Close encounters of the concert kind

Images released yesterday by the city council, which hired consultants International Venues to explore plans for a 240-acre site, show the scale of the £55 million venue, which would be served by Edinburgh’s tram system.

Concerts, award ceremonies, sporting events, exhibitions and touring entertainment shows such as X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent are already being touted for the venue, which has long been an aspiration for the council.

The site at Ingliston – owned by developer New Ingliston Limited – was identified in the summer as the council’s preferred option for a mid-sized concert arena, after publication two years ago of a study that found Edinburgh was badly lacking such an arena. Alternative sites at nearby Hermiston Gait and on the city’s waterfront have been ruled out as unviable.

The arena would be the centre- piece of the vast “Edinburgh International” complex, earmarked for land between the airport and RBS’s Gogarburn headquarters, which was backed by the Scottish Government in July and would also feature an international business complex, hotels and new road and rail infrastructure.

Councillors, who will discuss the arena plans next week, are being urged to press ahead with the project, with officials warning that the lack of a suitable large-scale venue has seen Edinburgh slump down the international conference league table from 17 to 29 in the space of the past decade.

However, concert promoters are sceptical about the market for such a venture, due to the proximity of venues in Aberdeen and Glasgow, as well as the new National Indoor Arena, on the Clyde, which is due to open in 2013, with a capacity of 12,000.

Council officials have already thrown their weight behind the project, details of which emerged the day after the local authority pulled the plug on helping Hearts FC to build a new super-stadium, with councillors warning there is “no chance” of the authority borrowing millions to help build a shared ground.

The council believes the concert arena, which would be equipped with 6,000 seats but would double its capacity for “standing events,” could be delivered by the private sector without the council having to bankroll the venture. Global arena giants such as SMG Europe, Global Spectrum and NEC are said to be interested in the project.

Dave Anderson, the council’s director of city development, said yesterday: “A new multi-use venue would allow Edinburgh to unlock new music, events and conferencing markets, and capture untapped audience demand. There could also be considerable benefit to the city’s brand identity.”

Experts have told the council that attracting a big-name sponsor for the venue – as happened when the Millennium Dome was refurbished to become the O2 Arena – could also help pay for its construction.

The report by International Venues, which believes the likes of RBS and Highland Spring could be potential sponsors, claims that the venue could be open as early as 2013. International Venues is a consortium of companies that have been involved in Beijing’s Olympic Stadium, the MEN Arena in Manchester, the Allianz Arena in Munich, and the revamped Wimbledon Centre Court arena.

Insiders at the city council say west Edinburgh is a realistic proposition for such an arena, due to its proximity to the M8 and Edinburgh Airport, planned public transport improvements in the area over the next five years and the wider regeneration plans for Ingliston, which also include an expansion for the Royal Highland Showground.

Major concerts in Edinburgh have been traditionally limited to outdoor venues.