Accies threatened by hotel heartbreak

Bosses of Edinburgh Academicals warned they may be forced to move following the collapse of a proposal to build a 63-bed hotel on part of its Stockbridge ground.

Club bosses said they needed cash from the hotel developers to continue running the Raeburn Place ground, where the world’s first rugby international took place between Scotland and England in 1871.

The hotel would have included new clubhouse facilities to showcase memorabilia from the game’s history for rugby fans.

But the multi-million pound scheme provoked a barrage of protests from hundreds of residents who complained that the plans would destroy the character of the area by creating more noise and traffic, and eating up green space.

Fears were also raised that the Festival Inns development would add to flooding problems in the area by disrupting the underground flood plain.

Tony Hamilton, the Edinburgh Academicals’ sports centre chairman, said the decision had thrown the future of the club’s ground into doubt.

He said: "What we’ve got to do now is try to secure the ground by generating income but how we achieve that I don’t know.

"We might now possibly have to sell up and move elsewhere if we can’t find funds.

"The objectors were well mustered and put a good case forward to the committee. People don’t like change.

"I am certainly keen to keep the sport at Raeburn Place so we’ll have to take stock of the current position and see what other schemes we can come up with."

But local councillor Tom Ponton today congratulated the planning committee’s decision to throw out the proposals - against the advice of their own officials.

"I am absolutely delighted. I spoke at the meeting on behalf of the residents. There were 55 residents who came to support me at the meeting which is the most people I have ever seen in my 20 years in government.

"There were 336 letters of objection and only one letter of support for the development so it shows the strength of feeling of the residents," he said.

"The development was being presented to us as a new clubhouse but what they weren’t emphasising was that they wanted to take a nine-bedroom hotel and turn it into a 63-bedroom hotel with function suite which could hold 400 people.

"Also Stockbridge is already very congested so the added traffic would exacerbate the situation. There would have been a great loss of amenity if this development had gone ahead."

Lib Dem Councillor Moyra Forrest, who sits on the planning committee, said the decision against the development was unanimous.

She said: "The plans were inappropriate for the conservation area because of the size and scale. It would also cause problems for vehicle access.

"The huge building would be visible from the main street and from Portgower Place.

"I went on the site visit which was useful because it meant I was able to put the plans in context.

"I don’t think the residents are opposed to some development but the scale of these proposals is excessive.

"The design of the building also wasn’t very good. The Royal Fine Art Commission called it ‘banal’ and Historic Scotland didn’t like it either.

"The planning committee now has the power to look more closely at the design of buildings and is trying to make sure the city remains an attractive city."