Judy ready to pitch in with tennis academy

Tennis star Andy Murray's mum is in talks about setting up a national tennis academy in Edinburgh on a site that would also become the new home of Scotland's international cricket team.

Edinburgh-based housing developer AMA has unveiled ambitious plans for a purpose-built international cricket pitch and pavilion at Cramond that would become the new home of Cricket Scotland.

The company also wants to create either a tennis academy or football academy on the site - and Judy Murray, who has already announced that she hopes to create a national tennis training academy in Scotland, is understood to have expressed an interest in managing the tennis academy. A care village, community facilities and a physio- therapy injury clinic also feature in a new masterplan for the 33-acre site off Cramond Road South, which was formerly a campus of the Moray House School of Education. It would become a major new sports centre for Edinburgh and Scotland.

Mike Afshar, joint managing director of AMA, said: "The intention is to create a high-quality sporting legacy. It will be a fantastic asset for the city and that is why we have raised the bar very high and are speaking to people at the very top in sport.

"The idea is to build something that will supply the needs of the area for a multi-sport facility, a cafe open to members of the public and access so that members of the community can join the clubs and become members of the facility. We hope they will embrace it, and the planners seem to like it."

It is understood that Ms Murray has shown an interest in the site, as well as other sites in Scotland, although no deal has been agreed yet.

Developers hope that having planning consent in place for the different potential sports uses will make it easier to attract users of the facilities. The cricket pitch would have seating for around 600 spectators, although additional temporary seating could be brought in for international matches.

The purpose-built facility would mean that the national team would no longer have to share facilities in Stockbridge with the Grange Cricket Club.

Mr Afshar said: "We have a number of stakeholders we are talking to and part of the idea is to create a home for Cricket Scotland and the Saltires so that the International Cricket Council can have international cricket events. Cricket Scotland would also have their offices there."

AMA bought the site in 2002 and has already built dozens of luxury homes. Part of the planning agreement involved developing sports facilities.

Andrew Mather, chairman of Cramond and Barnton Community Council said: "The international cricket pitch would be a very acceptable solution because it would be a nice green patch of grass that wouldn't be used too much in winter. We are having a big public meeting in June with displays of the plans to give people the chance to consult with the developer and make their views known."