An Edinburgh city centre business owner says his building has been made to look 'tacky' as the ongoing Trams to Newhaven construction work has made the pavement outside narrower and prone to damage.
Iftikhar Hussain, principal of Magikats Tuition Centre on Leith Walk, says his business is suffering at the hands of the ongoing work on the busy street. He tells of delivery riders scraping their motorcycles against the paintwork, adding that it is a "one-person walking zone" due to the width of the pavement.
Although Iftikhar raised concerns that the walkway outside his business is breaching guidelines set by the council, saying that he believes the footpath should be a minimum of 1.5 metres wide. But a council spokeswoman confirmed temporary situations, such as the ongoing construction, are exempt. So in this scenario the footpath is allowed to be a minimum of just one metre to 1.5 metres.
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Having been based in Leith for nine years, Iftikhar has grown tired of suffering at the hands of the ongoing construction. He said people are having to "squash" past each other on the busy street.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Iftikhar said: "We are a tuition establishment that have been in Leith for the past nine years. As tram works go on, our side of the pavement has been blocked up for several months and the pavement is now only 130cm wide. That is 4.3ft, which is much less than the average height of a human. How are people meant to walk on either direction with it being that small?
"People are having to squash past each other, prams and wheel chairs have been bashing my wall, the dominoes pizza (next door) have been pushing their delivery bikes down the path as people are walking up. It has turned into a one person walking zone, with dozens going up and down side by side every minute.
"As a result, I have a lot of damage to my wall which is making my business look so tacky. I am worried my large window will end up being smashed, with the number of people who accidentally hit their arm against it whilst walking past.
"I took this to the council in June 2022. At the beginning of July, they sent a Glasgow based company loss adjuster, and since then, no one is able to tell me what is going on. They don’t care that my business is looking tacky externally, and keep giving false promises of getting back to me. It has now been over three months, and the damage is getting worse and worse. I have contacted them by email and phone several times with no outcome.
"They are not being helpful in the slightest. I have not even claimed anything for the inconvenience they have caused as I am aware no one is even getting far with their claims, but they should not be causing damage to shop fronts and ignoring it. The trams have caused enough issues, but I have been so patient, but they should not get away without fixing damage caused by them.
Edinburgh Council have acknowledged Iftikhar's frustration over the matter and have said that they have chased up his claim made about the pavement with their contractor.
Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “The barriers erected on Leith Walk are to ensure public safety as we transform the area as part of the Trams to Newhaven project, and I understand the remaining pavement width exceeds national standards for footways affected by road works.
“I do, however, recognise the inconvenience caused by measures like this to businesses and individuals, and I’d like to thank all those in the area for their patience during this time. Once complete, the Trams to Newhaven project will deliver significant improvements to the streetscape for all those who live, work and visit here, as well as providing an excellent public transport link. I hope and expect that businesses right along Leith Walk, not least MagiKats Tuition Centres, will benefit economically when the line opens in Spring 2023.
“While it’s not appropriate to comment on individual compensation claims, all claims are handled independently by a loss adjuster appointed by the project’s insurers. They do aim to handle these as quickly as possible, though have been clear that this process can take some time. I have asked they give Mr Hussain an update ASAP.”
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