Revealed: Brand new look for the Tattoo

Published on Monday 3 August 2009 22:04

LONG-AWAITED plans for a spectacular new arena which will host year-round events at Edinburgh Castle esplanade can be revealed today by The Scotsman.

Organisers of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, who are behind the 16 million project, have declared they want the 8,600-capacity spectator stands to be in place for the 2011 event.

Plans lodged with Edinburgh City Council show how a new bowl-shaped arena will play host to the Tattoo and other major events, such as rock concerts, Festival showcases and even sporting occasions.

Spectators will enjoy much greater leg-room and many seats will have a better view of the esplanade, while better toilets, catering and merchandising are promised, and there will be huge improvements in facilities for corporate hospitality.

However, a key benefit of the new arena – which has been three years in the planning – will be the huge reduction in the amount of time taken to build and dismantle the stands.

At present there are almost eight months of disruption at the esplanade to accommodate the stands, from early April until late November.

However, the 22-week construction programme is expected to be cut to just four weeks, meaning disruption from the event will be reduced to between early June and late September.

Edinburgh City Council has already committed 3m to the project and agreed to a 6m loan, while the Scottish Government has been asked to match the council's grant.

Despite the impact of the economic downturn, Tattoo chiefs have pledged to find the rest of the money from their own coffers, a fundraising drive and corporate sponsorship deals.

The new esplanade arena has been designed by leading Edinburgh-based architects LDN, who were also behind the creation of the Festival Theatre in the 1990s and the refurbishment of the Usher Hall, which is due for completion by the autumn.

In its official submission to the council, the Tattoo said audience research over the past few years had found "a clear and increasing need for improvements to several aspects of the visitor experience".

It states: "The proposed new stands are intended to transform the historic esplanade at Edinburgh Castle into an arena which offers summer visitors a unique and intimate venue in a spectacular setting.

"The new stands will be offering scope for other events to be staged on the esplanade at other times of the year and will also modernise the seating arrangements and facilities to improve accessibility and create better disabled access for customers."

Alan Smith, marketing manager at the Tattoo, said: "Our plan is to have the new arena in place for 2011 and we are confident of meeting that target. Obviously, we have to go through the formal planning process with the council, but there have been extensive pre-application discussions with various parties, including neighbouring residents, and we would be hopeful of securing planning permission by the autumn."