Today is the last day of the consultation on the George Street 2025 proposals: consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/bi/d76708f1/.

Whatever your views on the project, this is a last chance to have your say. There's a great deal to admire & support in the current proposals - pedestrian priority, increased accessibility, largely traffic-free, active travel infra, removal of street clutter, high-quality materials, etc.

This is the last week to respond to the consultation on the George Street proposals.

Despite overwhelming public support & the Council's obligations on climate change & tree-planting, the street trees from previous proposals have been inexplicably removed.

Why? The technical challenge of excavating tree pits in an historic city centre site shouldn't be underestimated but, as other cities have repeatedly demonstrated, the problem is definitely surmountable.

The George Street 2025 public consultation ends in just one week: consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/bi/d76708f1/

Lots of good aspects to the design worthy of support, but the absence of street trees, despite consistent public support for their inclusion, is very disappointing.

#GeorgeStreetTrees The environmental, social & economic benefits of street trees are well known:

• Increasing biodiversity, encouraging wildlife, providing food, shelter & connectivity for urban fauna;

• Creating healthier urban environments, improving air & water quality;

Another quick #GeorgeStreetTrees thread...

Edinburgh is rightly proud of its green credentials, with more trees per head than any other UK city & regularly winning 'greenest' accolades. But there's one league table where it languishes at the bottom, and that's street trees. Edinburgh has only ~8,500 street trees (a 22% decline since the 1990s) & barely 1% of its urban tree total. Similarly-sized Sheffield has ~36,000.

CEC recognises this & has prioritised street tree planting, yet there are still no trees in the current George Street redesign.

If you want to see street trees as part of the redesigned George Street then the George Street 2025 consultation (runs until 26th March) is the last chance to make it happen.

Suggest them as an additional feature on Question 5.

#GeorgeStreetTrees

consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/bi/d76708f1/ At the 2018 George Street public consultation, the concept design included some trees, albeit informally positioned & v small specimens.

Unlike the current consultation, in 2018 specific questions were asked about the inclusion of street trees and the results were conclusive.