Category: Waterfront

Tracy Gilbert MP has written to councillors ahead of the City of Edinburgh Council  Transport and Environment Committee considering the city’s future tram network,  warning Councillors that any moves to scrap tram proposals to Granton would entrench  inequality and poverty in North Edinburgh. 

Tomorrow (Thursday 10 September), Councillors on the Transport and Environment Committee  will consider the Strategic Business Case for the Trams to Granton, the BioQuarter and  beyond. The officer recommendations are to prioritise the southern section of the  proposed tram extension. 

Tracy Gilbert is concerned that communities in North Edinburgh, including some of the  poorest areas of the city, could once again be left waiting for investment in public  transport. 

In her letter to councillors on the Transport and Environment Committee, she sets out  the case for North Edinburgh to remain firmly within the city’s transport priorities and  that a failure to progress trams to Granton could entrench inequality and poverty. 

Tracy Gilbert MP said: “In part of my constituency the economic and social benefits of the trams are realised  every day. That lived experience and the Strategic Business Case being considered by  the Council’s Transport and Environment Committee this week makes the strong case  for investment in both the South and North to spread these benefits further. 

“Trams to Granton would directly serve three of the 5% most deprived communities in  Scotland and six of the 10% most deprived. We are talking about communities that  already face significant inequalities, where access to reliable, affordable public  transport can open opportunities for training education and employment. 

“That is why I have written to councillors ahead of this week’s committee meeting. I am  very clear that a failure to realise the ambition of the trams that has been shared by a  number of political parties over the last three decades will entrench inequality and  poverty in Granton, Pilton and Muirhouse. 

“I hope that Councillors will make the ambitious decision this week. Either way I will  continue making the case for the strategic investment needed in Granton, Muirhouse  and Pilton because our communities deserve better.”

Ms Gilbert’s letter reads:

Since July 2024, I have had the privilege of representing Edinburgh North and Leith. In one part of the  constituency the benefits of the trams to local people and businesses are being realised every day, in  another part of the constituency the potential benefits of the tram are well known but need political  support to become a reality.  

Success of Trams to Newhaven 

In and around Leith, Leith Walk and Newhaven local people and businesses have enjoyed the benefits  of the tram since the extension to Newhaven was opened in June 2023. The recent closure of the line  between the City Centre and Newhaven has perversely demonstrated the importance of the trams for  connectivity and trade. 

Over the tram closure I received a number of e-mails from residents on the increased difficulty they  had in travelling to work and into the city centre generally. Most residents experienced severe delays  on buses running through Newhaven, Ferry Road, the Shore, Easter Road and Leith Walk. In addition to  delays, many buses were full before going up to the City Centre or leaving the City Centre before going  along Leith Walk. 

Similarly, although the deployment of an additional 200 Voi Bikes was welcome in the wake of the fire  there was a tram to bike shift from constituents travelling to and from work which meant many Voi  Bike stops were empty across Leith during the day. 

In terms of the economic impact there was a visible decrease in the number of people visiting cafes,  pubs and restaurants around the Shore and Leith Walk. I am aware that at least one pub and one  restaurant have decided to close following the impact of poor summer sales for a second year in a row  following Leith Connections project delays and now the impact of the trams. 

Argonaut Books have shared data on their Instagram page which shows that in every August since  2022 their sales from July to August have increased. In August 2025, they had a 30% increase in sales  compared to July 2025. However, the impact of the tram closure meant in August 2026 they saw a 5%  decrease in sales compared to July 2026.  

Over the last two months I have repeatedly heard from businesses and residents on the positive  impact the trams have had on them. Many of those businesses and residents were sceptical in the  past. This lived experience of the trams over the last few years for communities in Leith, Leith Walk,  Newhaven and the Shore demonstrate the opportunity of following through on the vision that was  developed through the early 2000s for trams in Edinburgh for the other side of my constituency in  Edinburgh North and Leith 

The Case for Trams to Granton 

The Strategic Business Case for consideration by the Transport and Environment Committee makes the  case for progressing the whole of the route. Due to my constituency interest, I will focus on the route  to Granton. 

The proposed routes through Roseburn and Orchard Brae meet the Transport Planning Objectives  (TPOs) set in accordance with Strategic Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG). 

TPO1 – To support inclusive and sustainable economic growth 

The route between the City Centre and Granton would increase connectivity of major centres of  employment such as Craigleith Retail Park, Leonardos and the Western General to the City Centre and  beyond. In reverse the increased connectivity would open up employment opportunities for residents  in Granton, Muirhouse and Pilton. 

A number of major employers in Edinburgh have informed me of the difficulty they have in recruiting  people in this area due to the lack of direct public transport connections especially to accommodate  shift work. 

TPO2 – To respond to climate change, delivering net zero 

The route between the City Centre and Granton would increase public transport connectivity between  Granton, Muirhouse and Pilton and the West of the city. At present only one bus route serves these  communities and the West to the Airport.  

The tram extension would help provide the option for residents to use public transport rather than  private cars for intra-city and airport journeys. The option would be extended to new residents in the  community through the Granton Waterfront Development. 

TPO3 – To promote equality and inclusion and help tackle the city’s housing emergency  The route between the City Centre and Granton would drastically increase connectivity between the  rest of the city and Edinburgh College (Granton Campus). The Campus delivers over 70 qualifications in  hospitality, construction, travel operations and the arts with many of the qualifications essential for  key growth areas for the city and not delivered at alternative campuses. 

The route to Granton would directly service three communities in the 5% most deprived areas of  Scotland according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) (Muirhouse – SO1008929 and  SO1008930 and Granton South and Wardieburn – SO1008919) and directly service 6 communities in  the 10% most deprived areas (adding Muirhouse SO1008933, Granton and Royston Mains – SO1008921 and Granton South and Wardieburn – SO1008918). 

Furthermore, the route would directly serve 12 communities which are in the 20% most deprived  communities in Scotland.

TPO4 – To improve health, wellbeing and safety and TPO5 – To protect and enhance our environment The route between the City Centre and Granton would improve connectivity for the whole city to the  Western General which provides a range of medical specialisms including geriatric, infectious diseases,  diabetes, stroke medicine and breast surgery for the whole of Edinburgh and is the regional cancer  centre for the whole of the South East of Scotland. 

The route could also see a major upgrade to the Roseburn Path which at present is poorly lit and  unsafe during the dark. 

In addition, there is considerable development planned across the area. The Granton Waterfront  Development which will deliver 3,500 new homes and the Art Works which will help open up Scotland’s National Collection. Ensuring that the trams are extended to Granton will help the public  transport network to cope with the increase in demand from these developments alone. A number of  these public and private investments have been made on the understanding over the last two decades  that the tram network would extend to Granton in one form or another. 

Current Position 

Despite widespread political support for the trams at various points over the last three decades, it is  clear that political will for the route to Granton is falling. I also suspect that there will be calls at the  Transport and Environment Committee to only proceed with the South route for trams to the  Bioquarter.  

Taking such a decision would entrench the inequality and poverty experienced by too many in  Granton, Muirhouse and Pilton. Such a decision would be based on political will, not the facts. The  Strategic Business Case sets out the performance of both the North route to Granton and the South  route to the Bioquarter against the TPOs and the STAG criteria. The appraisals were favourable for  both routes and is demonstrated by the analysis below. 

Table 1: Analysis of Multi-Criteria Assessment Framework Scoring Framework for each route (Section  4.5.6 of Strategic Business Case) 

Benefit/ Impact	Roseburn	Orchard Brae	South East  Corridor
Major Benefit (+++)	2	0	2
Moderate Benefit (++)	9	6	10
Minor Benefit (+)	2	4	2
No benefit or impact (0)	1	6	1
Minor cost or negative impact (-)	1	2	3
Moderate cost or negative impact (–)	3	0	0
Major cost or negative impact (—)	0	0	0

Table 2: Analysis performance against STAG Criteria (Section 4.5.7 of Strategic Business Case)

Benefit/ Impact	Roseburn	Orchard Brae	South East  Corridor
Major Benefit (+++)	3	2	3
Moderate Benefit (++)	8	7	7
Minor Benefit (+)	4	4	5
No benefit or impact (0)	5	3	3
Minor cost or negative impact (-)	1	6	5
Moderate cost or negative impact (–)	2	1	0
Major cost or negative impact (—)	0	0	0

Next Steps 

At the Transport and Environment Committee on Thursday 10^th September, I encourage Elected  Members to proceed with the officer recommendations on Agenda Item 6.  

For the past three decades there has been wide spread support for the vision and ambition for trams  to run between the City Centre and Granton in one form or another. Councillors of many groups have  championed the route over the past three decades because of the transformative benefits it can have  for Granton, Pilton and Muirhouse. The legacy of those Councillors is a legacy of ambition, proceeding  

with the officer recommendations allows that ambition to take a further step in being realised. Tearing  up that ambition would entrench inequality and poverty, particularly in Granton, Muirhouse and Pilton  and would be a dereliction of responsibility by Councillors. 

I hope you will take the ambitious decision for Granton, Pilton and Muirhouse and the whole of  Edinburgh on Thursday. 

Yours sincerely, 

Tracy Gilbert MP 

Member of Parliament for Edinburgh North and Leith