£40m blow after historic glasshouses hit by storms
SCOTLAND’S most famous botanical garden must raise £40million to restore its historic glasshouses after they were declared a risk to visitors – and rare plants.
A strategic review on the state of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) published yesterday praises it for excelling as a scientific conservation centre.
But it reveals that three sets of glasshouses, including its listed Victorian Temperate Palm House, which dates from 1 5 and is the tallest of its kind in Britain, ‘urgently require attention’.
Storms have also caused serious damage to research glasshouses where the RBGE’s collection of rare plants is stored. These are off-limits to the public. Bosses estimate that the cost of restoring, repairing and replacing the glasshouses, will hit £40million.
Simon Milne, regius keeper of the RBGE, which attracts nearly one million visitors a year, said: ‘We have been very careful to exclude people from the glasshouses at times of high winds. The times we have had to do this have been increasing in frequency because of the number of storms there have been. ’
The review was carried out by a group of seven scientists appointed by the Scottish Government. Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said: ‘The Scottish Government will now work with RBGE in taking forward the recommendations.’