‘Tacky lights risk turning Princes St into the Blackpool Illuminations’

EDINBURGH’S main heritage watchdog is warning that the city council is risking a tacky “free-for-all” on Princes Street by allowing retailers to light up their buildings after dark without proper permission.

The Cockburn Association claims the heart of the city would be turned into a scene akin to the “Blackpool Illuminations” unless a crackdown is ordered on lighting effects which have been deployed by Jenners and Primark in recent weeks.

The group fears that the council has set a dangerous precedent in allowing the two retailers to dramatically light up their frontages, and could open the door to other shops to introduce their own garish schemes. The heritage group believes they have jumped the gun ahead of the council introducing a new “lighting strategy” which would see selected historic buildings lit up at night next year, if approved.

Council officials admitted they had “no direct control” over the amount of external lighting on buildings at present, but insisted the new policy was aimed at developing a “consistent” approach across the city.

However, the association claims the council has strict policies outlawing the coloured lighting up of buildings and said external lighting features had previously been outlawed on commercial shop fronts.

It has complained to the city’s planning department about a lack of enforcement against Jenners, which initially lit up its building to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, and Primark, which is not due to open its long-awaited Princes Street store until this weekend.

Cockburn Association director Marion Williams said: “We’ve noticed both buildings have been lit up at night over the last few months and we know they’ve not had proper permission.

“The problem with this kind of thing is that if you allow one business to do this, everyone else will want to do so as well. It’s just a free-for-all at the moment and the concern is that Princes Street, which already has a lot of problems, will look tacky. You could end up with Edinburgh looking like the Blackpool Illuminations.

“Any lighting should be done very sensitively when you are talking about historic buildings like Jenners, as a scheme like the one they have at the moment is actually detracting from the Scott Monument at night.

“The council is consulting on its own lighting strategy at the moment, but it shouldn’t be allowing the lighting up of buildings until that is complete.”

Under the blueprint, the Tolbooth Church, the Tron Kirk, Donaldson’s School, St Mary’s Cathedral, Fettes College and the Dean Gallery would all be lit at night. Critics have already raised concerns about the costs of such a scheme, but the local authority insists that it has been used strategically elsewhere to “help promote cities, enhance safety, highlight landmarks, and encourage light as an art form”.

A council spokesman said: “We are not aware of any formal complaints regarding Primark and Jenners to planning enforcement. It should, however, be pointed out that, in planning terms, only the light fittings themselves require consent and require them to be discretely positioned and kept to a minimum. The light coming from the fittings does not need consent.”