Showground relocation delayed by airport plans
by Pete Hayman | 19 Sep 2008
The proposed relocation of The Royal Highland Showground in Scotland has been delayed after Edinburgh Airport revised its development plans.
The showground, which is also the headquarters of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS), was due to move to a new 145-hectare (358.3-acre) site at Norton Park, near Edinburgh, in 2013. Edinburgh Airport, however, said that it would now cost £350m to relocate the showground, and the financial burden that would place on airlines operating from the BAA-owned airport would be too great.
A government white paper issued in 2003 directed RHASS, currently based at Ingliston, to relocate in order to allow the long-term growth of Edinburgh Airport. Plans for the new showground site include a 10,000-seat arena and a pavilion. Earlier this year, RHASS appointed Make Architects and master-planners EDAW to design the new showground.
In a statement, Ray Jones, the chief executive of RHASS, said: "RHASS has suffered planning and business blight since December 2003, when the Aviation White Paper was published. To be told two years into a BAA Master Plan that the company has changed its mind and that there are to be further delays doesn’t seem fair or reasonable. "They want to cherry pick what and when they buy, over a longer period of time, and so avoid paying for the full relocation of the showground. This leaves the Society and Scotland’s national show ground with no business certainty, no ability to plan properly for the future and puts in jeopardy the opportunity to relocate to an appropriate site at Norton Park."
Under the revised plans published by the airport, a further 25.5 hectares (63 acres) of land outside its boundary would be required, but wouldn't force RHASS to move until at least 2020. Gordon Dewar, managing director of Edinburgh Airport, said: "We have been forced to change our longer term development plans to avoid the substantial and rising costs of relocating the showground after 2013. Our new plans provide a more cost-effective future for the development of the airport and remain in line with UK air transport policy.
"At £350m and rising, the latest cost of relocating the showground would place a considerable burden on the airlines serving Edinburgh today. The significant increase this would cause to the cost of flying to and from Edinburgh simply cannot be justified."
The proposed relocation of The Royal Highland Showground in Scotland has been delayed after Edinburgh Airport revised its development plans. The showground, which is also the headquarters of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS), was due to move to a new 145-hectare (358.3-acre) site at Norton Park, near Edinburgh, in 2013. Edinburgh Airport, however, said that it would now cost £350m to relocate the showground, and the
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