Residents express fury at extent of Christmas Market scaffold

Photo Credit: Simon Holledge

Edinburgh residents have expressed outrage at the extent of the scaffolding for this year’s Christmas Market to be held in the Princes Street Gardens.

Twitter users took to the social platform to brand extensive scaffolding as ‘hyper-bloated capitalism’ ‘madness’ and ‘a complete and utter disgrace’.

This year’s event will be the first held following the start of the £22 million revamp project to improve access to the Scottish National Gallery. Plans have been announced to run over 20 more stalls and a silent disco around the market.

The Council continue to be criticised for limiting public access to open spaces throughout the city for commercial events. A recent example being the ‘Summer Sessions’ concerts held throughout August in Princes Street Gardens. This comes despite former insistence from the Council that there would no more than five large scale events held there annually.

Speaking exclusively to GreenBurgh, Simon Holledge (@Holledge), Engagement Officer for the New Town & Broughton Community Council said:

“The City of Edinburgh Finance Committee give Parks and Greenspaces income revenue targets. Some parks, like West Princes Street Gardens, are frequently closed to the public for ticketted events.”

“This shouldn’t happen. The city has performing arts venues on the one hand, and greenspaces on the other — they should not treat all of them as venues.”

“Councillors should stop arranging events on the cheap. In the future we will have a tourist tax. Money from that can go towards developing tourist facilities, including performing arts and commercial venues.

“At the same time parks and greenspaces, trees and vegetation, should be fully protected and open every day to the public for recreation.”

Furthermore, it has emerged Councillors were not shown any plans for the structure or consulted on the matter. On Twitter Green Councillor Claire Miller said; “East Princes Street Gardens is a beloved green space in the heart of the city. I am as shocked and appalled as residents are that Underbelly has built a platform across the entire park without consent".

Photo Credit: Simon Holledge