EICC warns it'll lose £60m if city rejects extension plans

Published on Monday 7 December 2009 08:42

THE Capital's flagship conference venue would lose nearly £60 million if an extension is not approved, it was claimed today.

The fate of the massive extension to the Edinburgh International Conference Centre will be decided at a crunch planning meeting on Wednesday. And a new report compiled ahead of the meeting estimates that refusing the proposals would lead to the council-backed centre losing 58.2m over the next 30 years.

In contrast, the report estimates that if the extension – which consists of a new underground area with offices above – does go ahead, the EICC would amass a surplus of 19.8m over the same period.

The figures, based on estimates by consultants, suggest the conference centre would be worth 2.34 billion to the city economy over the period if approved.

Craig Wallace, a director of Jones Lang LaSalle in Edinburgh, which compiled the new report, said: "The progression of the proposals as a combined additional function space (AFS) and office development is a critical consideration in the acceptance and ultimate viability of the project.

"The most suitable location for the AFS is on site HI, where it can be connected into the existing infrastructure and be used in tandem with the existing venue."

The extension has been being planned for years but has been hit by a series of delays.

In 2007, developers Cala and AWG, who had signed a deal with the EICC and the city council to develop the site, pulled the plug on their plans. But last year, the 85m scheme was back on the agenda after a new funding package was agreed, featuring around 18m from Scottish Enterprise.

Council officials had recommended approving the scheme ahead of a planning committee meeting in October. However, no decision was taken in order to hold a site visit. A decision is now to be made on Wednesday.

Mr Wallace said: "Any further delay would potentially jeopardise the opportunity to take advantage of positive market factors that could lend further support to the business case for the project.

"The proposals present a significant opportunity to enhance the economic activity derived from the EICC."

Former city design champion Sir Terry Farrell – the original EICC masterplan architect – was among the main critics of the proposals, which he said had an "insensitive disregard" for the existing building.

But in a new report ahead of Wednesday's meeting, the city council's head of planning John Bury again recommends that the scheme gets the go-ahead.

A spokesman for the EICC said: "We hope we answered any concerns during a site visit last month."