Momentum could be key to delivering arena
Surely there are some music fans on the planning committee who will give this the thumbs-up
I’m trying not to get my hopes up about the proposal to build an arena in Edinburgh. After all, we have been here many times before.
Off the top of my head I can remember proposals for sites at the Waterfront, Straiton and Ingliston. And this is the second site that's been looked at at Edinburgh Park.
But I do like the determination of the AEG team behind this plan, and the fact they want to keep up the momentum. When announcing their plans, AEG Europe’s executive vice-president for real estate and development, Alistair Wood, said: “We don’t want the project to stall and these plans to be forgotten about, we want to get going and get the place open as quickly as possible.” It has always amazed me that Edinburgh doesn't have an arena. On the front of this paper, we proudly state that it is the culture capital of the world. And yet, no arena.
We have several stadiums for very big names like Bruce Springsteen or Beyonce, and one or two medium venues such as the O2 Academy and the Usher Hall. And then lots of small or even tiny venues such as The Liquid Room or Sneaky Pete's. But nowhere that can accommodate over 3000 people.
For city music fans, having to travel through to Glasgow every time you want to see a band becomes tedious very quickly. You eagerly look at the newly announced tour and the only Scottish date is in Glasgow.
Now that the people at AEG have submitted their proposal, they are hoping to get the go-ahead in June and then immediately focus on finding a builder. Perhaps they've never met Edinburgh council's nitpicking planning department. But in a position far away from any World Heritage site, and a planned height of just 30m – unlikely to dominate the skyline – I can't think why it would be refused.
Surely there are some music fans on the planning committee who will give this the thumbs-up.
So, without getting too excited, I will be watching this story very closely. Because a concert arena is just what the Capital needs – and has needed for a very long time.