Plans back on table for new Edinburgh Accies clubhouse at Raeburn Place

The Accies club, the oldest in Scotland, had hoped to have marked its 150th anniversary last year by moving into a new purpose-built home. However, the club instead remained decamped to portable cabins behind the pitch and suffered the disappointment of being relegated from Scottish Hydro Premier One.

The original planning proposal from Festival Inns lapsed amid concern over rising costs and the economic downturn and gloomy uncertainty over the future of the famous Edinburgh rugby ground, which hosted the first international rugby match, between Scotland and England, engulfed the club.

However, Festival Inns have now revived the project and yesterday launched a new period of consultation on plans altered slightly from the original, as they begin the process of gaining fresh planning permission for the development.

Frank Spratt, vice-president of Edinburgh Academical Club, who own the ground, and also a member of the Edinburgh Academical Football Club (rugby club) committee, insisted it was good news for the rugby, and cricket club, which is also currently decamped to Newfield until a new cricket pitch is created within the development.

Spratt said: "We entered into a contract with Festival Inns in August, 2008, for them to build the new hotel and clubhouse and it looked very good then. However, they came back to us and said that was not viable and then the application run out on its planning time limit.

"So now they have come up with a new plan and they have to resubmit it and go through a consultation period, seeking views of local residents. Following on from that the design team will take the comments and formulate them into the final scheme which is then due to be presented in July.

"It is good that they are progressing with something, but at this stage it is difficult for the club to get too excited because there is still some way to go with it."

Part of the reason for that is that the original plans attracted criticism within the Stockbridge community and already there has been some resentment expressed, at yesterday's first public meeting.

There are various changes to the 52-bed hotel development around the listed Raeburn House from the original plan which Festival Inns hope will appease residents, but the less controversial proposals for the rugby club remain the same with six new changing rooms, a weights room, office and social clubrooms.

John Duff, planning adviser to the project, said: "Festival Inns felt that the scheme they'd got consent for was okay, but they feel the scheme they're now trying to do is a lot better."

Project manager Julian Smith added: "There are two objectives with the new scheme – one, to provide Edinburgh Accies with state of the art sporting facilities in their long-term home at Raeburn Place, and two, Festival Inns adopting a high-class hotel."

The plans will be on display at Stockbridge Library until Monday.