edinburgh Council says tonnes of brick and unsafe stonework have been removed and supporting steel beams installed to stabilise the facade.
- The eastern gable of the building has been secured and made safe.
City of Edinburgh Council leader Jane Meagher said the reopening marked a return to normal operations for the city but acknowledged the disruption had been significant.
“I couldn’t be more pleased that the city is getting back to business as usual,” the council leader told the Press Association.
She added that making the building and surrounding area safe had been the council’s “number one priority” and conceded the incident had a “major impact”, particularly given the timing on the cusp of one of the world’s biggest arts festivals.
Costs, tourism and the business impact
While services have restarted, the episode underlines how a single structural fire can ripple through local commerce and public services. The closure affected tram and bus operations during a period when footfall and visitor spending are crucial for retail, hospitality and events businesses. The council’s focus on safety works — removal of unstable masonry and installation of supporting steel — will have required significant resource allocation and contractor engagement.
The Scottish Government announced £5 million in funding earlier this month to help support recovery related to the incident. The cash injection aims to underwrite immediate stabilisation and recovery measures; officials have not published a detailed breakdown of how the funding will be allocated.
| Event | Detail |
|---|---|
| Fire date | 9 July |
| Closure duration | Seven weeks |
| Government funding | £5 million announced |
The immediate economic impact is already visible in diverted public transport routes and constrained road capacity. For retailers trading on Princes Street and businesses that rely on passing tourists, even a temporary reduction in pavement space and lane capacity can depress daily takings. It is also likely to shape short-term staffing and operating decisions: businesses may delay hiring or reduce hours if punishing footfall patterns persist.
Local authorities face a balancing act between reopening public access and ensuring structures are safe for pedestrians and customers. The stabilisation work described — removal of several tonnes of bricks and securing the eastern gable — will need follow-up inspections and potentially longer-term repair plans for the B-listed building, a process that can be costly and time-consuming given the conservation requirements for listed properties.
For the wider hospitality and events sector, restoring confidence in central routes is important as operators look to recoup income lost during the disruption. While the council’s message of a return to “business as usual” is welcome, the scale of remediation and the timing amid festival season mean economic recovery will be measured over weeks rather than days.
Authorities will now be watched closely for clarity on the allocation of the announced funding, timelines for full pavement and facade reinstatement, and any implications for insurance and compensation claims by affected businesses. Until the building itself can be fully repaired, a degree of constraint on Princes Street will remain — and with it, a lingering drag on the city’s busiest shopping and visitor corridor.
