Closed road may reopen to vehicles

COUNCIL bosses have agreed to look at reopening Shandwick Place to general traffic after complaints from local residents about increased levels of traffic in nearby side streets.

Residents are calling for the reopening of the street to lorries and cars to reduce pollution and noise from traffic currently diverted past their homes.

They claim the closure of Shandwick Place to make way for tram works has caused a "massive" increase in vehicles on nearby streets, threatening residents' health.

City centre Liberal Democrat councillor Charles Dundas yesterday put forward a motion at the council's transport committee calling on the council to look at reopening the road, which was carried.

Ashley Lloyd, a spokesman for the residents, had earlier claimed that the council's own figures had shown Great Stuart Street was now the second most polluted street in the city.

Just ten years ago, it was named the fourth cleanest in Edinburgh.