Mounting problems for Tynecastle plans may force Hearts to look west

Heart of Midlothian Football Club is facing mounting problems in trying to redevelop its Tynecastle home, amid health and safety fears about a nearby whisky plant and threats from the city council to pull the plug on a major land deal.

• Hearts had agreed to buy the former Tynecastle High School building for 4m for its stadium redevelopment. Picture: Colin Hattersley

The Scotsman can reveal there are growing doubts at the local authority about the Tynecastle club's ability to overhaul its ageing main stand, following years of talks with officials.

And the club has admitted it will be exploring relocating to a proposed new sports arena on a green-belt site in west Edinburgh.

The Scotsman revealed yesterday that both Edinburgh Rugby and Hearts were being wooed over the 25,000-seater stadium proposed by Rangers owner Sir David Murray's property empire for the Hermiston area. Hearts chiefs say they are "open-minded" over such a move - despite previous hostility from fans to leaving Tynecastle - but insist they will "exhaust every option" for redeveloping it.

However, it has emerged that plans by Hearts for the relocation of whisky storage facilities from a local distillery were shelved several years ago, meaning that the club will have more difficulty getting planning permission for a new stand.

And the council is insisting the club makes up its mind over whether it still wants to buy the former Tynecastle High School building, which it had agreed to buy for 4 million, for future phases of the redevelopment.

It is thought the problems over the Gorgie site have increased the appeal of the Murray Estates venture, which may involve Hearts playing in a stadium that also hosts rugby and athletics.

A spokesman for Hearts said: "The challenges faced by the club in redeveloping Tynecastle are principally external - both health and safety and political."

The club had been planning a 50m redevelopment, including a two-tier, 11,000-capacity main stand, as well as a hotel, leisure facilities, apartments and conference facilities.

But the scheme - unveiled more than three years ago - was scaled back this year. The first phase is now only proposed to include a new stand, but the club has yet to submit a planning application and has warned it cannot afford to build it yet.

One senior council source said: "The club has intimated that it is only planning a new main stand as part of the first phase of any redevelopment.

"However, we need to know what is happening with the high school site and whether the club plans to use it in future. It is clearly a major asset for the council, and we can't allow Hearts first option on it for ever."

Another insider said: "The club had originally intended to buy both the school site and pay for the distillery to relocate its storage facilities.The club is now going to have major issues in overcoming the safety regulations before it can get planning permission."

The Hearts spokesman added: "The club has no intention of moving from our current home as long as there is a financially viable stadium redevelopment option on the table.

"We've already invested over 1 million in stadium redevelopment plans and have no intention of walking away from that extensive development work.

"Our first priority is to exhaust every option for the redevelopment of Tynecastle. We do, however, remain open-minded to any business venture that can deliver distinct commercial benefits to the club. We will explore any potential opportunities that might exist to create a state-of-the-art football stadium at Tynecastle, or elsewhere in the west of Edinburgh."