The NEN – North Edinburgh News

The first phase of transforming The Causey into a permanent, people-centred civic space is now underway, as charity Causey Development Trust sees implementation of a Traffic Regulation Order at West Crosscauseway.

Causey Development Trust (CDT) is delighted to announce the long-awaited implementation of the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) at The Causey, the historic triangular street space on Edinburgh’s Southside, marking the first phase in its long-awaited transformation.

The order will reverse and reduce through-traffic in an area that sits at the heart of the city’s festival footprint, marking the most significant step forward ina 19-year community-led campaign – and the first stage in creating a space that genuinely prioritises people, for both locals and visitors alike.

The first phase of the order will see rubber kerb partitions and wands installed on the road, with appropriate signage and road markings to reduce through-traffic on the western section of West Crosscauseway.

Two-way cycling will be introduced and residents’ parking outside Buccleuch Church will be instated at Buccleuch Place, forming a protected triangular pedestrian zone.

The implementation of the TRO is the first step toward delivering the agreed long-term capital works scheme designed by Ironside Farrar Landscape Architects. It provides an opportunity to demonstrate how the space functions without through-traffic while progressing plans for permanent place for people transformation that is safer for all users.

Sarah Drummond, Chair of Causey Development Trust, said: “This is a moment we have been working towards for nearly two decades.

“The community has always known that The Causey could be something extraordinary – a place for people, for culture, for connection and community events – and this first phase is proof that the case has finally been heard.

“We are enormously grateful to everyone who has supported us, from the Causey Steering group, Southside Ward Councillors and others from across the political spectrum, to those who have shown up on a Saturday morning, or simply believed that a traffic island could become something much more.”

Council Leader Jane Meagher said: “I recognise the strength of feeling surrounding The Causey and welcome the fact that we’re seeing progress.  

“These changes will help people get around easier, whilst making the area safer. I’m looking forward to seeing these plans develop over the coming months and wish the Trust all the best.”

A Campaign Rooted in Community

The Causey campaign began in 2007, inspired by the late architect Alison Blamire, who recognised the untapped potential of the site and dramatised it memorably by transforming the traffic island into a temporary tropical island for one weekend in May 2007.

From that act of imagination, the Causey Development Trust was born – a grassroots charity committed to restoring the space at the junctions of West Crosscauseway, Nicolson Street, Chapel Street and Buccleuch Street to civic life.

The Causey sits within the Southside Conservation Area on the edge of Edinburgh’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, framed by two historic churches – the B-listed Chapel of Ease (1755–56) and the towering Buccleuch and Greyfriars Church (1856).

Its very name, The Causey, given to it by Alison Blamire, derives from the ‘cassies’ or ‘causeys’ – the cobbled setts that paved Edinburgh’s earliest streets, likely quarriedfrom nearby Salisbury Crags. It is a place of genuine historical and cultural significance, currently dominated by vehicles and a redundant traffic island.

Through years of community engagement, weekly ‘Sit Oots’ on the traffic island, light projections, cycling events and persistent advocacy, CDT has built a broad coalition of local residents, students, visitors and city councillors around a shared vision: a pedestrianised public space hosting arts and community events, connecting Holyrood Park and The Meadows, and drawing visitors beyond the boundary of the World Heritage Site.

A Hard-Won Step Forward

The road to this point has not been straightforward. A permanent TRO was approved following a public hearing in 2021, with Scottish Ministers confirming it without modification in June 2022. Design proposals, developed with Ironside Farrar Landscape Architects on the basis of community consultation, were agreed. Yet funding challenges – including the withdrawal of Place Based Investment Programme money and continued pressure on council budgets – meant that physical transformation remained out of reach.

The implementation of this Temporary TRO now delivers the first physical stage of the agreed scheme. It gives the community what it has long needed: real-world evidence of how the space works with limited through-traffic, while continuing to build the case – and secure funding – for the full £1.6m permanent transformation.

Tourism Levy Recognition and Future Funding

Encouragingly, The Causey has recently been name-checked at Edinburgh’s Visitor Levy funding forums as a project deserving of support. Edinburgh’s Visitor Levy – the UK’s first scheme of its kind, coming into effect on 24 July 2026 – is projected to raise up to £50 million a year for investment in city infrastructure, culture, heritage and destination management. 

The site sits on a well-used route through the Southside, within walking distance of major festival venues including Bristol Square (Underbelly), George Square (Assembly and Underbelly), Summerhall and Assembly Roxy, as well as the Edinburgh Futures Institute, the new home of the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Adjacent to the University of Edinburgh campus, it is used daily by students, staff and visiting families as well as festival audiences.

Its transformation aligns closely with the priorities of the Levy, which aims to enhance the experience of both residents and visitors while supporting sustainable tourism.

By improving walkability, reducing congestion and creating a high-quality civic space for cultural and community use, the project would support the distribution of footfall beyond the core World Heritage Site and encourage people to spend longer in the surrounding neighbourhood.

In doing so, it contributes to a more balanced, people-centred visitor economy while protecting the liveability and historic character of the city.

CDT believes The Causey is precisely the kind of community-rooted, heritage-rich, people-centred project that the Levy was designed to support, and is hopeful that future funding will enable delivery of the full scheme.

A Model for Community-Led Urban Change

The Causey story is about more than one street in Edinburgh. It demonstrates what sustained, grassroots community action can achieve: a small group of local people, working over nearly two decades without paid staff or guaranteed resources, has kept a vision alive through a pandemic, funding setbacks and changing political priorities – and is now seeing it begin to be realised.

As cities across the UK grapple with how to reclaim road space for people and reduce car dominance in historic urban centres, The Causey offers a compelling case study – and a reminder that long-term change often begins with small, visible steps.