The Cockburn Association are making a valid point, which has been largely lost amongst the chipwrapper's hyperbole.
The issue is real, go and look at East Princes Street Gardens or St. Andrew Square at what should be the start of spring and instead there is some barely landscaped mud to greet the eye. Those spaces cannot currently be used for their intended purposes.
These are public spaces - the first a public park, part of the Edinburgh Common Good Fund, the second a private-owned space leased by the council and improved with significant public funds for use as a public space. The damage however has been caused by passing these spaces out to the private operators of Wintervus, Festival / Fringe etc. who cover over what should be grass and flowerbeds with temporary stuctures. The main use of these spaces seems to try to flog you overpriced branded drinks to wash down an overpriced Genuine Angus Burger (TM) or German Sausage.
Charlotte Square is equally ugly after the book festival, but is a slightly different proposition as it remains a private space given the lack of promised private funds to open it up as a public space.
The Meadows isn't so bad this year given the recent change in heart over intensity of use (although they're currently driving a large road across one of the paths to accommodate HGV access to what is meant to be the new performance area in the east of the Park).
The council response is always "but this doesn't cost us a penny because the operators pay for the returfing". Which misses the issue entirely that it's not about who is paying for what, it's about the 3-4 months following each festivus where large parts of public spaces remain in a state that means they can't be used as public spaces.
Grass is a fairly magical plant given the way it grows is fairly unusual (from the bottom, rather than the top, which allows it to be constantly cropped and re-cropped without dying). It can take a lot of punishment and wear, can be deprived of sunlight for some time and can even survive significant periods under water. What it can't take is the intensity of abuse it's being given, especially in winter where it has no chance to recover. So the only course of action is to rip it all up and returf (reseeding would take too long).
I think clearing some of our wider New Town boulevards of the ugly detritus of abandoned Range Rovers would be a much better place to put the gin and venison tents.
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