Thousands of people shared their views in a major consultation about plans to extend the Scottish capital's tram line.

More than 3,000 people either attended one of the information events, sent in their comments by email or completed the consultation online on Edinburgh City Council's consultation hub.

The council held a six-week was consultation on a £165m extension down Leith Walk to Newhaven, a controversial move after the original route went more than £200m over budget and came into operation three years late.

The Herald:

The council will consider the feedback received and re-examine the plans before publishing them for further consultation at the end of the summer.

The council said a "key theme" that came up in the consultation was the redirection of council funds to pay for the tram but insisted it would not use funds from existing council budgets and borrowing costs will be met by an extraordinary dividend from Lothian Buses, as well as from future tram revenues.

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There was a "mixed report" to parts of the plans for Leith Walk with some respondents saying there was inadequate provision for pedestrians and cyclists and others "reiterating the importance of loading and parking on Leith Walk to support businesses and residents".

It added that traffic management for the project is being mapped out "extremely carefully to mitigate disruption to businesses".

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Lesley Macinnes, Edinburgh transport convener, said: "The comments submitted will help us make changes to the plans before we consult again towards the end of the summer.

"Of course, no final decision on taking trams to Newhaven, or not, will be made until much later in the year, when we’ll consider a final business case based on the tenders submitted and the outcome of the consultation."

Leith Central Community Council said it is not against an extension from York Place to Newhaven in principle but added that residents needed more convincing over their concerns of disruption caused by tram works in its ten-page response.

Read more: Insurance premiums for capital trams rise to £1.4m

The community council said: "Having failed Leith Walk so spectacularly during the 2007-2010 effort to build a tram route and the subsequent painfully slow remediation efforts, we insist that any further attempt to insert major infrastructure into one of Edinburgh’s premiere streets is focused on the highest possible quality of planning, execution and final outcome."