Early deliverables for the Edinburgh Coach Plan look set to include the introduction of new and additional parking for coaches on King’s Stables Road and Regent Road, respectively, in the Scottish capital.
Such an approach will go before the Edinburgh City Council Transport and Environment Committee on 1 April with a recommendation that members agree to begin the necessary procedures to roll out that provision.
While currently no coach parking is provided on King’s Stables Road, it is already present on Regent Road. A map of the proposals there illustrates that if adopted, coaches will gain additional space that is currently pay-and-display for other vehicles.
Initial delivery of the Edinburgh Coach Plan was recently allocated £100,000 of Visitor Levy funding for FY2026/27. It seeks to foster better handling of coaches and improve facilities for those vehicles, with the City Council having noted how they are at present not adequately managed in Edinburgh.
Papers for the 1 April meeting seek approval to commence work on a Traffic Regulation Order for the streets in question. Changes to coach parking there have been identified “as early deliverables contributing to the council’s emerging coach plan,” the report notes.
It adds that a number of locations in the city centre are currently used “informally” for coach parking, “resulting in negative impacts on other road users.”
Provision of suitable locations for parking is central to the Edinburgh Coach Plan. Further measures are in development. Drop-off and pick-up locations are part of that, as is work on medium- and long-term parking. Any proposed changes to routing of coaches in Edinburgh will also be laid out.
“Introduction of the Coach Plan will set out how the council seeks to achieve Coach Friendly status for Edinburgh, acknowledging the important and valuable role that coaches play in delivering sustainable mobility for visitors to our city while also addressing the negative consequences that can arise from unplanned and informal coach activities,” it continues.
Thus far the City Council has engaged with the coach industry in developing the plan. That has seen officers seek feedback on potential locations for additional or enhanced facilities. A review of such submissions is now underway.
Perhaps equally notable is claimed work by officers to improve channels of communication with the sector and the general public in relation to coaches. That includes providing up-to-date information on facilities via the council’s website.
The proposed coach parking at King’s Stables Road will operate from 0830-1830hrs Monday to Saturday and 1230-1830hrs on Sunday, with a maximum stay of 10 hours. On Regent Road it will continue to operate between 0830-1730hrs Monday to Friday with a maximum stay of nine hours. Both locations will charge £9.80 per hour.
A draft Edinburgh Coach Plan is expected to be ready by the end of 2026, the meeting papers have revealed.
