Lord Hardie will conduct a Preliminary Hearing of the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry on Wednesday 19 August 2015 in Waverley Gate, 2-4 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh EH1 3EG.
At the Preliminary Hearing, Lord Hardie will announce which parties have been designated as Core Participants and he will provide a brief summary of the work undertaken by the Inquiry team so far. As this is a procedural hearing, concerned with the arrangements to be made for the Inquiry hearings, no witnesses will appear and no evidence will be heard. Other than the Inquiry team, only Core Participants and their legal representatives will have the opportunity to speak at the Preliminary hearing.
Broadcast media may film the Preliminary Hearing and a transcript of the hearing will be available shortly after its conclusion on the Inquiry’s website.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the Preliminary Hearing, however seating capacity is limited for health and safety reasons. Because of this, access will be granted on a first come, first served basis.
Members of the public will be able to access the hearing room from 9.30 am. Anyone wishing to attend the Preliminary Hearing should come to the main reception of Waverley Gate where they will be directed to the hearing room. The Preliminary Hearing will begin at 10:30 am and is expected to run for approximately two hours.
There is no public car parking at Waverley Gate, however metered on street parking is available on Regent Road and a bicycle rack is situated outside the building. Waverley Gate is wheelchair accessible. The nearest railway station is Waverley Station. The nearest bus stops are on Leith Street, Princes Street, North Bridge and Waterloo Place and the nearest tram stop is on St Andrew Square.
The following may be of assistance when preparing to attend the Preliminary Hearing:
- arrive in good time as no one will be admitted to the hearing room once the Preliminary Hearing has started
- children under the age of 14 are not permitted in the hearing room
- the consumption of food and drink, except water, is not permitted in the hearing room
- other than guide dogs and hearing dogs, pets will not be allowed in the hearing room