Search on for new venue for Mela

Published on Friday 13 November 2009 21:23

ONE of Scotland's major festivals is being forced to look for a new home after long-running problems over its use of a public park.

Edinburgh City Council is trying to find a new base for the Mela, Scotland's biggest multicultural celebration, after its organisers admitted they had outgrown Pilrig Park.

Concerns over the condition of the park, strict limits on its use during the summer and parking problems in the area are being blamed for the decision to shift the event for the third time in three years. The decision has also come in the wake of a crackdown on the impact of major events on public parks.

Alternative sites being considered for the Mela include Inverleith Park or Leith Links, but it is thought the city's most popular park, the Meadows, has been ruled out because of its over-use for events. The Taste of Edinburgh Festival and the Moonwalk event were relocated this year due to the damage they were causing to the Meadows.

The Mela returned to Pilrig Park this year following a trial at a site beside Ocean Terminal in Leith. This was not repeated after sponsor Forth Ports pulled the plug on its involvement.

Organisers of the event, which has attracted more than 40,000 visitors to the park in previous years, have told the council its plans to develop the event are being hampered by a number of restrictions at Pilrig Park.

The Mela moved to Pilrig Park, off Leith Walk, in 2000 after five years at Meadowbank Stadium.

City council officials insisted the event was not being forced to move and said the Mela was being offered help to find a new home. A spokeswoman said: "The Mela themselves find Pilrig Park too small now given their aspirations to expand the activities on offer, so it's absolutely their decision to start looking for a different, larger venue."

Shami Khan, a member of the Mela board, said: "The Mela really has outgrown Pilrig Park and there are just too many problems with it, particularly parking. Somewhere like Leith Links would be more suitable as it is much better and has more parking available. I can't see it going back to Ocean Terminal as it just wasn't suited to the Mela."