Scottish Rugby plans new playing venue

Article posted by Coliseum, August 6^th, 2018

Image: Scottish Rugby

The Scottish Rugby announced that it has applied for a planning permission to install a 7,800-capacity new playing venue in the grounds of BT Murrayfield for one of the professional rugby teams, Edinburgh Rugby.

If approved, this development will be the new home of Edinburgh Rugby, which will be playing its home matches on the international pitch at Murrayfield for the coming 2018/19 season, during which the campaign for the new venue will be launched.

“We are incredibly excited to be in a position to be able to submit this application to give Edinburgh a new home,” Dominic McKay, COO, Scottish Rugby, who has the responsibility of Scotland’s two professional rugby teams said, in a statement released on the official website.

The detailed planning application which incorporates a new 3G surface and covered spectator stands on all four sides of the ground has been submitted to the City of Edinburgh Council and awaits further developments on the project at the start of the 2018/19 season.

As currently the national team from Scotland and other representative sides train at the Oriam National Performance Centre, the proposed development will be done on a section of land which was used as training pitches at Murrayfield.

“After many years of exhausting all the potential stadium and playing ground options for Edinburgh in the local area, we have taken the initiative and will be investing ourselves to develop a venue that can help the team to grow and provide a great spectator and venue experience,” Murray said, adding: “We are fortunate to have space within the BT Murrayfield campus to comfortably accommodate this planned new facility with a new venue design and retain practice pitches for all elements of rugby.”

Edinburgh Rugby Managing Director, Jonny Petrie, said: “Having just enjoyed one of the club’s most positive seasons in recent times on the pitch, it is hugely exciting to announce our intentions to move to a new purpose-built new home.”

The future project has been designed keeping in mind a flexible infrastructure, and the Scottish Rugby is open to making the space available to other rugby players as well as other sports in Scotland.

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