Royal Mile To Get A Spring Clean

Submitted by edg on Thu, 16 Feb '12 10.03am

The historic Royal Mile in the Edinburgh Old Town, is to be given a Spring clean. The work will focus on making the street - which stretches from Edinburgh Castle down to Holyrood Palace - "feel better" to walk in and around, including painting utility boxes and litter bins, removing graffiti and weeds and repairs to other property.

The initiative follows a workshop organised by the City of Edinburgh Council to debate the future of the street, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year for its history, architecture and culture.

Around 100 residents and local businesses and other stakeholders met to agree an action plan to improve the area and a ‘spring clean’ was one of the actions at the top of the list.

The Council’s City Centre and Leith Neighbourhood team are facilitating the event which will run from March 6-8. The team will work with local representatives, including residents and businesses, to identify a programme of work.

Local residents, businesses and other stakeholders are being asked to join in with the work on the Royal Mile from Castle Hill to the Scottish Parliament including some sections of the closes.

Cllr Tom Buchanan, Convener of the Economic Development Committee, said: “The project aims to improve the quality of the street in this World Heritage site. We aim to involve as many local residents, businesses and other stakeholders as we can to ensure that the Royal Mile remains a must see destination, and a positive experience for visitors coming to Scotland. It must also meet the needs of residents who use it every day. This is not just a short-term examination of the street - it will be an ongoing project, with long-term actions."

Other short-term actions from the workshop include appointing a Royal Mile Manager to take the action plan forward for the area.