Row over plans for some of Edinburgh's historic cobbled roads

There are also plans to resurface the setts in Randolph Place in Edinburgh's West End to make it more comfortable for cycling as part of plans for a new £9 million cycle route between Roseburn and Leith Walk.

On Tuesday a review of the city's setted streets is being proposed to pinpoint which locations need to be preserved and "where changes would help long-term management".

Around £1m is due to be spent on sett renewals in 2016-2017, where streets will be prioritised depending on their location and condition.

An estimated 4.6 per cent - around 450,000 square metres - of the city's roads are setted, including parts of the Royal Mile.

The review comes as city leaders battle to save more than £160m over the next four years.

A report on the review states: "The cost of renewing setted streets is considerably higher than renewing with asphalt. This means that only a small number of setted streets can be renewed each year."

A council source confirmed that asphalting remains an option for the council.

The authority has to weight up options against its requirement to safeguard its world heritage status of which setted streets are a significant part of its authenticity.

But the report adds: "There are issues around the costs, funding and how the city’s setted streets are maintained and managed" while outlining that the setts are "important features of historic and cultural significance".

Conservation groups are concerned plans already in place will "ruin" historic streetscapes.

Marion Williams, director of the Cockburn Association conservation group, raised concern about was happening to the city's setted streets, and welcomed a public discussion over what will happened to them but added: "It is false economy to asphalt."

She said a review should allow the council to rescind the decision over what is happening in Brighton Place and that Randolph Place should be preserved.

"It's all about doing it properly in the first place," she said.

Some £1.2 million had already been allocated to repair the last setted street in Portobello , but after a consultation councillors decided to asphalt providing a saving that would be reinvested in other road schemes.

But a Portobello Community Council poll of more than 400 residents found that a majority (57 per cent) supported carrying out the work with asphalt, citing the greater cost, disruption and safety risk associated with using setts.

A petition opposing the resurfacing signed by nearly 800 people says that a survey of the 200 closest households indicated that over 80% support the retention of the early 19th century setts.

Portobello Heritage Trust chairman Dr Margaret Munro said: "What is happening here will set a precedent. If what was happening here was happening in the New Town or the Old Town there would be more fuss made about it.

"It seems a bit disingenuous to have a conservation area and not conserve it."

A delegation of Portobello campaigners are seeking to make a deputation to councillors on Tuesday to do a u-turn while the review of what happened to setted streets is underway.

A report on the review to the council's transport and environment committee accepts that the council "does not have a consistent approach to repairs" and should re-examine the budget requirements for the repair of setted streets. It suggests exploring how they can work with its partners at work with its partners at Edinburgh World Heritage and Historic Environment Scotland (HES) to source funding from Europe.

Edinburgh council transport convener, Lesley Hinds stressed it was important to be pragmatic, citing the Portobello case.

She said: "Edinburgh’s setted streets are very much part of its character, so by reviewing their maintenance and management we want to retain the historic and cultural significance of these streets for generations to come.

“By reviewing our best practice we hope to raise awareness of the importance of setted streets while assessing their condition across the city, standardising conservation repairs and building funding resources for their future preservation.”

She said the Portobello decision was taken following an "informal consultation with the community, which showed a preference for resurfacing Brighton Place with asphalt rather than replacing setts"

"This will result in a saving... compared to renewing the setts, and will result in significantly less disruption on the street, which is a busy thoroughfare, passed through by a number of bus routes.”