TAXPAYERS have been landed with a £22,000 bill to spruce up a city street where the Pope is going for lunch. An 80-metre stretch of road outside Cardinal Keith O'Brien's home in Morningside has been relaid while lampposts have been painted ahead of the pontiff's flying visit.
The city council would not confirm that the work carried out over the last week at Greenhill Gardens was directly related to the Pope, but residents have been left in no doubt about the reason for the facelift.
Graeme Kirkpatrick, 38, an IT worker and musician, said: "This gets up my nose because there was absolutely nothing wrong with the road, and this is coupled with the fact that they are not doing the whole street.
"I hope the Catholic Church are getting the bill. They're also painting the lampposts which I found very strange as there seemed to be nothing wrong with the old ones."
Amy Stewart, 21, a student who lives in the area, added: "I don't suppose we can complain about a street in our area being improved. The reasons for it aren't important to me."
Pope Benedict XVI is due to have lunch at St Bennet's house - the Cardinal's official residence - on September 16 following a ceremonial journey from the city centre. He will also rest there before leaving for Glasgow where he is due to conduct an open-air mass in Bellahouston Park.
While welcoming the work, some residents have been left dismayed that it apparently took such a high-profile visit to prompt the local authority in to action.
Artist Ewan Ferguson, 47, who stays nearby, said: "I have happily driven up and down this road for years and only when the works caused a bit of inconvenience last week did I have a problem with it.
"I can think of several roads just now off the top of my head in more need of repairs than that one."
Councillor Mark McInnes, the Conservative transport spokesman in Edinburgh, who also represents the Meadows/Morningside ward, said: "Obviously the city needs to look its best for the Pope's visit but residents deserve the same treatment the whole year round.
"It should be a matter or course and not just when there's a VIP visitor."
The grounds of the official residence are also undergoing significant improvements. None of that work will be paid for by taxpayers.
A city council spokesman argued that it had always intended to fix the stretch of road since an inspection earlier this year but would not comment on the timing of the work.
Environment leader Cllr Robert Aldridge said: "We are continuing to spend record sums on clearing the backlog of roads repairs across the city.
"Having assessed Greenhill Gardens in March, it fell into the category of streets most in need of repair and was therefore included in the works."
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