Beloved Edinburgh family shop closing down after 88…

Beloved Edinburgh family shop closing down after 88 years due to 'traffic chaos'

A popular Edinburgh motor enthusiasts store that has traded for 88 years is to close.

Owners of Pilrig Motors, which is situated on Leith Walk, say they will will shut on Saturday February 11 due to the tram works carried out close to the store and the retirement of one of the partners.

The motor shop business opened just before WWII, and was previously located where the Hing Sing Chinese supermarket now sits before moving to its current location.

Partner of Pilrig Motors, 66-year-old, Peter Banks started working at the motor shop when he was 14 with his father. He and his two other brothers Alistair and Douglas started running the business after their father retired.

Peter said: “I am due to retire but secondly obviously the trams have absolutely monstered the shop. You can’t park outside here legally and I don’t know how many parking spaces there are going to be when they finish with the trams.”

“It’s killed our shop turnover particularly during the Christmas and New Year period when we would have been selling batteries and anti-freeze but you can’t get anywhere near us.”

“The council have their own agenda and that’s it.”

Locals have expressed their sadness on social media of the store closing which has come as a surprise to Peter, he exclaimed: “I am pleased that people have appreciated us.”

Peter plans in his retirement include looking after his newly acquired, rescue dog, Angus who needs a lot of love and training.

Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Scott Arthur said: “Throughout the development and delivery of the Trams to Newhaven project the team has worked extremely hard to take the needs of local businesses into account.

"Our £2.4m support for business package was created based on feedback from these businesses, and the measures implemented reflect the interventions they told us mattered to them most.

This includes a popular itison voucher scheme, a business continuity fund for businesses demonstrating hardship as a result of the trams works, an open for business campaign, location signage, and five logistics hubs along the route to help with deliveries and despatches for businesses.

“However we of course recognise people’s concerns, and are committed to liaising regularly with local businesses - we would encourage anyone with concerns to contact the project directly. With that in mind, I would be happy to meet Peter to discuss his experiences running his shop.

“The project is fast-approaching completion, with track now in the ground between the city centre and Newhaven and preparations underway to begin testing the new line in the coming months. It’s thanks to robust, strategic planning by the project team that, despite the challenges of the last few years, the project remains on track for delivery on time and within budget. Indeed, it’s great to see new businesses opening on Leith Walk to take advantage of the economic boost the tram will bring when it starts running in the spring."