New stadium plans - 'Resistance will remain from Jambos'

Fans of both football and rugby could be forgiven for thinking they have heard it all before when it comes to plans for a new "super stadium" to the west of the city.

Hearts supporters, especially, will be sceptical that their club's predicted involvement will come to anything. Moves from Tynecastle have been mooted before - and fought by those who believe leaving Gorgie would be a disaster.

The same resistance will remain from many Jambos if the latest plans for a 25,000-seat ground on land near Edinburgh Park gain any traction.

At the moment, there appears to be more interest from Hearts' proposed ground sharer, Edinburgh Rugby, who looked into plans for a smaller ground around Hermiston Gait two years ago.

There is a long, long way to go before any stadium gets off the architect's pad. But the common factor in so many of these plans over the years has been Sir David Murray and the land his firm owns.

The Rangers boss is determined to find a profitable use for the land - and if he now applies his trademark energy to the job we may yet see a stadium off the M8... or at least another battle royal over who its tenants will be.

Trouble at the zoo

THE evidence that all is not well at Edinburgh Zoo seems to be piling up by the day.

Earlier this month the News revealed that a drop in visitor numbers had hit income so hard that the Royal Zoological Society planned to lay off one in four staff.

Just last week we reported that the popular Rainbow Landings attraction - where kids and others had a rare chance to get "hands on", with parrots - had been closed. Today we reveal a big cut in the car parking discount enjoyed by zoo society members.

The latest move to save cash will only cost most members a few pounds a year, but it is further proof of troubled times. Early estimates suggest visitor numbers may be down this year by more than 12 per cent.

Sources admit the situation is "serious" and warn that the zoo either expands or declines.

And anyone who remembers what happened to Glasgow Zoo will know that is a fate which can fall as quickly as the cull order which recently condemned two "surplus" hog piglets at the Cortorphine Hill attraction.