'This year's disaster could spell the end for some businesses'

FIVE shopping weeks to go till Christmas and the scene at the Gyle Centre last weekend was typical for the time of year. A packed car park, long queues at the tills, Marks & Spencer thronging with shoppers and the tills jingling merrily. It was the same story over at Fort Kinnaird, and doubtless repeated at the Almondvale and other out-of-town shopping centres across the country.

If there is a recession in the offing it has yet to register at these places, but in Edinburgh city centre traders are facing a much more worrying time. The combination of the congestion charge debate and the botched traffic management system has hit them with a 20 per cent drop in takings as shoppers decide to stay out of the chaos and make their purchases in the convenience of places where cars can be parked relatively close to shops.

Except, of course, it isn't like that any more. The decision to reverse the disastrous traffic changes and the relaxation of the parking regime means that it hasn't been so easy to drive and shop in the middle of Edinburgh for years, but people understandably believe that the streets remain impassable. It's hardly surprising, given that for months the council argued that there was a traffic crisis which only congestion charging could solve and then made it a reality by pressing on with the ill-conceived road blockages.

Even without the recent mayhem, the challenges for city centre trade remain considerable. Fort Kinnaird, Straiton and the Almondvale all present real threats. Tourism brings no relief for shopkeepers as the vast majority of visitors' spending goes into hotels, bars and a few souvenir outlets and still remains largely a summer phenomenon.

It is indeed fortunate for the city that Harvey Nichols decided to plump for Edinburgh instead of Glasgow because the up-market store and the adjacent Multrees Walk development represent the only retail development of any note in the past decade, without which the city centre could indeed be facing terminal decline.

The problem remains that there is no big vision for the city centre that the public can get behind and such developments as there are only piecemeal.

The St Andrew Square plan, for instance, looks good but is not part of a grand scheme for the potential-packed George Street axis. Perhaps the traffic changes would have been better received if they had been more than just the tinkering of anti-car zealots within the council administration.

For now, there is no big vision for the middle of town, but there are some brilliant shops, the best bus service in Britain, and plenty of places to park . . . and stay parked. Outside the rush hour it's no problem for drivers to get in and out. The city centre traders need a good Christmas to survive and this year's disaster could spell the end for some good businesses.

It is understandable that some event organisers are not happy about the decision to switch resources from Hogmanay to boost the pre-Christmas package to draw in shoppers, but it was essential that something was done to deal with the unfolding crisis.

The city centre needs support, so why not bring a little bit of Christmas cheer and do some down-town shopping. By all means keep going to the out-of-town centres - few parents will be spared the delightful Toys 'R' Us experience anyway - but remember there's a lot more on offer in Edinburgh than national chains.

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