Nearly 500 people responded with many reminiscing about the days when flagship stores decorated Princes Street - notably Jenners , Debenhams and House of Fraser. Having fewer tourist shops was recommended by a number of residents with another person joking that it should be ‘illegal to play the bagpipes in and around the city centre.’ Others criticised the cleanliness of the streets and pavements, called for more public toilets and see the return of more independent shops.
A series of luxury hotels in the city centre are currently in the works, including a 100-room hotel at the Jenners building which will also include a dedicated retail area. And although Princes Street has seen big developments in recent years with the arrival of the Johnnie Walker Experience and more recently Japanese retailer UNIQLO , several leading brands have now relocated to the St James Quarter. Here are the top 11 recommendations Evening News readers would like to see in the city centre to improve the shopping scene Several residents wanted to see a better range of shops in Princes Street along with improvements to the street as a whole.
One said: “Princes Street needs a revamp, perhaps a developer to come in to modernise or update the shop fronts and make it more attractive for retailers wanting to open shop branches there" | Google Maps Photo: Google Maps Many said parking charges put them off coming into the city centre. One said they would not fork out ‘nearly a tenner an hour to park’ .