Margaret Smith pleased that the Royal Highland Showground is to stay in West Edinburgh

28/2/07


Edinburgh West Liberal Democrat MSP Margaret Smith has welcomed the news that the Royal Highland Showground is to stay in West Edinburgh. The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) has announced that the home for Scotland’s National Showground is to move from its current site in Ingliston across the A8 to a new site which will be known as Norton Park, subject to funding.

Margaret Smith has campaigned with the Society over many years to try to keep the Royal Highland Showground at its present site. The move has been forced by the 2003 UK Government ‘Future of Air Transport’ White Paper and the West Edinburgh Planning Framework.

Margaret Smith said, “I am disappointed that the Showground has had to move to suit the Airport but I am very pleased that the proposed site is still in West Edinburgh. The National Showground is one of the biggest visitor attractions in the country and it contributes a great deal to the city and Lothians economy . The move will have an impact on local residents and I look forward to meeting RHASS Chief Executive Ray Jones in the near future to discuss ways in which the Showground relocation can be of benefit to local communities , possibly through the community use of facilities. I also believe that the cost of the move should not fall on the Society or the Scottish Executive, but on BAA and the UK Government, who are the driving forces behind the move.”


Notes:

· The feasibility study, which was funded by Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian (SEEL), The Scottish Executive and the RHASS, was undertaken by Roger Tym and Partners. It looked at all the specifics of the proposed site including; topography, costs, the utility services required to the site, proximity to all forms of transportation, desirability for planning and its connection to the roads in the immediate vicinity and all works necessary to meet full planning approvals.

· Scotland’s National Showground is an integral part of both Scotland’s and Lothian’s economy and history. RHASS established its headquarters in Edinburgh in 1784 at Queensberry House, now the site of the Scottish Parliament, and at Ingliston almost 50 years ago. The Showground receives 1.2 million visitors each year, holds around 150 events a year and contributes around £250 million annually with £100 million to Edinburgh and Lothians.