World Trade Centre - 'We will watch the plans with optimism'

The World Trade Centre complex plans unveiled in these pages today are among the most exciting to be seen in Edinburgh for many years.

How wonderful it would be to see such a symbolic landmark spring up in the Capital alongside a much longed-for concert arena and conference venue.

What a powerful statement of the Capital's continuing key role as an international business centre despite the bank-inflicted blows of the last couple of years.

The development might even include two new four or five-star hotels, significantly extending the choice for wealthy travellers and filling another much-lamented gap in the city landscape.

There is little, if anything, to dislike in these proposals . . . but the proof of the pudding, as always, will be in the tasting.

Unfortunately, there has been a succession of ambitious plans paraded in the Capital over the last 20 years for which we have precious little to show today.

We have had the Princes Street Galleries underground shopping mall and the "Super-Waverley" plans to build a Gyle-sized shopping centre on top of the railway station. Sighthill was at one stage to be the home of a 50 million athletics stadium - by next year.

The council even got as far as drafting in the architects behind London's famous "Gherkin" building to draw up futuristic designs for a concert arena in Princes Street Gardens. Yet in none of these cases did a pickaxe get as far as breaking ground for building work to begin.

So we will watch the progress of the World Trade Centre project with great interest - and we hope not undue optimism.

Tough decisions

THE resolution of the trams row may still be some way off, but the way ahead should at least become clearer in the next week or so.

Councillors will a week today hear the latest report on the saga which threatens to drain the city of resources - and of its reputation at home and abroad.

Our survey today shows our local politicians are split on the issue of how best to proceed.

But the Tories are already calling for the contract between TIE and Balfinger Berger to be terminated. And our local representatives will not be able to shirk some tough decisions much longer.