First look at new home for Edinburgh Tattoo 2011
Plans for a spectacular new 8,600-seat arena which is hoped to host the Edinburgh Tattoo from 2011 have today been unveiled.
Webcam Edinburgh Tattoo
Plans for a spectacular new 8,600-seat arena which is hoped to host the Edinburgh Tattoo from 2011 have today been unveiled.
Organisers of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo are behind the £16 million project, which has been developed over the past three years, and have lodged the plans with Edinburgh City Council.
The new bowl-shaped arena will play host to the Tattoo and other major events, including rock concerts, mammoth festival shows and sporting events.
In its official submission to the council, the Tattoo declared that recent audience research had found "a clear and increasing need for improvements to several aspects of the visitor experience”.
It states: "The proposed new stands are intended to transform the historic esplanade at Edinburgh Castle into an arena which offers summer visitors a unique and intimate venue in a spectacular setting.
"The new stands will be offering scope for other events to be staged on the esplanade at other times of the year and will also modernise the seating arrangements and facilities to improve accessibility and create better disabled access for customers."
Spectators will enjoy greater leg-room with an often better view of the esplanade. Better toilets, catering and merchandising are also promised.
Alan Smith, marketing manager at the Tattoo, said: "Our plan is to have the new arena in place for 2011 and we are confident of meeting that target.
“Obviously, we have to go through the formal planning process with the council, but there have been extensive pre-application discussions with various parties, including neighbouring residents, and we would be hopeful of securing planning permission by the autumn."
Another key benefit of the proposed arena will be the huge reduction in the amount of time taken to build and dismantle the stands. At present there are almost eight months of disruption at the esplanade to accommodate the stands, but the 22-week construction programme is expected to be cut to just four weeks.
Edinburgh City Council has already committed £3m to the project and agreed to a £6m loan, while the Scottish Government has been asked to match the council's grant. The Tattoo organisers have pledged to find the rest of the money from their own coffers, a fundraising drive and corporate sponsorship deals.