Anna Hansen’s Post

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Director at Orinsen

🎅🏻I fully appreciate that Christmas markets are good for tourism and attract more footfall to the city centre but George Street is currently having 2 monstrous marquees being erected that totally block the sightlines of the street! Walking to work this morning I couldn't even see what retailers are on the other side of the street!! These retailers and restauranteurs pay rates to the council every month and to have this on their doorstep I personally think is unreasonable, along with spoiling the aesthetics of the street, particularly during the best trading month of the year! Bars and food outlets of this scale will detract from the rate paying restaurants and bars in the city centre who rely on this time of year to survive ! I am by no means saying there shouldn't be a Christmas market on the street but I think some serious thought needs to go into the scale and appearance. #Edinburgh #Christmas #Retail #GeorgeStreet #Scotland #restaurant #bars

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Chris Cuthbert

Director & Co-Founder of CuthbertWhite. SPIFOX Trustee.

1mo

Completely agree with you Anna Hansen - very well said. You need to tag CEC. They need to be more answerable to this. It's crazy and there's a great big park that should be accommodating this stuff like it used to do (if they continue to be hell bent on having this each year). People are trying to live, work & deliver in and around George Street. It's so disruptive. I wonder what the CO2 emissions are for a muckle great Ice Rink in a LEZ???? 🤔

Nick White

Co-Founder and Director of CuthbertWhite Limited. Member of Judging Panel for Scottish Property Awards. Director of Eden Property Asset Management. Director and Trustee of Edinburgh World Heritage.

1mo

Cringeworthy tack. Why it can’t be shoved discreetly into the PS Gardens is beyond me. Or, radical thought, Inverleith Park or the Meadows to pull the tourist hoards north/ south? Serious question: has the balance in Edinburgh between tourism and business now tipped too far in favour of the former? What about local businesses run 365 days a year by locals paying local taxes???

Andrew Walker

Director at Savills with a pragmatic approach to Property Management.

1mo

Couldn't agree more. I just walked down George Street myself and couldn't believe what I was seeing. Apart from the visual impact on what is one of Edinburgh's grandest Streets there are big generators which will create noise and adversely affect the local environment. A new low in what the City has to put up with in the name of Christmas.

Keith Dyer FRICS

Associate Director Building Surveyor & Accredited Historic Building Professional at Faithful+Gould

1mo

It’s a shame and looks awful. Contractors and tenants in shop will struggle to get deliveries

Alexander Cox

Managing Director at Hencal

1mo

Couldn't agree more! Even better when you have a 2 day install planned for an office on the street next week and have only been given a 2 hour window to offload all the furniture... Merry Christmas 🫠

Sarah Chalmers Page

Evaluation| Theory of Change| Pragmatic Project Skills| Strategic Development

1mo

I avoid the whole centre from now until after Hogmanay. If I want Christmas markets, then the makers' markets on the outskirts (and in fairness at St John's kirk and the Grassmarket) are more interesting and better quality, if I want Christmas food then almost anywhere is cheaper and more fun than being jostled about in the central crowds. Grinch-like, I sort of appreciate I can avoid the whole shebang by just going to Newington, Portobello or Stockbridge instead, but that does rather prove your point! I can see the argument for letting it take up more space across some of the parks, as long as access to the playparks stayed open. I can *certainly* see a case for a more open layout that fits in the city rather than onto it.

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Andrew Wolffe

Creative Director Genoa Black

1mo

100% agree with this. The City of Edinburgh Council have got this Christmas so wrong on so many levels. Piped muzak on Princes Street? No thanks. And if I was a rates payer on George Street I’d be furious.

💯 trade killer - they have been getting it wrong for years, retailers need all the help they can get on George street with premium rents and rates - if you are shopping in Edinburgh, try Stockbridge for independent shops, great bars and atmosphere this Christmas 🎄 ✨

Paul Findlay

Founder and Director, Eglinton Asset Management

1mo

100% agree Anna, we all want a busy city, but it doesn’t even look that good and can’t be good for the units trading on either side.

Stuart AJ Moncur

Director - Head of National Retail, UK at Savills

1mo

Totally agree. I’ve just got back from London and look at Regent St - it’s a celebration of the festive period and I’m sure encourages people to shop rather than not…

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